There are tech products most gadget reviewers and I are not equipped to review. Primary among them is antivirus software. If you’re only dabbling in the effort, it’s easy to go in the wrong direction. But PC Magazine’s Neil Rubenking does a good job actually figuring out what sorts of “malware” each software package can block.
I know the features antivirus software should have, including ways to stop e-mail phishing, block spyware, eliminate viruses, update its list of known malware, protect passwords and offer warnings about suspicious Web sites and risky behavior. Lastly, it should do all of that without slowing your computer to a crawl. In short, it should keep you out of trouble and avoid annoying you at the same time.
The makers of antivirus software have noticed this shortcoming of reviewers. Back in September, Symantec wrote a letter expressing concern about the quality of an antivirus software review in Consumer Reports. Now the industry is getting together as a group to create standards for evaluating antivirus software. David Cole, director of Symantec’s Norton Group, says a parallel for this is the crash test dummy.
“The testing industry has to evolve to keep up with safety features,” Cole said. “It’s not one size fits all. You used to be able to throw malware on a disk and scan it.”
For those who do testing, one of the typical tasks is to scan a computer to see whether the antivirus software will pick up any viruses on the machine. Antivirus software must scan for the signatures of known threats and eliminate them. But that’s simply the last line of defense these days.
The best antivirus software stops a lot of viruses and other malware before they have a chance to mess up your computer. For instance, antivirus software should…