Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus 2013

By Neil J. Rubenking

It's official; the good people at Webroot have achieved a new record with their latest security suite. Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus 2013 ($59.99 direct for three licenses) has a longer name than any other current product in its class. I had to crank down the font size just to fit it in my charts. However, it's not hugely different from the company's entry-level antivirus, adding password management and an option to use each of your three licenses on either a PC or an Android device, but not much else of note.

At its core, this product offers the same excellent antivirus protection found in Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus 2013, which scored higher than any other product in my malware blocking test and tied with Norton Internet Security (2013) for top score in my malware removal test. I'll summarize my testing results here; for full details please read my review of the antivirus.

Small and Simple
Webroot's installer takes less than a megabyte on disk, and a full installation occupies vastly less disk space than most suites. During installation it automatically self-configures to offer the best security for your particular computer system. The first time you try making your own configuration changes, the product reminds you that its configuration has already been optimized. You don't have to change anything, though you're free to make changes if you wish.

Webroot runs a full scan during the install process. If it finds any threats, it will scan again and again until the system comes up clean. That's not as lengthy a process as it sounds, because each scan takes around five minutes. With minor help from tech support I installed the product on twelve malware-infested virtual machines and completed my testing in a single day. Other products have required days of back-and-forth with tech support or hours of remote-control repair just to complete the installation. Webroot's speed was definitely refreshing.

Best Malware Blocking
In testing, Webroot detected every single one of my current set of malware samples and scored 9.9 of a possible 10 points for malware blocking. BullGuard Antivirus 2013, Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2013 , SecureIT Plus, and Daily Safety Check Home Edition all detected 97 percent of the samples. SecureIT scored next best after Webroot with 9.7 points.

The article How We Test Malware Blocking explains how I carry out and score this test.

Thorough Malware Cleanup
Webroot's full scan finishes quickly, but as noted it will re-scan after any scan that found a virus or other malicious program. On one test system it scanned five times before it was satisfied. For this test, Webroot shares the top score (6.6 points) with Norton.

The runners-up, with 6.5 points, are Kaspersky Internet Security (2013) , AVG Internet Security 2013 , and Daily Safety Check. For a full run-down on my hands-on malware cleanup test, see How We Test Malware Removal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/6MLXzrvLAVk/0,2817,2411513,00.asp

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