Norton Internet Security 2009

Symantec’s anti-virus software has been tested many times at the Virus Bulletin website and it hasn’t missed a single virus this century. If you want a security suite that you can rely on, then this is certainly it – few rivals can match Norton’s detection record. You also get anti-spyware, with updates for the virus and spyware scanner that are more frequent than with other suites.

The firewall works well, stopping undesirable programs from connecting to the internet and hackers on the internet accessing your PC. You can see which of your programs are connecting to the internet and easily change permissions.

Other extras include an anti-phishing toolbar on Internet Explorer that keeps usernames and passwords safe, then automatically fills in the login details at websites, and web content filtering, which lets you set up the PC for kids. It filters spam from your email inbox, automatically detects when you are playing games, scans when the PC is idle, and more.

Previous versions of Norton were bloated and slow, but this suite is small and fast. The only slight irritation is that, beyond the home screen, the interface is pretty confusing. However, due to its popularity, the product is widely discounted – we saw it for half price at the PC World website – and our value-for-money rating takes this into account.

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