Internet Security Systems

If you're using a computer that's hooked up to the Internet, protect yourself with some top-of-the line security. Viruses, spyware and other malicious code, as well as phishing attempts and hackers, pose an immediate danger to anyone who uses the Internet. Rogue programs can infect and crash your hard drive, whereas other malicious code can steal your credit card information for the purposes of identity theft. The best Internet security systems offer fully featured software packages that include barriers like firewalls, as well as multiple layers of protection when emailing, browsing the web and downloading files.

Avast! 2009
Windows Vista, XP and 7, as well as Mac and Linux users, can get leading Internet security system Avast! Antivirus for free. It's among the top-rated antivirus products in the world, and it's developed by ALWIL Software in Prague, Czech Republic. Unlike other security programs, Avast! installs quickly, but, like others, it sends daily updates to your virus database. These updates contain information on the latest security risks and how to spot them. Avast! also offers "shields" of protection during peer-to-peer actions and instant messaging. Peer-to-peer sharing and instant messaging are popular avenues of viral attack.


Kaperksy Anti-Virus 2010
Kaperksy Anti-Virus 2010 is also among the best Internet security systems available and gets a "very good" rating from software critics at CNET. It costs $21 to $31 and works on Windows 7, XP and Vista. Like Norton, Kapersky harnesses user data and behavior in its search for emerging threats. It's fully featured and can confront malicious software in emails, web pages and downloads, as well as phishing attempts. This software also includes identity theft protection.

Norton AntiVirus 2010
Symantec leads the market for security software with Norton AntiVirus 2010. The $18.99 to $49.99 suite gets a four out of five-star rating from consumer review and news website CNET because of its robust features that guard users during all the major tasks of computing. Norton also taps its users as a resource to learn of emerging threats and provides diagnostics, which tell a user about his computer's speed and ways to optimize it. Norton AntiVirus works with Windows Vista and XP.