F-Secure Internet Security 2004

Finnish software house F-Secure specialises in security software, including antivirus, Firewall and encryption products for PCs, laptops and other mobile devices. Internet Security 2004 (£45 inc. VAT) is a fairly basic product compared to the suites that you can buy from, for example, Panda and Symantec.

The software only has two modules for antivirus and Firewall, without any extras such as anti-spam or system monitoring software. In other words, it handles, as the name suggests, security and nothing more. The result is a very clear and concise control panel which details when you performed your last scan and when you last updated your software. It also includes the expiry date of your current license. We were surprised that by default F-Secure sets the Firewall to log suspicious traffic without taking any action.

However, it’s a new click operation to set the Firewall to request authorisation. By contrast the antivirus software is set to ‘normal’ level with option for high, off and custom. We were entirely satisfied with the normal setting, as high was a touch on the paranoid side, blocking almost all traffic unless it was explicitly permitted. In fact, our single biggest complaint was that immediately after installation we had to download 5MB of virus definitions, which seems like a lot.

However, we discovered something that concerned us. We authorised Internet Explorer to access the Internet and then ran a Windows Update that updated the browser, but the F-Secure software didn’t flag up the fact that the software had changed. Instead it simply permitted the traffic, so there has to be a chance that a virus or Trojan that slips through with the software could then be able to activate its payload.

If you’re checking our maths on the quoted prices, you may think that we’ve made a mistake. However, within the EU you have to pay22 percent Finnish VAT. For your money you get 26.5MB of downloaded software, but you can pay an extra £5.26/£6.42 (ex./inc VAT) and a CD will be shipped to you which could be handy should you ever need to format your hard drive.

PRICE: £37/£45 (EX/INC. VAT) PRICE IS FOR DOWNLOAD
RATING: 7
KEY FEATURES: ANTIVIRUS AND FIREWALL SOFTWARE
OS COMPATIBILITY: WINDOWS 98/ME/2000/XP
CONTACT: 01223 478800 WWW.F-SECURE.COM