Bitdefender 2013 Gets Excellent Review from PCMag

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 was awarded PC Mag`s Editor`s Choice title for its features, overall usability and malware protection in a review by the magazine`s Neil J. Rubenking. After thoroughly testing all its modules, such as Anti-Theft, SafePay and malware detection components, PCMag gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, emphasizing that it`s one of the best commercial antiviruses to date.

Bitdefender`s antivirus technology is also highly appreciated by independent virus-testing labs such as AV Comparatives and AV Test that have awarded it some of the highest ratings yet. With a high malware detection and cleaning rate on PCMag`s samples, Rubenking said that “Bitdefender is definitely the most impressive malware cleaner of products tested with my new sample set“.

Not only that it halts suspicious applications, but its behavior-based system managed to identify tools that might have tricked other antiviruses into thinking they`re malicious. Correctly analyzing software behavior and shutting down applications that might pose security risks are among Bitdefender`s strong suits.

“By default, Bitdefender monitors all applications and halts those that exhibit suspicious behavior,“ said PCMag. “Behavior-based systems can sometimes block valid programs, so I installed and ran 20 old PCMag utilities, utilities that some trigger-happy behavior-based detection systems will identify as malicious. Bitdefender correctly left these tools alone.“

Enabling Anti-Phishing and Anti-Spam filters will keep you safe from potentially dangerous URL`s by continuously accessing a cloud database of blacklisted websites or spammy email messages. Yahoo Messenger clients starting with version 8.1 will also benefit from this technology and all conversations between two PC`s with Bitdefender are encrypted.

Internet banking and online transactions are also more secure as a custom built browser “creates an unbreachable connection” that prevents malicious applications such as keyloggers from spying on your transactions. As soon as an e-banking URL is detected, Safepay launches to handle all banking in a secure environment.

“Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 performed very well in PCMag’s tests and in independent lab tests,“ said PCMag in its review. “It offers quite a few features that you’d expect to find only in a full-scale suite, among them powerful phishing protection and a hardened browser for financial transactions.“

Weak passwords or disabled update settings are also monitored through the Antivirus Events window, and such warnings can easily be fixed with a couple of clicks. This built-in vulnerability scanner also checks for software updates for components such as Java or Adobe Reader.

Probably the most appreciated feature was Bitdefender`s smooth preinstall process and the OS Rescue Mode that requires no bootable CD. Providing basic functionality and the same low tolerance for virus infestations, Rescue Mode thoroughly scans for malware without being confined by your OS`s policies.

“Bitdefender’s Rescue Mode is a truly impressive feature. It boots the system into an alternate operating system, just as you’d do with a Rescue CD,“ said PCMag. “The user doesn’t need to download anything and doesn’t need to burn a CD, but the effect is exactly the same.“

With both pros and cons to Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013, it got a fair rating following a lengthy and comprehensive review. Summarizing their findings in just two phrases, PCMag found Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 to be a competitive security solution that`s keen on protecting users from malware threats.

“Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 does everything an antivirus should and includes useful bonus features. It performed very well in our testing and in independent tests as well,“ said PCMag. “Full cleanup of infested systems can take a long time and in testing causes some collateral damage, but Bitdefender tech support handled damage control very well.“