Kaspersky Internet Security 2006: AVP Enters the Enterprise-Grade Security Arena Kasperksy Debuts a Comprehensive Security Toolkit Joseph Moran
When you consider how many different forms of danger an Internet-connected PC faces these days, you can almost get sentimental about that bygone time when an old-fashioned, run-of-the mill virus was all you had to watch out for. Nowadays, viruses are unfortunately just one of a seemingly endless list of nasties that potentially lurk behind any Web page, e-mail, or download.
As times have changed, so has the type of software needed to protect your system. An anti-virus utility is a good place to start, but that alone isn't nearly enough. Kaspersky Internet Security 2006 from Russian developer Kaspersky Lab (creators of the original and still quite popular AntiViral Toolkit Pro, AVP) is the latest comprehensive security tool designed to guard against myriad threats. Among its many capabilities, KIS 2006 provides anti-virus and firewall features as well as spam filtering, a pop-up blocker, and the ability to detect and remove spyware programs and other forms of malware.
Viruses, Hackers, and Spam, Oh My!
The anti-virus component of KIS 2006 is comprehensive, providing complete protection for files as well as from virus-laden e-mail messages or Web pages. Kaspersky Lab boasts that it provides updates to virus definitions on an hourly basis and spam signature updates as frequently as thrice hourly. (Whether you choose to download updates quite that often is another matter.) You can either choose from one of three pre-set levels of security — low, recommended, or high — or customize the scan settings to your liking.
The Anti-Hacking feature of KIS 2006 guards against unauthorized access to your system. It provides a firewall that gives you the ability to create your own rules for packet filtering and application execution, but also features a training mode that will automatically create rules based on your responses to specific incident prompts. KIS 2006 also includes an Intrusion Detection System and regularly checks for rootkit applications that can allow hackers to surreptitiously log into your system.
Regarding spam, KIS 2006 supports Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and The Bat! From Rit Labs, but not, unfortunately, the increasingly popular Mozilla Thunderbird. The Anti-Spam component lets you preview incoming messages before depositing them into your inbox, and you can help train KIS 2006 Anti-Spam to recognize the difference between the good and bad stuff by pointing it to existing folders that contain either legitimate messages or spam. When a spam message does make it through, you can mark it as spam with one click to further refine the detection method.
