Some users have complained that Active Security Monitor identifies problems that aren't there, overlooking existing protections or diagnosing false problems. These problems appear to be scarce and in any case the complaints seem to point to a program that is at times being a little overly cautious. We'd rather have a false positive than miss a genuine problem.
In releasing ASM, AOL has made a strong case for the need for such a program. The company conducted a study with the National Cyber Security Alliance and found that 81 percent of home PCs lack at least one of three critical protections: updated computer virus software, spyware protection, and a secure firewall.
More than half of survey participants either had no anti-virus protection or had not updated the software within the last week, while 44 percent did not have a properly configured firewall and 38 percent lacked any form of spyware protection.
But you're protected, right?
Well, how would you know, really? Perhaps you installed a bunch of staff a while back and it was the right stuff at the time. Antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, etc. — how can it be that things have gone wrong since then?
It could be that these protections have gone stale. Maybe you missed some essential updates. It could be that some applications were not configured properly to begin with or that they're no longer doing what you thought they would.
Certainly an advanced user is (hopefully) not going to struggle with these issues, but for an average home user the eclectic mix of current protections can present challenges.
To stay on the safe side ASM offers a tool that is free, quick, and easy to use — just how we like our apps.
Pros: A fast and free way to ensure security apps are up and running and functioning as expected, freeware tool with no AOL membership required
Cons: Prone to occasional false positives, doesn't actually provide any form of security protection for your PC
