Online security is a very important aspect of computing and includes both software to combat virus attacks and firewalls to prevent unauthorized remote access to your machine. While there are many reputable programs for handling these needs independently, complete Internet security suites are also available, providing anti-virus and firewall services in a single package---and often with other features, such as anti-spyware and child protection. These suites are routinely rated and reviewed by several tech websites, allowing you to easily see which contenders stand out.
Norton 360
Symantec's Norton 360 is the winner of the PC Magazine Editor's Choice in both 2009 and 2010. Besides award-winning anti-virus and firewall protection, Norton 360 includes identity protection to defend against phishing and keyloggers, backup and restoration services to keep your data safe, and PC tuneup features to clean up disk space and speed computer startup.
BitDefender
Recipient of the Laptop Magazine Editor's Choice, the Top Ten Reviews Gold and the Virus Bulletin's VB100 award, BitDefender Total Security provides comprehensive anti-virus protection and an easy-to-implement two-way firewall, as well as privacy tools for email and social networks, parental controls and spam-fighting software.
McAfee
McAfee Total Protection, winner of the PC Advisor Gold award and a PC World 5-star rating, includes anti=virus, anti-spyware and firewall features and boasts first place in threat detection in comparison its competitors. It also comes with parental controls, backup services, and McAfee SiteAdvisor, a tool to help you evaluate a website's threat level before visiting it.
Kaspersky
Kaspersky Internet Security sports firewall and complete anti-malware protection, in addition to ad-blocking, family protection tools to control Internet use and computer access, identity safeguards, and Safe Desktop, a tool allowing you to safely view potentially dangerous emails, files, and websites. Kaspersky is the recipient of the ICT Best Choice award, an AV-Comparatives top award, and honors from numerous European tech websites.
