AVG Antivirus 2011 is the latest version of the award-winning fast AVG antivirus 2011. Just like ESET, AVG offers a fast antivirus software for home computers and home office computer users. Their software provides maximum protection while staying easy on system resources, it does not slow down the computer while scanning and/or updating definitions. Also, a great feature of their antivirus software is the LinkScanner which constantly checks web pages while you browse or navigate from one page to the other. If AVG finds any harmful website links, it flags them to inform the user of the potential risks involved. Users can then avoid harmful websites and web pages to keep themselves safe. AVG antivirus 2011 is power packed with amazing features and we concluded that AVG takes the #8 spot in our top ten antivirus programs list.
Advanced Features:
AVG Antivirus 2011 advanced features:
- High speed scanning performance with NEW enhanced virus scanner.
- Powerful LinkScanner keeps scanning web pages and informs you of the potential risks before you click a bad link.
- LinkScanner Search-shield applies safety ratings to your Google, Bing/MSN and Yahoo search results
- Constant updates to ensure that your AVG antivirus software is updated with latest virus definitions.
- Silent, quick updates in the background, without disturbing you and without getting in your way.
- AVG Identity Theft Recovery Unit helps you get your life back in order if you ever become a victim of identity theft
AVG Antivirus 2011
AVG's anti-malware software is extremely popular throughout the world - it is used by 80 million people spread around 165 countries, speaking 15 different languages. The majority of users opt for the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition software, but most customers choose to pay for more robust protection from AVG Antivirus 2011 ($54.99). The latest version of this suite has some considerable improvements over free version and previous versions.
We found the installation, including signature update and reboot, took about 12 minutes. There is a new 'optimization scan' which flags known-good programs - subsequent malware scans ignore these programs and run faster. On our test system, a full scan took 50 minutes, subsequent scans about 18 minutes.
The latest version of AVG Antivirus is very similar in appearance to the previous version, apart from minor modifications to the icons that represent the security components. If you see a red icon it indicates there is a problem in that area, and double-clicking will bring up more details and options. There is also an Advanced Settings dialog which lists all configuration possibilities in a tree-structured list.
On a couple of test systems which were already infected with malware, AVG had problems installing. AVG's technical support was able to solve these issues after some time. A connectivity problem after installation on another system was also cleared up by tech support. A command-line scan in Safe Mode resolved issues where malware interfered with scanning on another system.
Independent Antivirus Labs Results
AV-Comparatives has improved its rating for the latest version of AVG - last time it was rated Standard for proactive detection and on-demand detection - this time it was rated Advanced for on-demand detection.
West Coast Labs and ICSA Labs certify AVG for malware detection but not removal - last year it passed West Coast Labs' certification for cleaning, too. Virus Bulletin has awarded AVG the VB100% award for all of the latest 10 Windows-based test sessions.
Improved Malware Removal
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 does not include the Identity Protection module found in the larger suite- this uses behavior-based technology acquired from Sana Security. The full suite also has a separate advanced rootkit scanning component. So it isn't surprising that we found the full suite performs better at malware removal than its free counterpart.
The AVG suite scored slightly above average, 4.6, in a test for removing commercial keyloggers, the same result as AVG Free edition. In the advanced rootkit test, the suite scored above average - 6.0 points - it detected all the rootkit samples but couldn't remove them all. Norton Antivirus scored the highest in this test, with 7.9 points.
In the Rogue Security Software (scareware) test, AVG's scanner detected every sample but wasn't able to fully remove them all, scoring 6.5 points, better than AVG Free which came in at 5.2 points. The best performer in this test was Ad-Aware, with 8.8 points.
Multi-Layered Approach to Malware Blocking
AVG's suite leverages multiple layers of protection which interact to enhance malware detection. Any malware active in memory is caught by the Resident Shield module. Web pages are checked for dangerous scripts and files. The normal signature-based protection is augmented by the Identity Protection module which keeps a lookout for typical malware behavior. In addition to all this, AVG has access to databases in the cloud where it can get extra information about any suspected threats.
We ran a test to re-download his malware samples, and AVG's web protection was not very effective - all those whose URL was still valid downloaded without problem, although the on-access scan caught a couple of them after the download was over.
A further test to open a folder containing the previously-downloaded samples saw AVG perform a little better - it removed 70 percent of them as soon as he clicked on them - AVG Free edition performed the same here. Of the remaining 30 percent, all except one of them were detected by the AVG suite during installation. AVG Free scored 8.8 points here, and the suite scored 9.0. Norton Antivirus scored 9.6, and Spyware Doctor was the highest scorer with 9.7.
All rootkit samples were detected and most of them blocked - the suite and free edition performed the same here with 8.1 points. When it came to scareware (rogue internet security) detection, AVG's suite trumped the free edition with 7.3 against 6.0. But 8 other products scored a perfect 10 out of 10 points in this test.
We concluded that overall, AVG's suite is quite good at malware protection - it would be even better if it could thoroughly clear up any threats it detects.
Impact on System Performance
AVG claims that the current edition of their Internet security suite has 10 - 15 percent less impact on system boot time than the previous version. Even so, we found it added nearly 140 percent to the boot time. Of rival products, Zonealarm Antivirus and CA Antivirus also took more than doubled system boot time.
In a test of copying and moving files, AVG had quite a big impact, adding 33 percent to the time taken. This is more than twice the average result for this test. In a zip/unzip test, AVG added 21 percent to the time. Still, AVG had no impact on browsing time, and the suite's spam filter didn't have an appreciable effect on download time. The new optimization scan considerably speeds up malware scanning, and the suite installs quickly. These benefits don't entirely compensate for the boot time impact, but AVG's overall performance impact score was above Fair.
Improved Firewall Protection
We found that the current suite's firewall, unlike the previous version, successfully placed all ports in invisible stealth mode. It also has improved program control - several online databases are consulted and access is allowed for known good programs. Whenever an unknown program requests Internet access for the first time, a pop-up window will appear querying if you want to allow access.
We tried to stop AVG's processes in Task Manager but the application successfully defended itself against this threat. For some processes we received an "access denied" message, and other processes re-spawned immediately after being terminated. We were unable to use the Windows Registry to trick the firewall into turning itself off, but were able to deactivate it by setting the services to 'disabled' and forcing a system restart. Conclusion: AVG's firewall is quite robust but needs to be toughened up a little.
When tested for effectiveness against malware that tries to evade program control, the firewall was assisted by other modules. Identity Protection blocked one of these programs based on behavior, and Resident Shield blocked several more as known malware. The firewall itself managed to block one of the programs, and a few others were able to penetrate its defenses. However, in a real-life scenario, if they really carried a malicious payload, they would probably have been blocked by Identity Protection.
AVG also took a team approach to protecting against attacks looking to exploit system vulnerabilities. When we used the Core IMPACT penetration tool against our test system, several modules swung into action. Web Shield disabled some exploits, LinkScanner a few more, and Resident Shield blocked still more. The system wasn't compromised by the few exploits that made it through the protection.
Conclusion: We found that the firewall is considerably improved over the previous version and integrates well with the other modules in the suite.
Conclusion: We found that the firewall is considerably improved over the previous version and integrates well with the other modules in the suite.
Overall Conclusion: AVG Internet Security latest edition is a substantial improvement over the previous version. The firewall was quite weak in older versions but it has been considerably improved in the new version, and the different modules integrate well and present a united front to protect the system from malware attacks. It lacks a parental control module, but, if that isn't a prime concern for you, AVG Internet Security could be a good choice for securing your system.
