Product Details

Protect yourself from viruses, phishing scams, spyware, identity thieves and more with this effective security tool

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012 is a powerful, accurate and highly configurable antivirus tool that delivers everything you need to keep your PC malware-free.

The core antivirus engine is constantly scanning all your internet, email and instant messaging traffic, for instance, detecting and blocking known threats before they're able to install. Two additional proactive technologies are used to uncover brand new threats, while keeping false alarms to a minimum. And the results are so good that independent testing labs AV-Comparatives awarded the program their highest Advanced+ rating in the May 2010 Retrospective/ Proactive test.

An antiphishing module keeps you safe online, blocking access to known dangerous sites in IE and Firefox. We've come across similar tools that have frustrated us before, blocking sites that we know are safe, but fortunately Bitdefender's version is more flexible: if you really want to visit a page, then you can add it to a whitelist, which means you won't be warned again.

You also get a vulnerability scan, alerting you to missing security patches both in Windows and your installed applications. Built-in encryption secures your conversations in Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. And an Identity Control module monitors web, instant messaging and email traffic, detecting and warning you about any attempts to transmit personal information (credit card numbers, phone numbers, addresses and more).

There's plenty of power available, then, but exactly how much you see of this depends on how Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012 is configured.

If you're an experienced user, for example, then tell the program to use Expert Mode during installation and you'll be presented with the full program interface, giving you access to every available option, and allowing you to make all the decisions about how it should work.

If you're more of a PC beginner, though, or simply prefer an easier life, then set Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012 to use the Novice Mode, instead. You'll then have a much simpler interface with just the core options available, and the program will make most of its operating decisions automatically, leaving you free to get on with other things.

Review by Mike Williams.