F-Secure Internet Security

Main Window

F-Secure Internet Security has the same bright, airy style for its main window as the corresponding antivirus does. The main difference between the two is the presence of a parental control tab in the left-rail menu.

Harmful Site Blocked

The suite adds a browsing protection component not found in the antivirus. In testing, it proved very effective at blocking access to harmful websites.

Phishing Suspicion

Browsing protection also aims to steer users away from fraudulent (phishing) websites. However, it didn't perform well in testing.

Banking Protection

When you visit a financial site (left) F-Secure activates banking protection (top). If you try to open another connection, it warns you to finish your secure transaction first (right). A banking Trojan wouldn't get a warning; it just wouldn't connect.

Enable Parental Control

If you open the parental controls tab and simply click the Turn on button, you are turning on content filtering and time limits for yourself. To turn on and configure parental controls for a child's account, you must log into that child's account and open F-Secure there. It's uniquely awkward.

Content Filter

The content filter can block access to sites matching 15 categories. By default, it blocks 13 of them.

Secure Site Blocked

In testing, we couldn't find any sites in blocked categories that slipped past the content filter. It blocked a secure anonymizing proxy site (seen here) with no trouble. Note, though, that a child with Administrator access can just click the Allow web site button, or turn off parental controls entirely.

Safe Search

F-Secure relies on its browser extension to enforce safe search. If your child uses a less-known browser or simply disabled the browser extension, F-Secure can't lock safe search.

Time Limits

Time limits affect internet access or all computer access, your choice. Parents can set a daily cap, define an access schedule, or both.

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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