Pros & Cons
Editor's Note: Product not yet reviewed by PCMag Editors.
To combat the very real malware threats to Macs, Intego's VirusBarrier 2013 ($39.99, direct) protects Macs against viruses, Trojans, worms, and all other kinds of malware. This Mac antivirus tool also includes phishing protection, a two-way firewall, and "antivandal" protection against hack attacks.
Protection against Malware
VirusBarrier 2013 offers three options for scanning: real-time, scheduled, and manual scanning. Like Avira Free Mac Security (Free), VirusBarrier 2013 will detect and eliminate Windows malware, so your Mac doesn't become a carrier for PCs on the network. The company has also partnered with Panda Security and licensed its Window AV products so that the VirusBarrier 2013 can be used on both Windows-based PCs and Macs. Naturally virus signatures are updated frequently and automatically.VirusBarrier 2013 watches for threats in real time, to prevent malware attacks before they start. It can also use behavioral analysis to detect threats based on abnormal behaviors. The real-time protection automatically checks your files for updates to ensure protection against threats. It runs scans on your entire Mac, recently accessed files, or specific folders. Scans range from on-demand malware checks for your entire Mac to quick scans for day-to-day use. To scan a single file or folder, just drop it onto the center of VirusBarrier 2013's main window. You can also select a specific drive or folder for scanning. As a bonus, if you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or AppleTV connected to the Mac you can scan those as well and VirusBarrier 2013 will get rid of malware it finds in document directories on the devices.
To speed up scans, VirusBarrier 2013 marks trusted folders. It also automatically scans external drives and the application behavior analysis detects threats in running applications. You can configure VirusBarrier 2013 to send you an email if it finds malware, like the updated Panda Antivirus for Mac ($49.99), place the file in quarantine, or try to repair the infected file. The VirusBarrier 2013 detects malware contained in archive files and emails as well, and records history logs.
Protection against Network Attacks
You can choose five levels of firewall protection: no restrictions, no network, client with local server, server only, or client only. As you shift between these choices, a graphical representation of your computer, your local network, and the Internet clarifies which connections are permitted or blocked. The firewall's advanced mode allows more detailed control.The firewall also protects against programs that make unauthorized use of your Internet connection. It focuses strongly on Trojans, programs that look legitimate but steal and transmit your private information in the background.
What Intego calls antispyware is similar to what most personal firewalls call program control or application control. When an unknown application attempts Internet access for the first time, the antispyware feature can be configured to allow it, deny it, or ask the user.
VirusBarrier 2013's antivandal protection scans incoming network traffic and looks for signs of intrusion. It silently monitors network activity at all times, popping up an alert if it detects a transgression. Among the attacks blocked by antivandal protection are port scans, syn flood attacks, and buffer overflow attacks.
If the firewall detects and blocks an attack it will deny all connection to the attacking IP address for a user-specified amount of time. You can edit the blocked addresses list and also add known trusted addresses that won't ever be blocked.
Web Surfing Protection
The surf filter feature keeps users from accidentally visiting phishing (fraudulent) sites or sites hosting malware. It also offers protection from such Web threats as cross-site scripting attacks, drive-by downloads, and malicious JavaScript.The optional ad banner filter will remove banner ads from the sites you visit, and the cookie filter will block cookies from all sites except those you mark as trusted. If you turn on the information hiding filter, it will keep your browser from sharing information about itself, your Mac, and the last website you visited.
The feature called Data Vault ensures that user-specific private information won't be transmitted from your Mac to anywhere else. You enter credit card numbers, passwords, or any other sensitive information in the vault, where it's stored in encrypted form. If any outgoing data packet contains the specified private information, it won't be allow out.
Logs and Monitors
In addition to the expected logs of firewall and antimalware activity, VirusBarrier 2013 offers a detailed graphical display of network traffic. One graph tracks overall traffic over time, while individual gauges show incoming and outgoing traffic of six types: Web, FTP, Mail, iChat, IP, and Other. You can also dig in to see traffic over time for any of the six traffic types.The optional VirusBarrier 2013 Traffic Monitor provides a small floating window with a summary of incoming and outgoing traffic. You can even enable a screensaver that displays network activity when the computer is otherwise idle.
VirusBarrier 2013 is currently available directly from Intego or in many retail stores at a suggested price of $39.99/year. A 30-day free trial is also available.
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