Panda Dome Essential

Main Window

Rather than the common light or dark background, Panda Dome Essential's main window features a changing scene from nature, with a handful of icons representing important security features.

All Feature Icons

Scrolling the main window down reveals a total of 15 unlabeled feature icons. If you can't guess the icon's function by looking at it, you can point with the mouse to see its label.

Phishing Page Blocked

Unlike Panda's free antivirus, this product includes the Safe Browsing component, designed to fend off dangerous and fraudulent websites. In testing, it didn't detect any malware-hosting sites, and only caught a small number of phishing sites.

Simple Firewall

At the simplest level, you control the firewall's settings by telling it the kind of network you're using: Home, Work, or Public.

Firewall Settings

On the firewall settings page you can see that Panda configures almost every program to allow outgoing connections and deny unsolicited incoming connections. Firewall experts can dig in to create or modify these rules, but the average user should adopt a hands-off policy.

Application Control

Distinct from the firewall's program control, Application Control requires your confirmation before it lets any unknown program launch. This kind of whitelist-based protection blocks all unknowns, good or bad, until you approve them.

Wi-Fi Protection

Panda's Wi-Fi security check goes way beyond merely warning that you've connected to a Wi-Fi network without password protection. For example, it flags networks that use a very common name, and warns if the Wi-Fi channel is overloaded.

Virtual Keyboard

When you use the virtual keyboard to enter sensitive data, no keylogger, not even a hardware-based one, can capture what you entered. The flock of decoy cursors serves to protect against anyone who might be watching you log in.

Panda for macOS

You can use your Panda licenses to install protection on your Macs as well. The Mac version retains Panda's old user interface, and offers basic antivirus plus a limited VPN.

Panda for Android

Installed on Android, Panda provides the expected antivirus and anti-theft features. Bonuses include App Lock, Privacy Audit, and a Call Blocker.

74 Android Antitheft

By logging in to Panda online, you can locate, lock, or wipe a lost or stolen Android device. You can also trigger a loud alarm, or remotely snap a photo of whoever has the device.

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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