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PCMag UK

PC Viper 3.1

Neil J. Rubenking
 & Neil J. Rubenking Principal Writer, Security

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
- PC Viper 3.1
2.0 Subpar

Pros & Cons

PC Viper 3.1 costs less than most of the firewall software in this roundup, but it also performed worse than most of the other firewalls on our tests. The software is intended to block any incoming packet that's not requested by the system, and it prevents all access by specific blocked hosts.

PC Viper blocks network traffic using specific protocols and optionally displays pop-up alerts. One click turns off the alerts (the firewall's tray icon will still flash at attacks). When any program attempts to access the Internet, PC Viper asks whether it should be allowed or denied, once or always.

Installation was straightforward, and the storm of pop-ups abated after a short time. The main program window isn't slick, but it's easy to understand. The Traffic tab's huge animated display shows safe (green) and malicious (red) traffic, and blocked traffic visibly smashes against the PC Viper icon. Network Statistics shows current traffic and blocked packets. The Alerts tab lists any detected problems, with options to filter by type and severity. Double-clicking an alert displays a terse explanation; doing so in the Packets tab displays packet data in great detail. The Connection History tab lists all communications with your PC. Unfortunately, only the current session's data is kept; for a permanent record, you must save each tab's contents to disk.

PC Viper has three basic security levels—low, medium, and high. Depending on the setting, traffic using specific protocols is permitted or blocked. Low security also turns off stealth mode for all protocols except ICMP. A Custom choice accesses the rather daunting Advanced Configuration Settings dialog. Oddly, the controls on seven of this dialog's nine tabs affect all security levels. If you want to configure those settings for another level, you select Custom, make your changes, and then reselect the previous level.

The advanced settings let you add to or change the Trusted Applications list. An optional adult-content filter may prove to be only a nuisance—at the high-security level, it blocked a small-town home page, because of the word sex in the URL: www.wintersexpress.com.

As we noted above, PC Viper didn't shine in our labs testing. At low and medium security levels, it detected a NetBIOS port scan yet did not block it. The interface is awkward, and it doesn't automatically log alerts to disk. Given these flaws, PC Viper is hard for us to recommend.

Final Thoughts

- PC Viper 3.1

PC Viper 3.1

2.0 Subpar

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

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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