Kaspersky has recently updated its range of security software to include the new Kaspersky PURE, an all-singing, all-dancing suite that does far more than simply protect against and remove threats.

Its been quite long until we did Kaspersky Pure review. Lets begin by saying that Kaspersky Pure’s advantage lies in its ease of use.

Packed with the entire range of network protection features, it is easy to manage as it simplifies and centralizes your entire home virus protection system.

Given its focus on combining functionality with simplicity vis-à-vis its use, the Kaspersky Pure is a full-fledged protection system that works well for professionals as well as occasional home users.

This Kaspersky premium security suite combines stalwart protection with a complete suite of tools designed to protect your family, your identity and your computers.

A single license purchase can protect up to three PCs, and you can remotely manage all PCs from one computer.

You can also remotely manage parental controls to protect your children and supervise their time spent online from anywhere.

It can even block your children from sharing sensitive information online, such as phone numbers, your home address or credit card numbers.

Unlike other all-in-one-security suites that also offer system tune ups like cleaning up the computer and defragmenting, it solidly focused on features that provide you with fool-proof security.

Kaspersky Pure is certainly worth checking out if you are a home user needing great protection in an all-in-one package.

The system will provide you with firewall, phishing protection, and backup and restore functions, a secure vault data and a file shredder.

Add to that the fact that it’s easily manageable and you have got a very comfortable and highly efficient protection system working for you.

System Requirements and Installation

The new program, Kaspersky PURE is designed to work in Windows 7, Vista and XP systems. The install process requires no reboot until you finish installing the program updates. The user interface of Kaspersky PURE is very user-friendly; computer beginners should not find it confusing to manage.

Kaspersky PURE uses 69.9MB of hard-disk space and will install two start-up items in Windows: avp.exe and stpass.exe. Avp.exe is Kaspersky’s main module, while the latter is the password manager application.

The installer will modify the browser by installing add-ons for Firefox and Internet

Minor Tribulations

The product installed without difficulty on my 13 malware-infested test systems, though the initial update was slow to complete. A full installation required as much as 15 minutes, most of it devoted to that lengthy update.

Several of the test systems crashed with a blue screen of death during the cleanup process. However, on restarting, all of them managed to complete the full malware cleanup scan.

One malware sample resisted the product’s every attempt at removal. I ran the suggested special disinfection routine over and over without success. After every required reboot, the same warning reappeared. A full scan didn’t help. A full scan with the supplied bootable Rescue Disk didn’t solve the problem.

On advice from tech support, I used the product’s impressive array of built-in diagnostic tools and supplied them with the resulting logs. The next day, support responded with a problem-specific cleanup script that solved the problem. This wasn’t special treatment; any user could get this type of help for stubborn malware problems. Still, I would have been happier had the product taken care of this threat without help from tech support.

Premium Features

Kaspersky PURE features security tools and protection for Window without compromising the performance of the computer.
Everything that you might need to protect and secure Windows is included in Kaspersky PURE:

• My Computer Protection - Selecting this menu in the program’s interface will display the list of protection solutions by Kaspersky PURE, such as real-time protection against malicious file, e-mail scanner, IM protection, firewall, proactive defense, application control, network attack blocker, network monitor, anti-spam, anti-phishing and anti-banner.
• My Backup - An option to backup your documents or computer to another partition, removable media or network drive.
• My Parental Control – Restricting kids or other user accounts when using the computer.
• My Control Center - Guards the security of computers in home network and helps to secure Wi-Fi connections.
• Security+ Toolkit – An option to tune-up the computer, rescue disk, use a virtual keyboard, scan for vulnerable applications or settings, data encryption and password manager.
• Scheduler - An option to schedule a scan or update.
• Safe Run Mode - This nice feature in Kaspersky products allows you to to run an application using its sandbox technology
• Digital Identity Protection - Personal and financial information such as credit card or social security numbers are protected.

All features of the program were installed for trial during this Kaspersky PURE review. The features work as they should, but the anti-spam training has flagged a lot of legitimate emails as spam. It’s a bit annoying to restart the computer whenever I will add an application in safe run mode feature, but the feature is quite useful.

Best AntiVirus

Awards and Certifications

Kaspersky has always scored highly on various tests conducted by different labs and organizations. Given this track record, this software is designed to meet the company’s high standards. Kaspersky scored 15.5 points in a test conducted by AV-Test.org for certification under Windows Vista. Only one of its competitors managed a higher score at 16. In a parallel test for Windows 14, Kaspersky scored 14 points, which is well above what is required for certification. The company has also received the Platinum Checkmark certification from West Coast Labs. Kaspersky’s technology for virus removal and detection has been certified by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs. In a round of tests conducted by AV-Comparitives.org, Kaspersky was rated in the Advanced category for its ability to detect malware and its ability to black new threats.

Identity theft

Password vault – Kaspersky PURE features the ability to conveniently store users’ passwords in a secure, encrypted vault. To access the information contained in this vault, users only need to remember one master password.

Phishing protection – While Kaspersky PURE does offer protection from phishing websites, the level of protection provided is pretty poor. In most instances, our browser was able to easily access phishing URLs. Effective phishing-protection software should hide and block most of these URLs; this is something that Kaspersky PURE did not do well.

File shredding – Kaspersky PURE has the ability to securely delete files. When a user deletes a file through Kaspersky PURE’s file shredder, it overwrites the file’s data to ensure that it can never be recovered. This is a handy feature that most users will need at some point.

Effectiveness & Performance

It scores high in terms of effectiveness because it gives you a top-notch, premium, all-in-one, security system that is extremely easy to manage. Its key feature is of course its easy controllability. From managing all your systems via the dashboard of your main PC to remote management of parental control, the system makes security operations on your computer that much more manageable. As far as ease of use is concerned; the Kaspersky Pure does have a great advantage over its competitors.

It’s also a tough system for malicious software and viruses to breach. This is because the system has several layers of protection. The database of malware signatures is huge and the scanning is frequent and unobtrusive. As a Kaspersky Pure user, you can rest assured that your system is safe from Trojans, worms, root kits and key loggers. The Urgent Detection System will red flag any previously unknown malware, so that your system is always protected against newly emerging threats. The two way firewall also shores up your system’s defenses. Even as it prevents the entry of hackers, it ensures that malware does not send out your personal information to the outside world. The strong anti-phishing defense ensures that your digital identity and confidential information is always safe.

Help & Support

Should you need support, Kaspersky products have FAQ sections, online knowledge bases, user manuals and a very easy-to-use help option. Kaspersky is readily available. Kaspersky is a global company and provides global support. Their website is localized in over 30 languages and they have a presence on every continent.You can use online forms to communicate any issues. For quicker results, you can use the telephone or live chat to contact tech support and resolve issues. They provide direct support to North America by telephone, email and instant chat. Kaspersky Pure does this by frequent, incremental updates to the database and in sometimes to the program itself. Incremental updates help in keeping down the size of the updates. Frequent updates ensure that the program always stays updated even when new threats surface. Customers are also granted access to a large FAQ database that provides information concerning several common technical issues.

Summary

Kaspersky Pure is recommendable by us, it got a excellent protection but Norton takes the advantage slightly and file insight report card feature. Kaspersky has grown to become one of the top four IT global security vendors. The software comes with good clean up tools too, further adding on to its list of advantages. The firewall controls the level of access provided to applications and the software is very effective when it comes to eliminating root kits.