This antivirus kit was developed by Kaspersky Lab in the Russian Republic. It provides protection against malware and is designed to work on the Microsoft Windows operating systems, though one has also been developed for business computers running on Linux and another for Mac systems. There are a number of advantages in the Kaspersky Antivirus program, not present in other, similar software.
- Installation– This is a fairly simple matter and requires CD / DVD ROM drive availability in the system where the program is going to be installed. In addition, Internet Explorer version 5.5 and above, Windows Installer 2.0 and above as well as a minimum of 50 MB free hard disc space is required. For Windows installation RAM requirement ranges between 256 and 512 MB and the processor should be at least an Intel Pentium 800 MHz, or similar.
- Features and Ease of Use– Quite easy to use features include real time detection, protection and removal of viruses, malicious tools, Trojans, spyware, adware, auto diallers and rootkits. Automatic updates are available immediately. There is a preventive mechanism by which the Kaspersky Antivirus software stops itself from being disabled by malware. Free upgrades are another feature. An antivirus rescue disc which scans the computer while booting can be downloaded by businesses operating through Linux.
- Performance– AV Comparatives rates Kaspersky Antivirus high on detection rates among virus scanners. PC World declared the Antivirus 6 version was its Editor’s Choice in 2007. UK’s PC Pro appreciated the program’s scanning features, database updates and hourly new virus signature checking, by giving it an A listing. PassMark awarded Kaspersky Antivirus the ‘industry’s fastest scan times’ on Windows platforms in June 2008. Being an extremely rapid scanner with the most frequent updating system available anywhere, the software is likely to immunise a computer much before infection can occur.
- Help and Support– Chat, email and phone support is available round the clock. However, the services could do with some improvement.
- Other Issues – The program had failed 2 Virus Bulletin tests a couple of years back. Kaspersky Antivirus, like most competitors is incompatible with other anti-spyware and antivirus programs. Missing features like personal firewall, anti-spam and parental control; tools are a disappointment. There were 2 critical security flaws detected in the Kaspersky Antivirus program in 2005 – one related to an attacker being able to insert malicious code through CHM files and the other showed that an attack could commandeer a system even though it had this particular software installed.
To conclude, the Kaspersky Antivirus program is top notch software and keeps itself up to date on the latest threats. The client’s systems are kept clean and in its own words ‘helps facilitate identification and reduce the time it takes to provide protection against new, ‘in the wild’ security risks targeting the customer’s computer’. It has a very strict privacy policy and uses feedback from customers to constantly upgrade itself. Marketing of the product(s) can be vastly improved. I expect the Kaspersky Antivirus kit will be providing more such great software in the years to come!