Kaspersky Antivirus 2015

As one of the four largest Internet security vendors in the world, Kaspersky Labs knows what it takes to produce a high-quality security product for businesses and consumers alike. Historically ranking in the top of its class, Kaspersky Antivirus products are an excellent choice for every PC user and Kaspersky Antivirus 2015 is no exception.

Boasting real time protection against an assortment of malware threats while maintaining fast and efficient PC performance, the latest offering for Kaspersky is one of the best products the Russian-based company has produced in the last few years and it remains one of the most affordable antivirus options on the market.

Overview:

One of the nicest things about Kaspersky Antivirus is that the product installs with just one click. This compared to some of the other products we have reviewed that require constant user input throughout the installation process. This makes installing Kaspersky extremely simple and fast for PC users of all experience levels.

Similar to the Autopilot mode inherent to Bitdefender, Kaspersky is ready to go out of the box and automatically makes security configuration changes as necessary to keep the computer safe without forcing users to configure a bunch of tedious settings. Of course, more advanced users are welcome to take control of the program through the assortment of advanced menus which are hidden behind a clean, intuitive interface by default.

Kaspersky has always been a lightweight antivirus solution – that is to say it works without adversely impacting system performance. For instance, the software postpones scheduled systems scans whenever a PC is operating on battery power, does not interrupt users when playing full screen games and limits its resource consumption during startup so as not to create excessively long boot times.

It’s also worth mentioning that Kaspersky consistently scores extremely well during independent lab testing. When looking at the results of multiple lab tests simultaneously, it becomes clear that Kaspersky is one of the most consistent performers across a variety of tests and testing facilities. Bitdefender is probably the only other solution close to Kaspersky in overall testing performance but even that comes in at a distant second.

New features:

One of the most significant changes Kaspersky made for 2015 is the addition of a completely revamped user interface. While last year’s interface was good, the new version is even better and provides full touchscreen support for those using the software on touch-enabled devices.

Most testers agree that the overall look of the new UI is more polished and easy to use regardless of the PC users experience level. Simple indications (a green check mark when the PC is protected; a red ‘x’ when it is not) and four primary controls (Scan, Update, Safe Money and Parental Controls) make navigation extremely simple and intuitive. The Virtual Kayboard have been updated this year to accommodate additional control. Keep in mind, however, that Kaspersky’s Virtual Keyboard consistently win top honors each year so these improvements only serve to make an exceptional feature even better in 2015.

This year, Kaspersky integrated cloud-based protection algorithms which keep PCs safe from threats that may not have made it into the latest virus definition update yet. Leveraging cloud technology for a more complete malware detection engine is certainly the future of antivirus solutions, but few have yet to fully incorporate the technology into existing products (Kaspersky and AVG being two prominent exceptions).

System Watcher consistently monitors system activity for suspicious or dangerous behavior. If malware sneaks past Kaspersky, System Watcher allows the user to rollback any changes made by the infection without any adverse effects on the rest of the system.

And if that’s not sufficient to eliminate a threat, Kaspersky has also included a feature called Rescue CD. This new addition allows users to completely clean a system if the PC becomes infected beyond use.

Performance:

Every major independent testing facility took a look at Kaspersky’s product this year the results were consistent across the board: exceptional. West Coast Labs awarded Kaspersky with the “Platinum Checkmark”, AV-Comparatives awarded the software an Advanced+ rating (the highest available rating) and Dennis Technology Labs ranked Antivirus 2015 at the AAA level (also the highest available rating).

This year’s release also participated in all 12 of the most recent tests conducted by Virus Bulletin and earned the prestigious VB100 certification in 10 of those tests. There is no other antivirus solution in 2015 that has performed so consistently across such a wide variety of testing algorithms; once again highlighting Kaspersky Labs commitment to excellence.

Perhaps the only drawback to this product is that focuses primarily on anti-malware. In other words, many of the features found on comparable products are not available in this version of Kaspersky Antivirus. Users looking for additional functionality should upgrade to one of the two security suites offered by the company for the same great antivirus protection with the additional features many have come to expect from even entry-level products.

Conclusion:

Kaspersky Antivirus 2015 is hands-down the most effective antivirus solution on the market right now. Unfortunately, that level of protection comes at a price – namely lack of additional features. Kaspersky still includes effective phishing protection, a very good virtual keyboard and a few other useful tools, but offerings from the competition tend to include slightly more functionality.

If you are looking for the best anti-malware protection at an affordable price and don’t care for all the bells and whistles bundled into comparable products, look no further than Kaspersky Antivirus 2015.

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