BullGuard Internet Security 2013

Some security suite vendors try to impress customers with their sheer quantity of protective activities and events, jamming as much as possible into the main window. BullGuard Internet Security 2013 belongs in the opposite camp. Its main window focuses on three big buttons that let you check security status, launch scans, and launch backups. At $59.95 for three licenses, it costs less than most current suites, but the quality of its components varies.

A small number on the status button lets you know how many new status messages await you. Click the button for a detailed list. Any status items that require an action on your part come with a button to trigger that action. Opening the dashboard window gets you full access to program features beyond backup and scanning.

Above-Average Antivirus
Antivirus protection in this suite is exactly the same as what you get from BullGuard Antivirus 2013. Please refer to that review for complete details; I'll summarize my testing here.

Getting BullGuard installed on my twelve malware-infested systems was something of an ordeal. In some cases tech support asked for logs and supplied tools to fix installation problems. Other systems required hours of remote-control diagnosis and repair by support agents. I was impressed by their skill and persistence, but I would have been happier had the product simply installed with no drama.

With installation trauma out of the way, BullGuard's full scan detected 76 percent of my malware samples and scored 6.1 points for malware cleanup. That's better than the average of 5.5 points, and just a half-point behind tied top-scorers Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete 2013 and Norton Internet Security (2013) .

Over 40 percent of products tested with my current malware collection detected 100 percent of the samples that try to hide using rootkit technology. With 9.4 points, Kaspersky Internet Security (2013) scored highest against rootkits. BullGuard only detected 80 percent, but its score of 6.4 points for rootkit removal is still a hair above average.

The article How We Test Malware Removal explains how I conduct malware removal tests.

BullGuard's performance in my malware blocking test was quite impressive. Along with Daily Safety Check Home Edition and SecureIT Plus, BullGuard detected 97 percent of the samples. BullGuard scored 9.6 points, in between SecureIT's 9.7 and Daily Safety Check's 9.4. Only Webroot, with 9.9 points, scored higher. For an explanation of my malware blocking test, see How We Test Malware Blocking.

BullGuard also gets good scores in tests by major independent labs. In two kinds of file detection tests by AV-Comparatives it rated ADVANCED+, the top rating. In a dynamic test by the same lab, BullGuard rated ADVANCED. It also received the VB100 award in all of the ten most recent tests by Virus Bulletin, and it received antivirus certification under both XP and Windows 7 from AV-Test.

To learn more about the independent labs and their tests, please read How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests.

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