The emphasize of the analysis lies on vulnerabilities. The module can scan the default program folders of a Windows installation and will check the installed software against a software database on the Internet. It will display all software programs with known vulnerabilities. Not all locations are scanned by the module. A full system scan on the other hand will include the application vulnerability analysis for all files of a computer system.

The module will list all vulnerable applications of a computer system in a table. The table includes the name of the software program, the severity of the vulnerability and a link to a website containing more information. A double-click on the link will open the security advisor in the default browser that contains details about the security vulnerability including affected software products, the impact if the vulnerability would be exploited and a link to additional information.

The scanner is not working perfectly all the time. It did for instance report a vulnerability in Open Office 3 that only affected Open Office 2.0 to 2.4. Kaspersky’s application vulnerability analysis is nevertheless a step in the right direction. While the operating system itself is still a main target for attackers many tend to exploit security vulnerabilities in common applications (web browsers, email clients, office suites) as well. It is probably safe to assume that other companies will include a similar module in their applications in the future.

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Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 includes the Kaspersky Antivirus components but extends the protection of the computer system beyond that. At the core stands it antivirus and anti-malware engine that is protecting the system from those threats. The Internet Security 2009 suite adds to that a two-way personal firewall, content filtering and data & identity theft protection.

Several new features have been integrated into the 2009 edition of the software. This includes the ability to restore previous system settings after cleaning malware, security ratings for unknown applications, a virtual keyboard to protect against phishing and keyloggers and the automatic access restriction (user data folders) for unknown applications.

Installation of the software suite should not be problematic although it requires the uninstallation of other applications of its kind before the installation can be completed (Multiple firewalls or antivirus programs can interfere with each other). Inexperienced users can and should keep the automatic settings while experienced users can configure the layers of protection manually. It does not make much sense for example to enable the Anti-Dialer module if the user is connecting to the Internet over a network.

The interface of Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 has been redesigned. It is divided into the four blocks Protection, Scan, Update and License.

• Protection: Various protection layers can be analyzed and configured in this entry. It is also providing access to various tools like the creation of a Rescue Disk, a Security Analyzer or Network Monitor.
• Scan: Perform a quick or full scan of the computer system.
• Update: Will check and download updates
• License: License information. Will list the validity period of the application

Inexperienced users will love the automatism of the software program. The initial scan of the system will add automatic rules for most applications that are installed on the system. Kaspersky Internet Security did add applications like Firefox, Thunderbird or Teamspeak to the list of trusted applications which in turn meant that no “Do you want to permit” windows where launched when the application was started.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. A trial version is available that can be used for 30 days without restrictions.

The Giveaway:

Kaspersky gave us five program suites and we will give all five to you. Just post a comment before December 2 12:00 CET and you are taking part in the Giveaway. Make sure to include an email address so that we can contact you with the details in case that you have won.

Winners:

Joseph, Bernard, Ian, Mezan and Enigma

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