Thread: Trend Micro Internet Security Pro v2

With the latest edition of its security suite, Trend Micro aims to increase protection, reduce bother for the user, and do it all using fewer system resources. This version is a significant improvement over last year's edition. Its features hang together better, some user-interface oddities are fixed, and it recovered from installation problems much better than did Version l.

Trend Micro fans won't be shocked by changes to the main window. It looks almost the same, except that the familiar controls are now on a tab named My Computer. New in this edition, however, is a Pro feature called Security Activity Dashboard. The dashboard offers a graphical and numeric indication of the source and type of all recent threats. Links from this display go directly to detailed logs of the corresponding threat type. The product does its best to fix problems silently, so this dashboard lets it boast about its good deeds.

On our tests, Trend Pro detected every single one of the malware samples and removed most of them, though it did leave one rootkit actively protecting itself. With commercial keyloggers, on the other hand, it completely missed almost half the samples and successfully removed only a third of those it detected. But since keyloggers are typi-cally a minor threat to most users, this did not hinder the suite's overall rating much. When I tried to surf to malicious Web sites, Trend Pro blocked two-thirds of sites that were still functional.



Trend Pro's firewall comes preconfigured with four distinct profiles for different situations. Profiles are also available for wireless, home, and office networks. Each profile activates its own complete set of firewall configuration settings, and Trend Pro can automatically change profiles when you connect to a different network. I tested the firewall with real-time protection disabled, leaving just behavioral blocking. Trend Pro blocked 10 of the 12, a good result.

There are also a couple of good bonus features to Trend Pro. First, every full scan also checks your system for vulnerabilities. The software lists any critical Microsoft patches that you've missed, with an option to view details on Microsoft's Web site or go straight to Windows Update online. Also, Trend Pro blocks access to phishing sites and other dangerous Web sites. And aside from slowing your system a bit at start-up, this suite is much improved in that department over last year's edition. If you've got a lifelong grudge against Norton (our Editors' Choice for security suites), Trend is a great choice.-Neil J Rubenklng