Why Don't You Need a Complete Internet Security Suite | Antivirus Software

Internet security suites are big business. Trial versions are packed with features on most of the new Windows computers. But you don't really need all of these features.

Internet security suites are not useless. Their antivirus protection is generally good, and they may contain some useful features. But they're designed to sell you features you really don't need.

Antivirus is the most important feature

The most important feature of any Internet Security Suite is the antivirus. Antivirus software helps protect you from malware, and even malware that tries to infiltrate your device through new security bugs in the browser or plug-ins, such as Flash. Antivirus isn't perfect, but it is an important layer of protection for all Windows users. That's why Microsoft included an antivirus program with Windows 8.

Windows 8 Antivirus and Security Features should be good for most people. In previous versions of Windows, you can install Microsoft Security Essentials to get the same protection. Even if you don't want to use an antivirus program built by Microsoft, there are powerful free options, including.

You should install an antivirus software program on your Windows computer if you are using an older version of Windows that no one came with. However, other features included in internet security suites are not very necessary.

Firewall protection

Internet security suites also include firewalls. Sure, using a firewall is a good idea, if only to block vulnerable Windows services from the Internet and disable access to them on public Wi-Fi networks.

The built-in Windows firewall blocks applications that try to act as servers (incoming traffic) and ask you for permission. However, Windows Firewall does not try to block outgoing traffic. You can actually use a third-party program to block outgoing traffic with Windows Firewall or use the advanced interface to control Windows Firewall. The Windows firewall is surprisingly capable.

If you want to block easy use of external programs, you may want an Internet security group. (Although there are free apps that can do this for you.) This isn't a particularly important security feature - if you don't trust an app, it shouldn't run on your computer at all, not just blocking it from accessing the Internet.

Phishing filters

Full-featured internet security suites provide browser protection. They will block access to known phishing and malware websites, thus protecting you while you are surfing the web.

What it doesn't tell you is that all browsers now come with phishing and malware protection. Whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, or Safari, your browser includes built-in phishing and malware blocking. You do not need to purchase an Internet security suite to obtain these features.

Clear cookies

Internet security suites are often much more cookie sensitive than Microsoft's security solution. Some Internet security groups consider ad tracking cookies "spyware" and mark them as "threats" when scanning.

Cookies are not a security risk - neither are advertising cookies. Including them as a "threat" is a good way for the Internet Security Suite to prove it's useful and detect things, but that doesn't really improve your security.

If you want to get rid of ad-tracking cookies, you don't need to pay for a package. You can set your browser to automatically clear cookies when closed, or set it to only allow certain cookies. You don't need any third-party software to check cookies for threats.

Firefox automatically clear cookies

Parental control

Antivirus apps also offer parental controls, but Windows does include parental controls already. Windows 8 includes full-featured parental controls that allow you to get reports about computer use, website blocking, and usage restrictions at certain times. Windows 7 also includes its own parental controls.

Some internet security suites may provide some additional features in their parental controls, but do not reduce the parental control options built into Windows.

Spam filters

Security suites may also include spam filters. However, most users use a web-based email system like Gmail that really takes care of spam, eliminating the need for a spam filter, even if you access your email using a desktop.

These features can be helpful for some people, but these programs are designed to calm you down. Most people would be fine without a full-featured Internet Security suite. All you really need is antivirus software, built-in Windows security features, and some common sense.