Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
Why Total Security is Kaspersky's undefeated champion and our top pick And you can control and manage settings for each device from a single user dashboard through your online portal. This means you can secure multiple computers or mobile devices with a single subscription. Both Anti-Virus and Internet Security come with a minimum of three user licenses for under $50 for first-time buyers. Overall, each Kaspersky program is a decent value, too.
While Kaspersky Anti-Virus doesn't have a firewall, both Internet Security and Total Security do. Booting them off your network helps keep your connect running fast and without interruption. It also stops piggybacking, a practice where users like to tap into your Wi-Fi rather than pay for their own internet connection. This monitors your internet connection for any hackers, ransomware or other snoops trying to sneak in, or remove sensitive data this way.
Source: Nicole Johnston/ Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Nicole Johnston/ Windows Central)Īfter your browser is secured from letting malware sneak in, the next vital tool to have is a personal firewall. This is also a great tool to use while banking and shopping to more safely guard your identity. When open, you can type in web addresses or log into online accounts while Kaspersky shields your information from keyloggers, internet trackers, and other online snoops. Another excellent browser tool is the virtual keyboard. Some links were tagged red for dangerous and some with a gray marker to show Kaspersky wasn't sure either way if the link was safe or not. The safe browsing tools, included with all three Kaspersky programs, mark search results and links in articles shared on social media pages with a green icon that indicated the link was safe to follow. I saw the same results for all three Kaspersky programs: Anti-Virus, Internet Security, and Total Security. There were a few websites that Kaspersky allowed me to access without tagging or warning about the malicious content on the pages, though the malicious downloads linked on these pages were stopped by Kaspersky. This boosted my confidence in Kaspersky since several security, and IT professionals I've chatted with have said phishing schemes are the top threat for most people. In all, 98% of threats used in my testing were stopped by Kaspersky, including several phishing scheme sites designed to look like PayPal and Facebook login pages. government, despite removing Kaspersky programs from all its computers, never confirmed the rumors, nor placed any sanctions on Kaspersky. However, Kaspersky adamantly denies the allegations and the U.S. This information was allegedly then sent on to the Russian government. Kaspersky got a lot of heat in 2017 when anonymous sources revealed Kaspersky was using its computer protection programs to gather classified information from government agencies and workers' computers.
Kaspersky Total Security is best for securing PCs because it has the critical protection tools I look for in a good antivirus program, including a firewall, password manager, and vulnerability scanner.Premium protection: Kaspersky Total Security (opens in new tab) ($50 at Kaspersky)Advanced security: Kaspersky Internet Security (opens in new tab) ($40 at Kaspersky)Basic antivirus: Kaspersky Anti-Virus (opens in new tab) ($30 at Kaspersky) Let's discuss the big question first: Is Kaspersky safe? Kaspersky Total Security vs Internet Security vs Antivirus: Which should I buy? Kaspersky has three great computer protection programs, each with the same high level of protection, but with a different number of security tools.