BitDefender Internet Security 2012

 

 

First Impressions

To download the BitDefender Internet Security 2012  you only need to provide your email address which is promptly followed up by an email with download and install directions. The download begins with a pre-installer which works on an initial scan of your computer as the remainder of the product is downloaded and installed.

This seems like a fine opportunity to comment on the new BitDefender logo even though it has nothing to do with how the suite performs. The new dragon-wolf logo is fantastic and speaks to the warrior in me. The symbol has significant Romanian meaning which you may find . OK, back to the review now!
Unfortunately it was not long before my first issue was encountered. The BitDefender install instructions clearly show that any installed security suites will be removed after which a reboot and restart of the install process would be required. This seems very reasonable; however, BitDefender failed to remove the installed version of Kaspersky. I ultimately uninstalled Kaspersky manually before continuing with the evaluation.


As in the previous version, BitDefender does a good job of providing a description that summarizing the roles of the various components. Selecting an item from a drop-down list provides even more descriptive text giving the user ample opportunity to choose the appropriate action.
The new interface is clean and easy to understand. The choice to enable Auto Pilot by default, thus pre-setting the various components to their ideal configuration, is one that should benefit most, if not all users.

Ease of Use and Configuration

When it comes to scanning with BitDefender Internet Security 2012 everything you need to get the job done is available from the initial interface. You can choose among several predefined scanning types including:Quick Scan, Full Scan, Custom Scan, Vulnerability Scan and Rescue Mode.
When defining a custom scan you add the targets you would like scanned and have the option to define a few settings such as how aggressive the scan should be and whether or not system files and memory resident applications should be scanned as well. You cannot save your scans but BitDefender does keep a list of custom scans sorted by date which you can select and run again later. A better implementation would have allowed the user to save the scan with a meaningful name.
The vulnerability scanner will check for critical and optional updates related to the operating system and installed applications. If any items are found BitDefender can acquire the update for you where the operating system is concerned. Application vulnerabilities can also be applied by selecting the supplied vendor link and downloading the appropriate update. Finally, you can choose to scan in Rescue Mode. This mode reboots the PC into Rescue Mode and scans for those threats that are difficult to remove while the operating system is online.
The scan settings include all the items you would expect. You can define exclusions, access the quarantine and set scan strength (permissive, normal, aggressive). There is also a convenient button for putting the settings back to their default state.

The available Stealth Mode options include On, Off and Remote. While on and off are self explanatory, Remote is the default option and meant nothing to me. It turns out that it means the following: "your computer cannot be detected from the Internet. Local network users can ping and detect your computer." I encountered the same bit of confusion with the Generic setting which includes Yes or No. The default option here is No but the question remained, what does Generic mean in this context? Another quick consult of the help file found the following:
"Generic - whether generic rules are applied to this connection. If the IP address of a network adapter is changed, BitDefender modifies the network type accordingly. If you want to keep the same type, click the arrow from the Generic column and select Yes.
As far as network options go, Stealth Mode and Generic appear to add to the protection provided by the firewall; however, BitDefender could have done a much better job explaining what these options do rather than forcing the user to seek out the help documentation. If you are not that technical, even reading the help documentation won’t bring too much clarity.
The Firewall settings make it easy to define network and application rules. You also find an activity log and the ability to raise the level of alerts by turning on Paranoid mode. BitDefender also includes an Intrusion Detection System which is turned off by default. It is unclear why BitDefender would choose to have this off as part of the Auto Pilot configuration. I recommend the Intrusion Detection System be enabled as it can help in making sure malware does not infect/modify your BitDefender installation.

Firewall

The BitDefender firewall allows you to have good control over network and applications rules. To work with rules you access the firewall setting and select the Advanced tab. Here you can choose to work with General, Application or Adapter rules.
General rules are those addressing the protocols used when applications access the Internet. The controls here are minimal and provide for allowing and denying access.
With Adapter rules you can define a zone and choose the appropriate access to devices within the zone. This is another simple interface where you can select allow or deny.