Learn more about how one would evaluate antivirus utilities and security suites.
Securing yours PC from internet threats has come a long way from a simple antivirus (AV) then to antimalware and now Security Suits. Over the years malwares have become difficult to detect or grasp by the mind and mostly tries to trespass into the PC in the form of Trojan the seemingly innocent files like a thug through user-error , an accidental click on the wrong fraudulent web address , you have given someone a back door to yours system. The malware just silently sleek into yours PC and as a consequence it will bring mayhem to your PC without you even knowing that something is wrong.
Security is the priority and it is essential to use a fully featured security suit that will proactively detect the viruses and assists and defends your web browsing as well.
The test process:
You should have as many PCs as you possibly could to test the long list of security suits and in this way it could possibly could speed up the process. The initial step is to prepare for rigidly accurate, strict, stringent and tight testing.
Prepare the test PCs:
Here, you can choose for two, four or six or more identical indistinguishable PCs. Go for mid-range configurable PC. The PC configurations as follows:
Intel Core 3, Custom branded motherboard from the hardware manufacturer, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 160 GB SATA Hard
Disc Drives.
Fully format the hard disc drives and then install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and this has been done to the entire test PCs. Then essential software like that of WInRar, TeraCopy, Video Lan Player, Google Chrome, Opera and Firefox latest builds were installed on all the PCs.
Then take the complete system snap shot using Norton 360 and then that image installed to the entire test PCs to make certain of each and every system is consistent. Use the bench mark tool such as the PCMark vantage with two to three runs or the PC Doctor to ensure and limit the performance within the four percentages of each PC.
The starting of test process:
PCs first restored to the system snap shot and then install the security suit to be tested and allow it to update to its latest definitions. Install the security suit in its fullest capacity including its tool bar, add-ons, windows gadgets supplied with the security suit. You have to test the security suits considering its performance and productivity issues. It is advisable to run the productivity tests on security suits first then followed by performance tests. After each security suit was tested, the system was again reverted back to the system snap shot to make the benchmark fully satisfied.
Productivity tests:
It is the test of system resources and these tests are designed to measure how much a system is influenced by the presence of the security suit.
Benchmark:
Run the peacekeeper benchmark on the test system before and during a scan. The benchmark will measure browser�s performance, video play back, image editing and compare it with various predefined benchmark with the real world scenario settings.
File transfer:
Transfer a 3GB file from the partition to partition and then compare it to the time taken to transfer the same files before and after the security suit is installed.
File compression:
Compress the same 3GB files with the standard zip option and compare the time of compression and the load on system resources before and after the security suit is installed.
Total system scan:
Run the full system scan on yours test PC, if nay security suit have the option of RAM optimisation then that security suit will get the higher marks.
Boot time:
Run this test to measure security suit�s impact on the boot time booting. Use the Window Software development suit�s �Windows Performance Analysis Tool� to measure the boot time delay.
Performance tests:
Here, the performance of security suit in detecting and preventing the malwares intrude in the system.
Virus samples:
From an online virus vault download virus and Trojan samples, remember to download the most recent version of virus and put it on a new pen drive or a completely formatted pen drive. Drive the full scan on the pen drive with the security suits and save the log files at the end of the scan to know more about the scanning statistics and verify the number of infected file actually detected by the security suits with that of the viruses you have downloaded.
Malware domains:
First compile the list of all the infected domains from fanboyz adlist and then employ the inbuilt URL link scanners which are available with almost all the Security suits. The response time of these Security suits to these sites to be noted and rated.
False positives and Malware zoo tests:
Whether a Security suit mistakenly flags and notifies virus any known safe file as being potentially dangerous and unsafe. Malware zoo tests are the sole indicator of how the Security suit response time to any upcoming threats. The response time to new malware threat is most significant in order to fight with the computer threats.
System remediation:
This test determines how well the Security suit can detect, disable, disinfect and wipe out malware infections in the test PCs.
Payloads:
It is that part of the computer virus which performs some malicious action and cut down yours RAM usages. After scanning with the test Security suit it is imperative to scan yours test PC with Microsoft Malicious Software Tool, which is updated each month, a stand alone application to find whether the existing suit have missed any potentially unwanted programme.
Conclusion:
After all the tests are finished, it is time to go back to the drawing room and compare the statistics , also go for the pricing factor , best buy feature and the every possible feature you can think off. Make data diagram and comparative study, give the details of the PC scan and USB scan and yours network connected LAN scan and find out the best in the business. Compare the pricing factor with that of Security suits performance and feature offering and last no the least the additional image making option and free online data back up option give the added bonus to the Security suit rating. Finally , there's no "perfect" way of testing security products , try to innovate and go with the time and current security development parameters to gain most out of Security tests. While considering the security parameters in terms of then us usability pattern always remember that the easiest to use security suits would not do you much benefit if it cannot block malware.
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