Building on the standalone F-Secure Anti-Virus, F-Secure Internet Security 2005 (€65 direct) adds spam blocking, an effective firewall, and Web site filtering. Configuration is easy, as the number of options has been kept to a functional minimum. Annoyingly, all modules rely on an ActiveX-based help system that Windows XP SP2 blocks by default, requiring confirmation on each use.

F-Secure Anti-Virus has received Virus Bulletin's VB 100% award, as well as Checkmark certification for virus detection and cleaning from West Coast Labs. It scans files on access, on demand, or on schedule. Scanning is speedy, in part because by default it doesn't scan all files or look inside archives. It scans incoming and outgoing e-mail and can shut down e-mail on discovery of an outgoing virus. A single report displays all virus activity detected in an e-mail session, though this information isn't logged permanently. Hyperlinks in the report don't link to individual virus information but rather generate an imperfect search on F-Secure's site.

The antispam component integrates with Microsoft Outlook and will filter POP3 e-mail for any client. Configuration just involves choosing one of three filtering levels: There's no blocking by country or language and no learning mode. You can import an Outlook address book or manually add correspondents to a whitelist (and unwanted addresses or domains to a blacklist). The module didn't mark any valid mail as spam in our testing, but it caught only 60 percent of the actual spam. Outlook 2003's built-in Junk Mail filter does better.

The firewall held up well in testing. Standard online tests failed to penetrate it, and we couldn't disable it with manual attacks. It blocks rogue dialers, and once we enabled Application launch control and Application manipulation control, it blocked all of our leak tests. This additional program control did seem to slow surfing, and it blocked certain actions like launching an EXE file from a link. The option to log all data packets will be useful only to experts.

Using the product's simple parental control, you can block or log access to sites associated with Gambling, Hate, Drugs, Sex, Weapons, or Web-based e-mail. Anyone who knows the password can override this feature temporarily: It's not user-specific. The log marks blocked sites with type-specific icons but doesn't tell which user tried to access them.

This suite's antispam filter won't throw away important mail, but it misses way too much spam. And the parental control is rudimentary. Still, the most important components—antivirus and firewall—are fully functional and easy to use, with a carefully selected minimum of configuration options.

Sub-ratings: Antivirus: Antispam: Firewall: Privacy/Parental control:

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Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.