Antivirus firewall software has become the latest trend in computer security.  All of the big antivirus companies have shifted their focus from just providing antivirus software to creating a complete suite of security software which is better known as internet security software.  It is called internet security software because it is a suite of software that integrates anti-virus, firewall and antispyware software as well as parental controls and other protective features that help defend your computer against viruses and malicious traffic while you are connected to the internet.  The internet security suite is a great way for home users to protect their systems from various security threats.  Small office and home (SOHO) users now have an affordable alternative to expensive hardware firewalls, intrusive detective systems, and separate antivirus software.  This varies from large offices that have to purchase separate pieces of equipment and software bundles to handle each one of these areas of concern.

Review of the Prevention of Malicious Traffic:

Before we dive into actual reviews of different antivirus firewall software vendors, we will first discuss what types of malicious traffic the internet security suites are designed to prevent.  The antivirus software that is included in the suite of security software, helps prevent against viruses, Trojan horses, email viruses, logic bombs and worms.  This program will scan your computer system periodically to detect any malicious code that may have entered into your computer.  It will also do live scans of emails, downloads, and file transfers.  The antivirus portion of the suite can also detect corrupt system files that may affect the correct boot sequence of your computer.

The firewall software of the internet security suite works in conjunction with the antivirus software by blocking malicious traffic from entering or exiting the computer.  The firewall detects malformed data packets as well as recognizing incorrect data flow (for example: the firewall can detect high amounts of suspicious traffic that is not normal).  It will block any traffic that does not meet the criteria allowed by the firewall.  This means that correct traffic must communicate by the specified protocol port and specifications or it will be dropped by the firewall.

Antispyware software is used to detect malicious software, running on your computer that is trying to hijack various types of information from your system.  Spyware can capture information about your business, web browsing habits, passwords, applications, etc…

These are the main components of internet security software and how they are used to protect your computer.  In the next post we will begin doing reviews on antivirus firewall software .

Related posts:

1. Evaluating Internet Security Software
2. Evaluating Internet Security Software #2