Panda Internet Security 2010 is a new antivirus package from Panda. The software offers a firewall, fast virus scanning, identity protection, content filtering and backup capabilities.

Installation:

     The Panda Internet Security 2010 offers some unique installation features.  The first one is that the software automatically scans memory prior to an install.  This is an excellent feature because there are viruses specifically designed to hinder antivirus software.  I also liked how a user has the option to select which components are installed such as a firewall or backup capabilities.  This is nice if a user already has a firewall solution etc.  
     The full download was only 68 megabytes and the install finished in less than 2 minutes.  This is significantly better than Norton 360 and FortiClient’s antivirus installation performance.  A user will also have to setup a password after installation. This feature is extremely helpful for public computers and will be explained in the following features section.   
     I ran into one problem during the antivirus installation.  The computer suffered a massive slowdown when Panda initialized for the first time.  Also, the Panda Internet Security needs a complete restart after installation.  This is unlike all of the other free antivirus I have tested.

Virus Definition Updates:

     The virus updates downloaded very quickly (at least 100 kilobytes a second) compared to Kaspersky antivirus.  The only annoyance was that the download virus definitions need to be “reconstructed.” This process is taxing on the CPU and completely slowed down the test computer.

Features:

     Unfortunately, Panda Internet Security 2010 doesn’t bring any real standout features to the market.  Many free antivirus have more features and functionality than this “full version”.

     Password Protection.  Users can setup a supervisor password within the antivirus and define access to certain components.  As stated earlier, this feature is excellent for a public, school, or internet kiosk computers.  The web content filter is also by default password protected so a normal user will only be able to access allowed sites not defined in the content filter.  In addition, the password setting will guard against users trying to shut down the antivirus resident shield, modify settings, and apply updates etc.  The password functionality can be modified in the Preferences, Restriction tab.

    Truprevent Technology.  This is essentially heuristic technology that prevents Zero Day attacks. TruPrevent also protects network data against virus infection.  Panda Internet Security offers a second Heuristic option in addition to Truprevent, so I am not exactly clear on the difference.  The software doesn’t give a good enough explanation for these technologies.

    Confidential Information Protection.  This technology scans to make sure that confidential information such as bank information etc. doesn’t leave one’s computer.  Again this is a standard feature on most free firewalls and internet security software.

    Dialer Protection. This feature protects against viruses using a modem to dial out for remote attacks.   These malicious software known as Dialers, are practically extinct so I think that it’s surprising that such functionality is prominently displayed as a primary feature.

    Firewall.  The firewall has auto configure rules that are convenient for the novice user.  However, after the firewall was enabled I noticed that streaming music suffered intermittent skips.  Since this really important to me, I use the software with the firewall disabled.

Interface:

     Panda Internet Security 2010’s interface is pretty lacking.  First of all, when the antivirus is maximized, it takes at least 10 seconds for the antivirus to become functional on the test computer.  The interface graphics also look like they should appear in a 2004 version not a 2010 version.  There is very limited or no tweaking ability of most of the antivirus features.  For example, on the vulnerability protection settings, there is one check box to enable or disable.  There is no mention of what vulnerabilities that it protects against or how it functions.  The vulnerability scan also completed in about 2 seconds.  Panda Internet Security also completely crashed upon startup despite it being listed as compatible with Windows Vista 64 bit.

Virus Scanning and Detection:

    Panda Internet Security offers no quick scan feature only a “Scan Hard disk” or a “Scan all of My Computer.”  However, virus scanning was very efficient and quick.  My entire computer was scanned in 45 minutes (156 gigabytes of files).  This allows Panda Internet Security to have one of the fastest scanning engines at 100 to 200 files per second (dependent on size).
The software detected zero viruses and three false positives.  It detected Ahn Labs Nprotect game detector, a component of FortiClient Antivirus (very interesting), and the software Remove Fake Antivirus (stated the software had a Trojan in it).

The virus engine is also very good at deleting viruses.  A user won’t run into “not able to delete” or “access denied” warnings that Norton is often plagued with.

Conclusion:

    Panda Internet Security 2010 has a good virus scanning engine but lacks many features and has an outdated interface.  However, give the software a shot and see if it detects any previously unknown viruses.

    Get Free Panda Internet Security 2010 here.