Most of us use a PC/Laptop for business or pleasure and so having an antivirus is essential for blocking nasty viruses that hide in dark corners of the world wide web welcome Bitdefender.
Bitdefender is a company we are aware of after testing their Total Security offering. In this review, we got the chance to review the Bitdefender Antivirus Plus which is more than an antivirus. It gives you what you expect from an antivirus but also provides you with additional features such as:
- Malware Protection
- Phishing Protection
- Network Threat Prevention
- Browser Protection
- Enhanced Ransomware Protection
- Password Management
- VPN
Safepay for Online Safety
It’s great having software with so many products rolled up into one as some other brands keep with the essentials you come to expect. It’s the best antivirus that offers great value and saves you from having to purchase a password manager or VPN or security when shopping online.
COST
Considering this software offers a lot for your money when you consider the cost I was impressed. Bitdefender offers a user 1, 2 & 3-year protection with prices for 1 to 10 devices ranging from £14.99 to £54.99 on the 1-year plan with the 3-year plan ranging from £45.49 to £124.99. This shows Bitdefender is offering competitive pricing considering it is a premium offering.
Web-Based Dashboard
Bitdefender uses a dashboard called Bitdefender central and it’s this dashboard where you can download all the protection, review subscriptions and review the protected devices if you’re using this software on multiple devices. You can also review the parental control if you’re downloading this for the whole family.
The main display dashboard comes with a left-rail menu that provides detailed access to the additional features. You have additional quick actions to launch a series of scans such as:
- Quick
- System
- Vulnerability
You can also open the VPN and set up the Safepay online protection You can also add additional features to the dashboard like a password manager. When clicking on the protection, privacy or utility icons in the left menu it will bring up additional features and settings. For example under the privacy page is where they keep the password manager & VPN.
You will also notice Bitdefender’s autopilot mode is still part of this software and that is not a bad thing at all. The Autopilot has a more forward-facing role. When using something like ransomware autopilot will suggest what you should run alongside it.
Online Protection
Testing this software was simple I used some malware samples to see how Bitdefender worked it flashed up a notification saying -Disinfection in progress. This makes you wait for about 8-10 minutes.
Once complete it will show you up to date results and how many of the malware samples we applied was removed and does this with a timeline of each attack that was prevented. It also shows what would happen if you had not had the level of protection from Bitdefender.
Network Threat Prevention
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus also has network threat protection which works alongside online threat protection. It does this to detect and fend off attacks on security vulnerabilities on your operating system and works like a firewall.
Additional Browser Protection
Bitdefender also has an anti-tracker component and can be installed on all your browsers. If you use additional browsers make sure it’s added to all the browsers. This is paired with the online threat protection system that handles the task of marking up search results via a traffic light system so you can see what sites are safe. In testing you might find depending on the browser search engine combo it can be a bit hit or miss in terms of working. However, the software will prevent you from entering a page that could be of risk.
What you also notice is if you visit a site with ad trackers Bitdefender will put the number of trackers on the Bitdefender toolbar.
Ransomware Protection
Bitdefender also comes with excellent ransomware protection that includes several layers of protection against even the new types of ransomware that could have a real impact on your PC/Laptop.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus now uses an advanced threat defence feature that provides regular antivirus scanning with behaviour-based detection which detects any possible ransomware threats. The use of network threat prevention blocks the exploit avenues some ransomware normally attack. At the hint of an attack, Bitdefender ransomware remediation backs up your files and then restores them after the attack has been neutralized.
The only issue that could arise from this is a human error as you have to decide whether a file is trustworthy. This is where the element of human error could kick in you could click allow by accident causing a potential attack so please be careful as you used to have Bitdefender safe files feature but not anymore with this offering.
I found Bitdefender ransomware protection performed very well it blocks unauthorized changes to protected files, detects ransomware behaviour and restores files that might have got encrypted and works to restore the files. It’s a cybersecurity software leader.
Password Management
Password management is something you would not expect on a standalone antivirus. However, Bitdefender antivirus plus does it via a wallet feature that helps you store personal information, passwords and also credit card details you use on particular websites. It also helps you store passwords from applications and even Wi-Fi networks.
Using the Password wallet requires a master password in addition to your main password. You can store password databases and allow them to sync between devices. It automatically captures login credentials as you type them and replays them as required.
When we tested this it can handle standard password forms but if you have a tow page login it could not handle that. However, it will fill in information fields that you store personal information such as name, address etc.
What I found to be really useful is if you’re setting up a new account on a site that requires a password. The Bitdefender has a password generator of 15 characters that are is a mixture of letters and numbers and that is the default you can adjust the settings to add special characters as well for that added security.
It’s not a bad password manager but if you looking for something with additional features like automatic password changing or two-factor authentication then you should consider an additional password manager as the password manager on Bitdefender antivirus plus is a little limited.
Premium VPN
In addition to keeping your computer safe in terms of your data. You still need to consider risks when online and when sending data. To provide some extra security a VPN is useful as when the VPN is in action you will be harder to track as you use the internet. The Bitdefender Premium VPN is also available to purchase as a stand-alone product but we are glad to have it included.
On the Bitdefender dashboard, the VPN appears as a grey rectangle with a large blue button to connect to the VPN. When using the Premium offering users can select the country from the pull-down menu.
You also get a kill switch feature meaning if the connection drops it cuts the unprotected internet until the VPN signal is restored. In terms of usage, you can set up the VPN to connect automatically at setup or if you are using your laptop on an unsecured Wi-Fi or even for particular domains or apps you might be using.
The Bitdefender VPN boasts 1,300 servers in 48 countries and provides the user with good global coverage. This is beneficial and the whole point of a VPN is to spoof your location but the negative is your internet speed may suffer as a result.
SafePay Feature
Most of us will regularly shop online or you might make the occasional bet when watching sport. We also do our banking online and need to be safe. The Safepay feature automatically provides you cover when it senses you on a site that requires you to enter your financial information. You also select what sites to use the Safepay feature if you wish.
Safepay will work well with the password management feature but with other third-party extensions, you won’t be so lucky. The benefit of having the Safepay feature is it will protect against any keystroke stealing spyware and also protects you against hardware keyloggers. The Safepay feature also prevents screenshots if a hacker was still to make progress towards your sensitive data. Just be careful I am a regular eBay user and as a result, using Paypal and Safepay does not work with Paypal.
Additional Features
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is stacked with features that also include a vulnerability scan that runs in the background and warns you about updates and weak passwords.
You also get a Wi-Fi security warning that will notify you about any problems with the home or public Wi-Fi and provide a notification if the VPN is required. Last but not least Bitdefender also has configuration profiles.
This is useful if you want your work profile to boost performance when sending emails and then at the end of the day or the weekend the movie profile limits background activity. The antivirus Plus option provides a pop up to remind you of the profile which will enhance your experience.
Verdict
After using Bitdefender antivirus plus for the last few weeks this software provides excellent protection against web-based threats including malware and phishing and ransomware issues. Bitdefender is a feature-packed software that will keep your computer safe and sound.
The only issue I could find is the password manager is a little limited apart from that it’s an excellent choice to keep you safe from the threats of the internet and hackers trying to get to your personal information.
Product Rating:
Overall Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Thanks for reading this review, please continue to support us and check out our other reviews and follow us on Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter below.
Recent Comments