Category: Reviews

It is the first release of a security suite for Webroot…and users need to wait before giving it a try.

The price seems right, at a mere $60 for three users (that was the price on December 23, 2008) for this companies first attempt at a security suite. This package has Sophos antivirus scanner, Privacyware’s firewall, and you can get online backup from Webroot’s own servers. What it doesn’t have is parental controls (very important today), browser based antiphishing capabilities, and a way to keep the spam out (not the kind you eat, but the kind that fills up your email). What is even worse is that it failed at its primary mission…identifying malicious software.
Webroot’s Internet Security Essentials ($60 for three users as of 12/23/08) marks the antispyware company’s first foray into security suites. This patchwork suite brings together an antivirus scanner from Sophos, a firewall from Privacyware, and online backup using Webroot’s own servers. But it lacks parental controls, antispam, and browser-based antiphishing capabilities, and it fared poorly at the core task of identifying malicious software.