Review: Webroot Internet Security Essentials

Webroot Internet Security Essentials (Wise), launched in the UK last month, is aimed squarely at home and home/office users, and adds an online backup service for extra security.

Installation of the 36MB package takes under 10 minutes, less if you defer downloading definition updates until after the base program is installed. Users can also opt for the Webroot 'Ask' toolbar and search assistant to be integrated with Internet Explorer.

Webroot licenses its anti-virus detection engine from enterprise vendor Sophos, and on first startup Wise steps through an initial setup wizard, which kicks off with a system memory scan to check for malware processes already running on the system.

The wizard then invites users to join Webroot's Automated Research Network, allowing information to be returned to Webroot's labs for processing and forensic analysis for incorporation into its threat definition updates. We are of the opinion that users signing up for this should get something in return, such as the ability to install Wise on an extra PC.

After this step, users can opt to schedule a computer 'clean-up' and the main threat sweep. Clean-up involves deleting internet, Windows and third-party application items, with the option to recover these files if required.

The final piece of configuration is to set up the online backup by selecting a standard username and password. The service comes with 2GB free, and the option to add more space if needed. However, on clicking the 'Increase Online Storage Space' URL, we were taken to a web page informing us that we were already using the 'maximum amount of backup space'. But on some installs of Wise on other systems we did get the option of upgrading our online storage space, albeit with prices quoted in dollars: $8.33 (£5.77) for 5GB up to $58.33 (£40.44) for 50GB.

The service initially backs up the logged on user's Desktop, Favourites, My Documents and My Pictures data. But subsequent backups can be used to store any data on the system, and users can schedule when backups occur.

We then downloaded the 34MB of security definitions, giving a total of more than 937,000, after which we were invited to register. The user interface is similar to Webroot's other malware products, such as its AntiVirus and Spy Sweeper packages, and is probably the easiest to use on the market.

Users can do quick sweeps to purge malware from system memory, the registry and operating system folders, or full sweeps which enable the behavioural detection facility and check any compressed files found on the system. Finally, a custom sweep can be specified, which allows total control over which partitions to check, what files to process and what quarantine options to specify if any threats are detected.

Users can also set the processor utilisation level (five settings) before scans commence to ensure that any other programs running concurrently with a scan are not significantly affected, although you can't change this level when scans are running.

There was a significant difference in processor utilisation in the upper and lower settings when we installed Wise on a Sony Vaio VGN-BZ11MN notebook which had an Intel Core 2 Duo P4800 2.26GHz processor with 2GB of 800MHz system memory running Vista Enterprise.

A full system scan on this system took 13 minutes and checked 390,000 'targets', although users should flush the internet cache, defrag the hard drive and remove any temporary files before running anti-virus scans. Session logs can be inspected, but we'd like more information on the amount of memory/registry/file/folder items being scanned, although it may be that inexperienced users won't want to see this information.

We did detect malware on a dual-boot Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition/ Windows XP Professional system by running Wise on XP and checking the Server 2003 partition using a custom scan.

The W32/IRCBot-XA worm and W32/sdBot-DKI backdoor Trojan, as well as an App/XNet-B remote administration tool, which the Sophos malware engine tagged as a potentially unwanted application, were all picked up and quarantined. Sophos provides information on how to remove such applications, but inexperienced users might have difficulty with the procedure.

Overall, Wise is a very good package, but the problem with evaluating security packages like these is that there are very few independent testing facilities that can fully stretch the software.

AV-Test.org, an IT security testing and consultancy service, offers this kind of testing and the results are available online. Webroot's products are not specifically benchmarked, but Wise uses the Sophos malware engine and the most recent results show all tests passing at a level of over 95 per cent.