Trend Micro Internet Security

The "Pro" in this suite's full title - Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2009 - means you get not only standard protection but also encryption tools, IM and mobile protection, plus some general PC tune-up tools. One neat feature lets you remotely lock access to files if your laptop's stolen. If you don't need those features, save a fiver and opt for the standard edition.

Whichever edition you go for, the important question is how well it protects you against malware - and the answer here is, sadly, not that well. In this month's malware tests, Trend Micro Internet Security found itself near the bottom of the rankings with a detection rate of 83% - an echo of its disappointing score when we first reviewed it (web ID: 227718).

And when it came to web threats, the package mustered a hit rate of just 9%. We were concerned to see it positively label as "safe" several pages identified by numerous other packages as hosting exploits. And in some cases the software didn't give pages a rating at all, explaining that "Trend Micro has not tested this site". This further dented our confidence in the package: why not test it now?

In terms of system resources, the suite wasn't terrifically light, but nor was it the most intrusive. The user interface is simple enough, although a lot of information and controls are hidden away under collapsing bars. And we did like the email integration, which added a new toolbar and a wealth of antispam settings.

But these good points can't make up for this suite's fundamental weakness at detecting threats - not even when you factor in all its neat extra features.

Author: Darien Graham-Smith