My Review Of ESET Smart Security 5
A short while ago I took a look at ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 and was very impressed. Is the bigger brother, ESET Smart Security 5, just as impressive? Read on to find out.
Key Benefits:
- Easy to use – non-computer experts will have no trouble getting to grips with this program
- Low system resource usage – carry on working while conducting scans and staying secure
- Effective detection and removal of threats – benefit from excellent protection
ESET Smart Security 5 is an easy to use security program that will do a grand job of protecting your computer from all of the latest threats. It uses a small amount of memory and CPU usage is also low so if you shouldn’t notice any slowdown if you use your computer while scans are in progress.
Overall, it would be an excellent choice for your next 12 months of computer protection.
Will ESET Smart Security 5 run on my system?
The system requirements as per ESET’s website are as follows:
- Intel or AMD x86-x64 processor
- 55 MB of free hard drive space
- Windows XP / 2000 / Vista / 7
Installing, getting up and running and first impressions
ESET Smart Security 5 is a security suite that is very quick to install. After downloading the initial file that is only a few megabytes in size you will run it and the program proper will then be downloaded. This comes in at around 55 MB in size and took about a minute to download on my connection.
Loading up the program for the first time will present you with the interface as seen in the image below (yeah, I know, it needs some attention at this stage). You will note straight away that ESET Smart Security 5 has a very clean and uncluttered interface which is something many computer users will appreciate.
Just like ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5, the first thing I noticed is that the program was notifying me that my Windows installation was not up to date (it is now!). Not many security programs check for this, despite the fact that keeping Windows updated is so vitally important.
What features can I expect to find in ESET Smart Security 5?
For an internet security suite that is so easy to use and with such a simple interface, ESET Smart Security 5 manages to pack in a large range of features, the pick of which are:
- Antivirus
- Antispyware
- Antirootkit
- Antispam
- Cloud based whitelisting
- Firewall
- Gamer mode
- Host based intrusion prevention systems (HIPS)
- Parental controls
With ESET Smart Security 5 you will also have a large number of useful tools at your disposal as well:
- Logging of all issues
- Various statistics
- A Visual display of file and network activity
- A list of all running processes
- The ability to schedule scans at a time that suits you
- A list of all quarantined items that the program has identified
- ESET SysInspector
- A list of all active network connections
Will ESET Smart Security 5 do a good job of protecting my PC?
Looking at test results from the independent test labs you will notice that ESET Smart Security 5 scores rather well in terms of detecting and blocking malware. Indeed the program performed well with the tests at AV-Test.org and very well indeed with AV-Comparitives.org. It also fared well in detecting my own list of malware links too.
For me, a frequent computer user, one of the most important aspects of any security product is its resource usage. With any security suite you have to expect its normal operation and, especially scanning, to have some effect as both use some memory and CPU cycles. Some programs are far worse that others in this respect though. Gladly, I can say that ESET Smart Security 5 is one of the good guys in this regard though – processor and memory usage are probably at the bottom of the scale in comparison to other similar programs.
Whats good and whats bad about this security software?
+ ESET Smart Security 5 has a very smooth and uncluttered interface which makes it a good choice for less-savvy computer users who still want a robust protection package
+ Updates to the virus definition database are downloaded in the background for the most part and are very quick to install
+ The program has a high malware detection rate and had no problem removing the threats I tried it with
- Whilst using the program or running a scan the system resources (the amount of CPU and RAM used) is very low, meaning you can get on with whats important without having to wait for the program to finish what it is doing
Firewall allows all connections originating from your computer by default so you have to hope it doesn’t let any Trojans through! You can change the firewall setting to prompt for all outbound connections but this will lead to you receiving many more such popups for other programs too
- Spam filter won’t slow your mailbox down too much but a fair proportion of spam still hit my inbox whilst it was running
Article by Lee Munson
Lee's non-technical background allows him to write about internet security in a clear way that is understandable to both IT professionals and people just like you who need simple answers to your security questions.
Lee has written 2277 awesome articles for us at Security FAQs
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
il numero 1.
ESET is best securety among all antivirus it light and secure i like it the most
How long have you been using ESET products for?
la smart security 5 come l antivirus sono i migliori sul mercato mettetevelo in testa voi amanti di kaspersky.
I understand enough of that to know you are saying ESET is this best but what is that comment about Kaspersky?