The latest version of Bitdefender Total Security is a one-stop shop for PC users who want to take responsibility for their online safety and security but don’t want to spend time setting it up.
This version is designed to block viruses, spam and spyware, and protect from ID theft.
It includes parental controls to keep an eye on the kids, can filter Facebook and Twitter links and offers 2GB of online backup space as well as file synchronisation, file encryption and shredding, and some tune-up utilities.
Installation was simple. In our case the program noted the presence of the AVG anti-virus program and offered to remove it before continuing – it’s always a good idea to remove existing security software before installing a new product – and then scanned the PC’s memory and critical system files for viruses.
After that, it’s possible to just let the program get on with it courtesy of the Auto Pilot mode which starts by default and then makes security decisions for the user rather asking what it should do every time a decision need to be made.
Since those questions and messages are usually indecipherable even to fairly advanced users, this is a real plus point.
Does Bitdefender has parental controls Settings?
But the Bitdefender control panel also offers plenty of opportunities for fiddling with various settings, and even if some of the parental controls are already covered by the tools built into Windows 10, there’s plenty that isn’t.
For example, a new Rescue mode is designed to remove deep pests such as rootkits, and a virtual browser can be used to browse suspect websites and prevents them from taking control of your PC.
The interface has 10 neat and easily customisable panels (each representing a particular function such as the firewall or anti-spam module) which can be re-arranged by dragging and dropping them into position.
Each can be customised with settings ranging from ‘permissive’ to ‘aggressive’.
Bitdefender Total Security is available direct from the company for £49.99 although users who don’t need the tune-up utilities or online backup can save £10 by getting Bitdefender Internet Security 2021 instead.
But whichever you choose, you’ll get an effective, lightweight security program that keeps you safe without getting in your way.
