BitDefender 2012 improves malware detection and removal

BitDefender today released its 2012 family of security suites, which have been enhanced with a range of new and interesting features.

A new monitoring tool tracks process behavior, for instance, helping to detect new and unknown viruses. Integrated cloud services deliver a faster response to new outbreaks. And the new Scan Dispatcher runs scans only when it's idle, so improving security without impacting on your overall system performance.

Browsing protection is now handled by scanning web traffic at the protocol level, so there are no longer any annoying browser add-ons to slow you down, and there's no need to wonder if it'll work with your browser: it should protect just about anything.

An improved Search Advisor highlights potentially dangerous sites in your Google and Bing search results, while social network-specific protection monitors the links in your Twitter and Facebook streams.

The new Rescue Mode provides a Linux-based environment to remove particularly stubborn threats, like rootkits.

And of course the packages have all the usual features you'd expect from any security suite: a two-way firewall, spam filter, vulnerability scanner, privacy tools, parental controls and more, all presented in a revamped, cleaner interface which makes them generally easier to use.

Problems? We weren't happy to see BitDefender Internet Security 2012 demand that we remove Malwarebytes Anti-Malware before it would install. And the program also reported that it "cleaned 5 infected items" during installation, but annoyingly didn't tell us what they were.

Otherwise, though, BitDefender's 2012 suites offer genuine and worthwhile new features which will improve your safety, so if you're looking for a new suite then they're worth including on your shortlist.

(Just as last year, there's both an Internet Security and Total Security package available; the latter extends the regular security features with a file shredder, encryption, a tune-up tool, and a new online backup and file sync module.)