Avast! Internet Security Version 6 Download:

According to the Avast! Web site, Avast! 6.0 introduces several new features. Many of these were covered in our review of Avast! AntiVirus. SafeZone provides a secure browsing desktop, using a special build of Google Chrome, that protects sensitive online transactions such as online banking from keyloggers and other malware. SafeZone also disables all browser plug-ins, protecting users from potentially malicious extensions.

The AutoSandbox feature moves suspicious programs into the Avast! Sandbox, where they are run in a limited execution environment; if the program is indeed malicious, the harm it can do to your system from the Sandbox is minimal. WebRep is a browser-based plug-in that combines Avast!'s database of antivirus activity with user voting to assign a safety confidence rating to Web sites.

Internet Security 6.0 also brings a large number of lesser improvements, including a Restore Factory Settings command (located under Settings->Troubleshooting) that resets Internet Security's settings back to its installation defaults; a smaller installation package; and stability improvements in the Behavior Shield.

One strength of the Avast! line is its Real Time Shields, which monitor for potentially malicious activity in the file system, mail, Web traffic, Peer to Peer (P2P) applications like bitTorrent clients, and Instant Messaging applications. Real Time Shields also provide general protection against all suspicious network traffic (Network Shield), Web site scripts (Script Shield), and executable applications (Behavior Shield). A rolling histogram shows how many files or connections each shield is scanning, and raises an alert whenever suspicious activity is detected.

Internet Security provides several robust features not included with Avast! AntiVirus. The Avast! Firewall defends the user's computer against unwarranted intrusions, denying incoming and outgoing network traffic on suspicious ports. Avast! provides an intuitive slider control for its Firewall with three settings: Home (everything is trusted in the local network), Work (application rules are enforced), and Public (no incoming connections or new programs are allowed).

Antispam is Avast!'s junk e-mail filter for executable e-mail clients such as Outlook and Outlook Express. The Antispam screen features a Sensitivity setting that can be adjusted between Low, Medium, and High; the higher the settings, the fewer heuristics an e-mail message must fail before it is flagged as spam and removed from the user's Inbox. While Antispam is a great - even necessary - idea, it won't benefit anyone using an online e-mail service such as Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, unless those users check their accounts using a local Windows e-mail client.