F-Secure Software Locks Down Desktops

F-Secures Internet Security 2004 software suite provides an easy-to-use firewall/anti-virus utility for Windows desktop users.

Internet Security 2004, which shipped last month, can be downloaded free from the companys Web site for a 30-day evaluation trial and can be purchased for $69.90 per unit.

In my tests, Internet Security 2004 provided a simple packet-filtering firewall with integrated anti-virus scanning engines, letting me protect my desktops and laptops with a single software package. The personal firewall let me control application access to the Internet and provided an intrusion detection system and preconfigured firewall security-level settings.

The firewall functions are similar to popular desktop firewall solutions such as ZoneAlarm, but Internet Security 2004 is more expensive than other options because it has built-in anti-virus software.

Most functions are automated by default, including virus definition updates, so novice desktop users can simply install the software and let it protect the system in the background with minimal intervention. Advanced users who want to customize it will have some tweaking to do, however.

Internet Security 2004 supports all desktop versions of Windows except Windows 95. It requires at least 64MB of memory and 150MB of disk space. For more info, check out www.f-secure.com.

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