ANTIVIRUS 2008 Review From Mary Landesman, Your Guide to Antivirus Software. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Guide Rating - rating The Bottom Line ANTIVIRUS 2008 provides behavior-based protection to guard against new and unknown threats which signature-based scanners might otherwise miss. ANTIVIRUS 2008 runs in the background, monitoring each programs actions, quarantining programs it knows to be bad and alerting on those it considers suspicious. ANTIVIRUS 2008 can easily run alongside installed antivirus or other security software, making it an ideal adjunct to existing protection. Even better, the program is completely free for home use.

Pros
* Behavior-based protection guards against unknown threats
* Well designed and intuitive interface suitable for novice to expert users
* Out-of-the-box protection pre-configured for optimum protection
* Can be used conflict-free alongside existing antivirus and security solutions
* Free for home/non-commercial use

Cons
* Free version requires Community Protection participation

Description
* Behavior analysis prevents new and previously unknown threats that might otherwise bypass signature-based scanners.
* Low impact / high performance ensures ANTIVIRUS 2008 can run seamlessly alongside pre-existing protection software.
* Behavior-based monitoring ideally suited for ferreting out the worst threats: keyloggers, downloaders, and backdoor Trojans

Guide Review - ANTIVIRUS 2008 Review
ANTIVIRUS 2008 kicks the positive experience off with a speedy download, quick no-reboot installation, and intuitive interface already configured for optimum protection. The behavior-based protection of ANTIVIRUS 2008 is combined with community based input which could prove to be a system-saver should a global outbreak occur. ANTIVIRUS 2008's ActiveDefense automatically quarantines known bad apps and generates alerts for those deemed suspicious.
The alert dialog includes plenty of help for decision making: the "Technical details" link lets you review the files and registry items involved and, if you're still not certain, there's a "Learn more about this threat" link to find additional information. ANTIVIRUS 2008 is not a substitute for a signature-based antivirus scanner. As an example, ANTIVIRUS 2008 won't detect a dormant threat - its sole focus is on activity. And if the system is already infected, ANTIVIRUS 2008 will quarantine only the active components leaving portions of the malware behind. However, those aren't shortcomings in ANTIVIRUS 2008, but rather just a distinction in how the technology works.
Behavior analyzers are geared for prevention and in that capacity, ANTIVIRUS 2008 excels.