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IObit: Security 360
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It's recently come to my attention that there are plenty of people in the world that know about security software for their PC's, but they aren't even aware of how to use it or what it really does. So, today, we're going to look at IObit's Security 360 program. A powerful program, innovative and unique to it's own accord and kind.
What we see below is the Security 360 main panel, or the "Overview" screen, whichever you prefer. On it we find the license information, the last time the software was updated, and all of the functions that come with the software in the upper right panel. Understanding this, let's discuss - briefly - what each of the few functions do. The anti-malware that comes standard with the software is specially designed to be on par with the software known as SpyBot: Search & Destroy. It purposefully and systematically searchs for software on your computer and then erradicates it. Next, we have the Real Time Protection, which we'll discuss later. Next, we have what is known as Digital Original Gene (or DOG) Protection. This piece of the software is a very unique and understanding portion of the software developed to target and eliminate what is called "zero day threats" before they can cause too much harm by checking new software on your machine against vendor specific "digital signatures." Following, we have the automatic scan function and automatic update functions. Both of these are pretty much self explanatory. Both of them automate the software according to predefined and built in software to update the software and run systematic scans of your machine without your approval or need to be present in the process. Now, don't worry, these two functions are optional and not a requirement for the software to work correctly. Amazingly enough, all of the functions we've discussed can be turned on or off at will, or turned back on at a later time. The next, and final item on the Overview panel is the "PC Security Analysis" option. This is your one stop shop for two different functions of the program from which we'll discuss later. But the basic gist is that it'll scan for security holes (or missing pieces of necessary security software) and seek out specific sections of your computer for privacy violations (such as tracking cookies, etc) and gets rid of them for you.
Now, below us, we find another image. This image is of the "Scan" panel for IObit Security 360. It comes with three options that all do the same thing, the difference is what files are scanned. The first is the Smart Scan. This scan seeks out specific computer files such as .dll files (or digital link library files), or registry key files and ensures that there is nothing malicious going on. While there are plenty of these files in ones computer, these files are small and take very little time to scan. The Full Scan feature scans every single file on your computer. From your music files, to your standard text files written in notepad. It includes everything, and anything for that matter, that sits on your computer. Your temporary internet files, downloaded files, cookies, registry keys, .dll files, everything. Using either one of these features at least once a week is a highly recommended expedenture of ones time and does not even require the user(s) to be present for the scan. Next, we find a bottom pannel that includes a Schedule for "Automatic Scan," to it's right it holds another button that allows one to change the schedule of automatic scanning. Beneath it, we find the Definitions Version number which includes the lastest definition and the last time those definitions were used. Next, we find the "Fingerprint" number. This number is the number of known malicious software that IObit Security 360 has calculated and acknowledged for removal from any computer system. While not a grandeous number, as of October 22, 2009, IObit Security 360 has found 198, 139 fingerprints in the world that it's software will remove for you. After words, we find the date and time of the last scan and the number of threats that scan found and eliminated.
Next, we find the Protection panel. The first section is for the Automatic Protection Against Known Malware. Malware being the malicious software in your computer that makes it do horrible things and things you didn't want it to do. Clicking the section will turn automatic protection off. Whereas it's not entirely advisable to do such for the sake of computer securtiy, it is not necessary to always have it on. The next section is the Advanced Protection Against Unknown Threats. This section allows the software to cotinuously update with small information as it analyzes the behavioral patterns of predefined malware behaviors. This allows the program to notify the user, or stop the software from running altogether so that nothing ill happens to ones machine. At the bottom of the panel, we find the last file analyzed. As the last file that was installed and run on my personal machine, the last file scanned before running was Mozilla FireFox and the firefox.exe file.
Our next image is of the Tools panel. On this panel, we find six different buttons, all with their own unique functions. The first button is the Hijack Scan button. This window is reserved for advanced users who understand the mechanics behind a hijacked system. For those novice users that seek such information, do not fear, I will get to understanding it myself one day soon - hopefully - and be more than happy to share that knowledge with you. The next tool we'll see is the "Security Holes" tool. Remember the PC Security Analysis from earlier? Well, this is one of the tools that it uses. What this tool does is scan your entire computer for specific files based upon your operating system (or OS) and other such features (such as your security framework) and then close those holes. For instance, when I first installed IObit Security 360 on my machine, I ran the scan for the first time and found 14 missing security files from Microsoft Windows Vista. I allowed the software to plug the holes for me and found that the software sought out the specific security files I was missing, and then installed them for me. Naturally, I was skeptical, so I verified the information in my Control Panel Uninstall/Reinstall programs feature under the "Hotfixes." Naturally, you can "View Fixed" files, and you can also "View Downloaded Hotfixes" from within IObit Security 360, and I can personally assure and attest that they are real downloads.
The next tool is the Passive Defense Tool. This tool is specifically designed and engineered to monitor and manage your internet browser functions. If all of the functions are enabled, the Passive Defense will monitor for phising websites, inappropriate ActiveX controllers, and tracking cookies. Now, currently, there's only a phising filter, and ActiveX controller management within Internet Explorer. But the software does boast tracking cookie protection for both Internet Explorer and Mozilla FireFox. Our next tool is the Unlock & Delete tool. This tool will enable anyone that has found a locked file to be deleted. For instance, if you've gotten a rather nasty virus that requires a specialized tool from Kaserpky Internet Security or Anti-Virus and it just won't go away, you can use this tool to remove the file and delete it from your computer safely and without harm to anything else. Our fifth and final tool (yes, I'm aware I said six), is the Privacy Sweeper. We've all heard of the CCleaner tool that sweeps the computer registry for useless files and cache files and cookie files, etc. Well, this tool does it about four times better than CCleaner. Now, it doesn't exactly scan your Registry files because IObit has a different program and tool for that that is actually much more in depth and persuasive than CCleaner. With the Privacy Sweeper, the software scans your system for potentially dangerous software or cookies that are designed to take your information and store it on a server to later be sold. The software sweeps the ill software away and makes it go away. The next tool in the Privacy Sweeper is the Junk Files sweeper that seeks out and destroys useless files on your computer and removes them, freeing up disk space for future use. And finally, we have the Options. Naturally, this is where anyone will go to modify how the Privacy Sweeper runs, and it's very simple and very neat.
The very last tool isn't really a tool at all unless you have the program installed on your machine, but it's called PC Tuneup. This tool will send you to the IObit website and ask you to download and install the free version of Advanced System Care, which is a very powerful tool all on its own, if you don't have it on your computer. Or, it will open up Advanced System Care and run it in full and automatically if you do have it on your computer. Now, as the Advanced System Care is a completely unique program - much like IObit's other programs - we'll reserve the review and understanding of that program until another day. Below, you'll find the "Tools" panel screen shot. And then a slideshow of the tools on the "Tools" panel for your enjoyment.
Hopefully, this article has been a good explanation for you in understanding the basic principles behind the software and not the mechanics behind the software. And as such, it would behove me to remind my readers that this software comes in two versions. First, the free version, and then secondly the Professional version. Now, understandably, the free version is not as powerful - shall we say - as the professional version, but it does do the same thing. However, it must be said that some tools are locked, and others are not. Because of this, I find no unnecessary reason why someone should not be willing to spend the $19.95 it would cost for the pro version. And that's not a bad price. Currently, the software is marked down 33%. Which makes the software $29.95 regularly. However, what you spend on this software, whether its $19.95 or $29.95, you get more than what you pay for in the long run. Plus, the licenses are for a full calendar year. What more could you ask for? For more information regarding IObit Security 360, you may find it here.
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