Internet security solutions provider, Bitdefender, have released its new Total Security 2012 software, with several key new features that are aimed at protecting users from hackers, viruses and identity theft.

The new software, which launches alongside sister products Bitdefender Internet Security 2012 and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012, sport a redesigned user interface, overhauled to offer greater ease of use.  Additionally, key new features of the software include an autopilot mode, social networking protection, and a scan dispatcher to maintain system performance.

The company explained that the autopilot mode is intended to cater to users seeking hassle-free security that does not require their ongoing input. When engaged, autopilot mode makes intelligent, optimal security-related decisions without any effort required from the user, excludes pop-ups and alerts, and does not require users to perform any further configurations after setup is complete. Additionally, users can access the dashboard to make their own in-depth decisions should they wish to do so.

The new social networking security feature is aimed at filtering and blocking social-networking specific threats, by scanning the links users receive from friends on Facebook, whilst also monitoring and advising on privacy settings.
Furthermore, the program’s integrated scan dispatcher feature finds and uses ‘time-slices’ when system resource usage falls below a certain threshold to perform recurring scans of the entire system. This is intended to prevent Total Security 2012 from impacting on system responsiveness.

Additional features of the program includes the Safebox, which performs online backup and file synchronisation, by monitoring important files and backing them up to a secure remote server whenever a change is detected. Furthermore, backed-up files become available to users’ other computers on which Total Security 2012 is installed, and two gigabytes of free online storage is included with purchase of the software.

Another new feature is the Rescue Mode. This is applied in the event of the software finding a threat that it cannot remove while Windows is running. The user’s computer is then restarted in Rescue Mode, which can then be used to perform a cleanup and restoration of the PC.

Similarly, the Virtualised Browser launches the browser in a Bitdefender-provided environment, isolating it from the operating system.  This is done to prevent browser-based threats from exploiting vulnerabilities to gain control of the entire system.

In a bid to offer users greater customisation and ease of use, the software further supports a flexible Interface, which enables users to drag and drop modules to get quick access to the actions they perform most often directly from the main window. Total Security 2012 is currently available and has a RRP of R550 for a single user.

In recent news, both Kaspersky and Symantec released their latest online security packages to the market.


For more, follow TechSmart on Twitter or join us on Facebook