Cosmi Swift Internet Protection Pack

Hot on the heels of the latest online security suites from market leaders Symantec and McAfee, Swift's Internet Protection Pack certainly seems good value. Along with antivirus and firewall software from F-Secure, the package includes a spyware killer, spam filter, pop-up ad blocker and a privacy tool.

The applications are spread over three CD-Roms, making installation a little tedious. It's made worse by the multiple serial numbers and registrations you have to deal with. Fortunately, there's nothing too taxing and we were up and running in around 20 minutes.

F-Secure's contribution is by far the most useful. Internet Security 2004 may sound out of date but it offers easily configurable antivirus and firewall protection in a single integrated package. While there's a complete lack of printed documentation, the options are relatively easy to understand and sensible default settings mean you only need to get your hands dirty if you want to.

The antivirus side offers a 12-month subscription with automatic updates and scheduled scans. The Internet Shield incorporates intrusion detection to stop hackers and lets you control how applications access the internet. There's also an advanced option to specify the exact ports that programs use.

The rest of the package isn't quite so polished. Spyware Killer from CyberHQ doesn't do a bad job, allowing you to hunt down and kill any agents on your system with just a couple of mouse clicks. However, while its options are straightforward, we were a little concerned that the spyware database hasn't been refreshed since May. No updates were available to download.

The Anonymizer privacy tool helps to keep your details secure, and can block cookies and hide your IP address from sites. It's a good program, but should have been incorporated into the main F-Secure Internet Security software, as should the spam killer and pop-up ad blocker.

There's no denying that at £30, this suite is a bargain, but the elements just aren't tied together as well as they are in other packages.

Contact:
Cosmi Europe Ltd 01327 879000
www.cosmi.com

Also consider:
Norton Internet Security 2005