NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, October 2012
TrendMicro Releases 2013 Versions of its Security Software
By Ira Wilsker, Radio Show Host,
Columnist, College Professor and deputy sheriff
iwilsker@sbcglobal.net
(click to email author)

WEBSITES:
http://downloadcenter.trendmicro.com (Download latest 2013 versions)
http://www.trendmicro.com/us/home/products/titanium/index.html
http://www.trendmicro.com/us/home/products/titanium/index.html#system-requirements
http://www.trendmicro.com/us/home/products/titanium/index.html#why-its-better
http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/us/technology-innovation/our-technology/smart-protection-network/index.html
http://cloudsecurity.trendmicro.com/us/technology-innovation/our-technology/smart-protection-network/index.html#how-it-works
http://blog.trendmicro.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/StopThreatsDeadInTheirTracks.jpg
http://www.trendmicro.com/us/home/products/titanium/index.html#what-it-does

Every fall, industry releases its new "year" of models; we see new cars, new appliances. and new security software. If I had a 2012 automobile, the manufacturer would not likely allow me to upgrade to a similar 2013 model for free; if I purchased a 2012 model appliance less than a year ago, I could not likely trade it in on a 2013 model for free. Many (but not all) personal computer, MAC, and smart device security software publishers typically allow the user of a 2012 version to upgrade to the 2013 version, often at no charge, for the balance of the original license period. Taking advantage of this policy, I recently upgraded the TrendMicro Titanium Maximum Security (Premium Edition) 2012 installed on all of the PCs in my house and on my Android smart phones to the newly released 2013 versions of the security software.

Few industries are as dynamic and competitive as the computer security industry. There are several publishers of fine security software, both freeware and commercial, that offer a wide selection of "models" that vary in price, protection, features, benefits, and the number of devices (licenses) that a single purchase may be installed on. After having tried several of the leading free and commercial security products on my computers and other smart devices over the years, I have settled on the TrendMicro Titanium Maximum Security, 3 device license pack. Late last year, as the security licenses on my family computers were approaching expiration, I started shopping around for a new set of security software, as it is often more cost effective (cheaper) to purchase a new boxed (or downloaded) set of software than it is to renew the licenses of the currently installed security software. I was very happy with the 2011 build of the TrendMicro Titanium Maximum Security that I had, so I purchased a few of the 2012 "Premium Edition" for 3 devices each, when I saw it on sale for an excellent price at one of the big box electronics stores. After placing the new CD in the drive and running it, the 2012 version uninstalled the prior version, and installed itself on my computers; I also used two of the available licenses to protect our Android cell phones, which was one of the available options.

Early in September, I saw that TrendMicro released the 2013 versions of its software, which included several powerful security enhancements, so I downloaded the 2013 version of the Maximum Security (64bit) from the TrendMicro website (downloadcenter.trendmicro.com ) , and installed it on all of my PCs; it picked up the license key from the 2012 version, and shows that it is active for the remainder of my original 2012 license period.

While I have experimented with several of the major and minor security products over the past several years, I keep coming back to a TrendMicro security suite. Since it became available a few years ago, I have been using the Titanium Maximum Security suite on all of my computers. For 2013, there were several improvements and security enhancements to the new versions that recognize what users really do with their computers, and addresses the different security risks imposed on each of those uses. Research has shown that on a daily basis, 88% of computer users check email, 75% browse the internet or conduct web searches, and 69% utilize social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Cyber criminals are also aware of these statistics, and typically target most of their malware and other threats to take advantage of these major uses of the internet. The 2013 versions of all of the TrendMicro security products explicitly protect the user and his computer from threats transmitted via these vectors. TrendMicro is also well aware that users often connect to the internet through a variety of means, including direct hard-wired connections (Ethernet) and wireless "WiFi" hotspots.

In order to protect users while they use their computers for different purposes, TrendMicro added several new features to all of its 2013 versions, from the most basic TrendMicro Antivirus to the most comprehensive Premium Security. These new protection benefits include automated security ratings and warnings about search engine results (cyber criminals often manipulate search engine ranking to place their purloined websites at the top of the rankings); validate the security of WiFi networks and hotspots; offer protection from much of the spam email that we all receive, which often contains malware or links to dangerous websites as well as protection from phishing (identity theft) scams; a reinforcement for the integral Windows firewall, which strengthens its substantially, both inbound and outbound; blocks malicious links in email and instant messaging (IM) chats; a "Rescue Disk" utility which can create a bootable CD/DVD or USB drive that can be used to detect and remove difficult malware and rootkits; and a variety of features to greatly enhance security, safety, and privacy while engaged on almost all of the social networking services, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, MySpace, Google+, LinkedIn, and almost every other major social network around the world. In most social networking services, "friends" often appear to post links that are illicit and dangerous; TrendMicro 2013 will alert the user that a link is dangerous; the user can then notify his "friend" to delete the questionable post, and check his machine for security issues. One feature that I like in the 2013 products is the " Facebook Privacy Scanner" which identifies Facebook security and privacy settings that may leave your personal information vulnerable. According to TrendMicro, the 2013 Facebook Privacy Scanner, " ... automatically scans your wall to visually show you what links are safe or malicious." In the Titanium 2013 versions, there are some additional Facebook security benefits, "Titanium scans your Facebook privacy settings and flags anything that may allow you to inadvertently share more than you want to."

While my children are all adult, many of us have children or grandchildren who may need some additional protection and controls over their internet access and other computer activities; most of the 2013 products (except for the basic Antivirus product) include "Parental Controls" that can filter the content accessed by the child; allows the parent to set a schedule that restricts the child's use of the computer to designated times and limits; controls which applications the child can access (like games); and provides the parent with detailed activity reports about what the child does on the computer. The Maximum and Premium security products also contain a security feature TrendMicro calls "Online Guardian" which monitors the child's social networking activities.

The TrendMicro Internet Security 2013 offers all of the features of the more basic Antivirus product, but includes the Parental Controls mentioned above, a "System Tuner" that may improve hardware and software performance, "Data Theft Protection" to help protect from online identity theft, and a "Secure Erase File Shredder" which can securely delete files and render them virtually unrecoverable. There is also a build of Internet Security explicitly for MAC users (single license).

The TrendMicro Titanium Maximum Security 2013 offers several additional features over the less comprehensive Antivirus and Internet Security products, including 5 GB of "SafeSync" secure online data storage; "DirectPass" secure password manager to store and access the many different passwords that we often find difficult to memorize; the "Online Guardian" (mentioned above as a Parental Control) to protect a child while online; and the "TrendMicro Vault" which stores sensitive personal files in an encrypted folder on the hard drive, such that they cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals, even if the computer is lost or stolen, an especially real risk for laptop computers. The license included with Maximum Security allows it to be installed on any combination of three devices, including desktop and laptop PCs, Android smart phones and tablets, and MAC computers (including Mountain Lion and Golden Key).

Trend Micro Titanium Premium Security is virtually identical to Maximum Security, except it includes 25 GB of "SafeSync" remote storage, and licenses for five Windows, Android, or MAC devices in any combination.

System requirements for all of the 2013 TrendMicro security products is minimal, allowing it to run effectively on all eligible Windows (XP through Windows 7), Android (tablets and smart phones), and MAC devices. The Titanium products are also certified for use on the upcoming release of Windows 8.

While no security software is perfect, I have been very satisfied with TrendMicro Titanium Maximum Security. The new 2013 version offers significantly improved performance, malware detection, and malware remediation. I will continue to test, review and report on other security products, but in my opinion, the new 2013 TrendMicro products will be the ones to beat.


Click here to return to top
====================================================================

==================================================================