In this Security for Everyone review we will be looking at Panda Internet Security 2011. Panda Security began as Panda Software in 1990, thus providing security solutions for 20 years. Panda had a time when they were not the most effective solution available. Seemingly in response to poor industry testing Panda developed the Collective Intelligence system in 2007. This system is built upon the power of the Panda community and has produced a greater detection rate of viruses and malware. Panda also broke new ground in 2009 by introducing the first cloud based antivirus solution for the consumer. In our review of their 2010 version, they managed to get a very good evaluation. Let's see if this upward trend in good security continues in its 2011 incarnation.

First Impressions

Panda Internet Security 2011 comes in on the heavier side at about 75 MB. The installation process is painless and does allow for some customizations, a consideration appreciated by many users. If you choose the custom install you'll find you can choose not to install several modules including: Firewall protection, Identity protection, Anti-spam protection and Backup copies. Each of these are selected by default. A couple of features not selected by default include Parental control and Remote access. For this review we went with the default configuration.

Once the installation is complete you access the main Panda interface via the Panda icon in the system tray. The very first impression I got was regarding the interface design itself. It looks and feels like an application that was designed when Windows XP was in its prime. There are rough rounded corners and too many background images used among the header, body and footer areas. Alas, one should not judge an application by its looks alone, at least not a security application.

Panda Internet Security 2011 immediately displays a message indicating an update is needed. Selecting the Solve button allows the update to continue. Once the update is done you are prompted for an initial scan. A quick check of the security settings confirms that Panda has disabled the Windows Firewall and Windows Defender services. These are all good things that make sure the initial steps are done to allow Panda to assume the role of securing your computer.

The interface may not be the most polished of those reviewed but its layout is easy to follow and access to critical areas like firewall and scanning are easily found. While it is good to see easy access to the main areas to be configured, there is enough inconsistency across the various application tabs and pop-up windows to cause some confusion. For example, the Network Management and Virtual Keyboard found in the footer section of the Status tab are not found elsewhere in the application, yet the same footer space across the other tabs is left unoccupied and could have been used to allow links to these features to persist. Another example would be where some pop-up configuration windows use the prevailing Panda application colors while others adopt the characteristics of your active Windows 7 theme.

Initially, I was afraid Panda was displaying far too many notifications. After a few days the notifications dwindled down considerably as Panda discovered more about how I use my computer and networked devices. Panda almost gets it right in terms of the scheduled scan. There is a default start scan configured and scheduled yet the job is disabled by default. Enabling the job is easy enough and recommended if you do not plan on creating a new scheduled scan.

Overall, my initial impression of Panda is positive. The interface is easy to follow and more answers are presented than questions around how the application works. In the next section we'll look a bit deeper into the ease of use and configuration.

Ease of Use and Configuration

With Panda Internet Security 2011 you select any of the installed protection modules from the Status tab to access the associated settings. The settings screen is the same one used by all modules therefore providing quick access to settings without having to return to the status tab.

The scan settings include everything you would expect such as the ability to identify files or directories to exclude from scanning, the default actions to perform and whether or not to enable heuristic scanning. There is a nice option which gives Panda permission to send an email notification when a threat has been identified. This is a good option to enable when the PC is being supported by someone else, perhaps a tech savvy daughter or grand daughter. There is a rather odd setting as well which allows you to choose the types of threats to detect. Thankfully all types are selected by default, but the thought that one could lessen their PC security by deselecting a few checkboxes is a bit troubling.

The Panda firewall does a good job of auto defining the applications and ports that should have access to your computer. This is accomplished by a collective intelligence as gathered from the Panda community of users. You do, however, have the option to define and override these default settings.

Much of the predefined settings are determined by establishing whether or not the network you are accessing should be considered public or trusted. By default Panda automatically determines which security level should be applied. This can also be customized if Panda sets the level incorrectly. In my testing, each network I accessed had the appropriate security level applied. You can easily disable the 'Enable automatic network mode' which will result in Panda prompting you to set the security level each time you connect to a new network.

Panda has also included a nice interface to aid in protecting your identity. By default identity protection is enabled and consists of three main areas of protection. One area will make sure your system only dials numbers that you have authorized it to. Another area will protect against fraudulent websites and the final area will detect the transmission of confidential information. With the latter, you define certain information that should be monitored for and subsequently blocked if it is found being sent across the Internet.

Panda also includes basic and advanced statistical reporting. With this option you can see statistics for the day, week and month. You may also choose a custom date range. Statistics include information about the number of files scanned and the number and type of threats identified. These reports are a nice way to see what Panda has been protecting you from while not alerting you in each and every instance.

Occasionally a system can become infected to the point you question whether or not your security software is functioning as expected. Panda addresses this question by allowing you to 'enable self-diagnosis'. This feature is found within the main application preferences and checks to make sure Panda Internet Security 2011 is working correctly. Other settings found within the preferences include the ability to reduce the CPU usage during a scan and setting the frequency of alerts and notifications based on certain types of threats.

Panda appears to have put together an application that is relatively easy to setup and configure. In the remaining sections we will take a look at the level of protection Panda provides.

Firewall

As mentioned previously, Panda allows you to venture fairly deeply into the firewall settings. You will find that you can specify application and port access if you are not happy with the default settings Panda applies. In my testing the default settings were just right and no tweaking was necessary. The settings also allow you to easily change your network setting from Trusted to Public which has much to do with how the firewall is configured to protect your connection.

Firewall testing is done by intrusively scanning the test system. A scan was performed while the Panda firewall was configured for a trusted network and again with the firewall set to a public network. This should provide an idea of how well Panda protects while you are connected to a trusted network such as your home or office and what protection can be expected if you are using a public connection like one found in a coffee shop.

The nmap scan performed while the Panda firewall was configured for a trusted network proved very impressive. The scan only identified two open ports and very little additional information. The operating system could not even be successfully identified. A similar scan run using the Nessus tool provided even less information than the nmap scan. Switching the firewall to a public configuration yielded absolutely no results from the Nessus scan. The nmap scan produced the same locked down results here as it did on the trusted configuration. Well done Panda!

Panda has done an excellent job of including a firewall that is both effective and non-intrusive. Each intrusive scan forced only a couple of notifications.

Antivirus and Antispyware Features

Av-comparatives.org is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to testing the popular security suites. Panda was included among security suites tested in 2010 and was awarded the Advanced certificate. The reason Panda did not receive the Advanced+ certification was due to Panda having a higher rate of false alarms than other suites. Av-comparatives.org recently released their latest performance tests for August 2010. This test gives Panda Internet Security 2011 the highest, therefore the best, performance ranking.

My own tests involved scanning several infected files from a USB key and as well those that were planted on the system prior to installing Panda. In each case Panda did a fine job of identifying and disinfecting the files. Panda did identify a few of my testing tools as suspect and subsequently quarantined them. Thankfully the quarantine is easy to access and removing files is a simple task.

I also took my testing online and visited several known malicious sites. Each visit was successfully blocked and a notification was displayed in the browser window. If you are ever in the position where Panda has incorrectly identified a site as malicious the scan settings do afford you the option of identifying a site as safe. This is likely an option you will not use and if used should be done so with caution. Panda appears to keep a very accurate tab on which sites should be blocked.

Verdict

This review began with citing the innovation Panda showed by developing the first cloud based antivirus application. I don't think I would consider what Panda is developing for the desktop to be innovative but it is certainly effective and easy to use. The default firewall configuration is excellent and the scanning engine gets the job done as well. According to av-comparatives there may be a few more false alarms identified but in my experience a few false alarms on Grandma's system won't compromise security a bit. I'm happy to award Panda Internet Security 2011 a solid "Buy for Grandma!".

Purchasing options

You can purchase Panda Internet Security 2011 from Amazon US (if you are from North America) or from Amazon UK (for European countries). When you are buying from Amazon, 7 Tutorials will also receive a small affiliate commission which will help pay for some of our work on the site. A big thank you to all of you who are buying using these links.

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