Bitdefender Internet Security 2020 — a revisit to the autopilot

Product name
Bitdefender Internet Security 2020 (b20.0.16.95)
Installation (rating)
5.00 star(s)
User interface (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Accessibility notes
+ Clean. Beginner-friendly
+ Comprehensive organization of modules
+ Ideal set of color contrasts for focus on the essential elements
Performance (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Core Protection (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Proactive protection (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Additional Protection notes
+ Consistently ranked high in independent tests (take it with a pinch of salt)
+ Engine is borrowed by a number of other AVs
+ Fairly powerful protection for everyday use
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/enhanced-real-world-test-2019-consumer/
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/real-world-protection-test-july-october-2019/
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/february-2020/bitdefender-internet-security-24.0-200506/
- Dynamic protection including anti-ransomware seems slightly on the weaker side, unless manually fortified
Browser protection (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Positives
    • Many features
    • Minimal setup required
    • Low impact on system resources
    • Simple and non-intrusive
    • Ransomware protection
    • Strong and reliable protection
    • Detects or blocks in the wild malware
    • Virus signatures are updated daily
    • Excellent scores in independent tests
    • Well designed, clear and easy to use interface
    • Multi-layer protection approach
Negatives
    • Advanced users may want more control
    • Not as many features as some competitors
    • Can be complex in some situations
Time spent using product
Reviewed over a 30-day period
Computer specs
Intel i5 4th Gen (upto 2.3Ghz Turbo) | 8GB DDR3 | 1TB HDD | AMD Radeon 8670M Graphics (2GB)
Overall rating
5.00 star(s)

SeriousHoax

Level 47
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Mar 16, 2019
3,630
After each case, my hidden folders were visible (not blocked) and I could enable/disable the 'show hidden files/folders' option.
Perhaps the issue might occur in case of dynamic behavior detection. Or perhaps the issue is now gone
Then they may have changed something a bit. To reproduce in another way, enable show hidden files, make Bitdefender's real time protection disinfect and quarantine a malware, disable show hidden files and then enable again. This time you probably won't be able to see hidden files till the PC is restarted. Can you reproduce it this way?
 

Parsh

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Then they may have changed something a bit. To reproduce in another way, enable show hidden files, make Bitdefender's real time protection disinfect and quarantine a malware, disable show hidden files and then enable again. This time you probably won't be able to see hidden files till the PC is restarted. Can you reproduce it this way?
I did the same thing in one of my above cases. My 'show hidden files' was already enabled. BD resident shield detected the Eicar test file and showed the disinfection alert. After that, I disabled 'show hidden files' and that worked. Then I re-enabled 'show hidden files' and that worked as expected.
 

SeriousHoax

Level 47
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Mar 16, 2019
3,630
I did the same thing in one of my above cases. My 'show hidden files' was already enabled. BD resident shield detected the Eicar test file and showed the disinfection alert. After that, I disabled 'show hidden files' and that worked. Then I re-enabled 'show hidden files' and that worked as expected.
Ow that's better then (y) I hope they implement their AI "Theta" into the 2021 version of the product.

 

Nightwalker

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May 26, 2014
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BD Free is usually about 250-350 MB here, but my system is fast. RAM is to be used or it's kind of wasted.

I just wanna say that I love your posts ;)

Nowadays RAM usage should never be a metric for system impact or resources usage in general (it isnt the bottleneck anymore), I/O and CPU utilization are much more relevant.

Many security solutions hide the actual RAM usage in page file and system drivers, that approach is a big NO NO.

Source:
 
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Nightwalker

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Bitdefender is pretty good and its reputation with AV labs is well deserved; I love how simple and elegant its protection approach is (autopilot marketing thing), there is no tweak/geek anxiety there, by default will get all the protection that you need.

All the modules are above average in quality and in general everything works fine, my only big grip is that how Bitdefender downgrade HTTPS connections to TLS 1.2 and maybe the subpar PUP detection, but that is it.
 

SeriousHoax

Level 47
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Mar 16, 2019
3,630
May security solutions hide the actual RAM usage in page file and system drivers, that approach is a big NO NO.
So true. I hope more people learn about this. Personally I didn't know about this before joining MalwareTips. If someone checks task manager ram usage value of eg: Norton, Eset, Kaspersky it shows the usage is around 30, 40 and 50 mb respectively but this is absolutely wrong. Correct value is more like 200+, 160+, 180+ mb while idle.
 

DDE_Server

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1,168
Really Fantastic and informative Thread @Parsh
really you made me want to use bitefender although i am very comfortable and good protected with Emsisoft (which has also Bitdefender touch through its signature) :)
really you could be excellent Market or Sales Guy (y)(y)(y)(y)
 

Parsh

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Really Fantastic and informative Thread @Parsh
really you made me want to use bitefender although i am very comfortable and good protected with Emsisoft (which has also Bitdefender touch through its signature) :)
really you could be excellent Market or Sales Guy (y)(y)(y)(y)
Thanks mate! I fear that would have been true if I were all praises for the product ... or my mysterious recipe (I just discovered) of balance between praises and criticism did the job well 😉
Emsisoft is a great option too. Quick scanners and a strong BB on board. I used it for a year before they got rid of their firewall.
 

DDE_Server

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Thanks mate! I fear that would have been true if I were all praises for the product ... or my mysterious recipe (I just discovered) of balance between praises and criticism did the job well 😉
Emsisoft is a great option too. Quick scanners and a strong BB on board. I used it for a year before they got rid of their firewall.
yes when i tried then first in 2017 i found myself stuck to it as it does what should any AV supposed to do with performance hit or any useless bloatware.yes they abandoned the firewall and depend on the Firewall fortification instead.but i complement this by Tinywall and Adgaurd.(as Windows firewall control and Web protection mechanism)
 

Parsh

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out of interest @Parsh are you developer as i saw "Visual studio code" in your spoiler screenshots :)
Development is too broad a technical term you know, but yes I am a developer out of degree and profession .. one among the few things I do 😊
Building solutions, it's fun and sometimes fulfilling!
From your name I guess we are dev-bros ;)
 

DDE_Server

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yes i am trying to learn programming but need some project to contribute in . i learned may programming language (C /C++/pyhton) but stuck at OOP
i begin now new start. i am reading code complete and introduction to algorithm (stuck also in sort algorithm :) ) to build a complete picture about Software development cycle hope i didnot get disappointed . wish me luck :)
 

fabiobr

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Mar 28, 2019
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I'm testing now and it really feels lighter than Kaspersky on my machine.

It starts with 300mb of RAM and then fell off to 210/260mb, but I do feel browsing faster than Kaspersky and doing Windows Explorer things.

It feels less buggy than previous version I tested a year ago.

It's not lighter than Norton and Eset, though. I'm thinking on keeping it in one of my machines, never considered an option because the bad experience with bugs I had in the past, but now is gone.

Edit: Really think that Bitdefender does a better job at breaking HTTPS than Kaspersky. Kaspersky unfortunately still has troubles with it and slows down browsing.
 
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fabiobr

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Other thing: That "work profile, game profile" really makes difference, I noticed Bitdefender changing the consumption based on what app are open when set to change it automatically.

I was using Photoshop (that need RAM) and Bitdefender reduced itself the consumption and set the profile to work, it was nice.
 

Parsh

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It's not lighter than Norton and Eset, though. I'm thinking on keeping it in one of my machines, never considered an option because the bad experience with bugs I had in the past, but now is gone.
I am not well-versed with Norton personally. Haven't tried it in the previous decade lol and a trial is available no more.
Has its performance been better than ESET for you?
Edit: Really think that Bitdefender does a better job at breaking HTTPS than Kaspersky. Kaspersky unfortunately still has troubles with it and slows down browsing.
Did you face any issue w.r.t. HTTPS scanning in BD? or you are pointing to them using the TLS version 1.2 instead of 1.3?
Other thing: That "work profile, game profile" really makes difference, I noticed Bitdefender changing the consumption based on what app are open when set to change it automatically.
I was using Photoshop (that need RAM) and Bitdefender reduced itself the consumption and set the profile to work, it was nice.
Automatic switching of profiles is definitely a user asset.
I agree. It no longer deserves the "Bugdefender" name. Got it on my machine now. (y)(y)
I guess so :). VDS + BDIS trial now?
 

SeriousHoax

Level 47
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Mar 16, 2019
3,630
Edit: Really think that Bitdefender does a better job at breaking HTTPS than Kaspersky. Kaspersky unfortunately still has troubles with it and slows down browsing.
I forgot how their paid products handle HTTPS scanning but I can say what Bitdefender free does. In case someone didn't know, the free version does HTTPS scanning too. But from my testing it seems it trusts some certificate provider by default. For example, Digicert, Sectigo, Cloudflare, Google Trust Services, etc. So, most of the sites I/most people I guess visit regularly are not inspected by its HTTPS scanning. Though I don't remember testing if this changes for online shopping sites. While Kaspersky does HTTPS scanning on every single site whether it's YouTube, MalwareTips or anything. I don't know if it's a recent change of Bitdefender but if Bitdefender IS, TS does the same too then it's obvious that it's faster at loading pages than Kaspersky's free and paid versions. HTTPS scanning always going to slow down page loading to some extent.
Edit: I tested on Firefox only.
 
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Durden

Level 3
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Dec 21, 2013
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Currently, this is one of my favorite threads!
I always had a soft spot for Bitdefender. I always wanted them to sort their bugs out and rise to the high place they deserve here in MT.
I gotta tell you, I have a 1-year 10-device license key for Bitdefender Total Security that I won a couple years for beta testing and I haven't even activated the license yet.
And here you got me all excited to trial BD again and maybe after that I'll make a permanent switch (currently I'm on Kaspersky's wagon).
However, I'm not sure about Bitdefender Total Security though, will it be heavier than their Internet Security ?

Anyway, thank you for this wonderful and refreshing review ! and may the force be with you BD !

P.S. I LOVE THEIR LOGO :LOL::giggle:
 

Parsh

Level 25
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Currently, this is one of my favorite threads!
I always had a soft spot for Bitdefender. I always wanted them to sort their bugs out and rise to the high place they deserve here in MT.
I gotta tell you, I have a 1-year 10-device license key for Bitdefender Total Security that I won a couple years for beta testing and I haven't even activated the license yet.
And here you got me all excited to trial BD again and maybe after that I'll make a permanent switch (currently I'm on Kaspersky's wagon).
However, I'm not sure about Bitdefender Total Security though, will it be heavier than their Internet Security ?
Anyway, thank you for this wonderful and refreshing review ! and may the force be with you BD !
P.S. I LOVE THEIR LOGO :LOL::giggle:
Welcome buddy :) The best way to find out the performance would be to try out BTS 2020 with your license. I do not know about the licensing policy of BD, but some other products have a license validity w.r.t. the number of product versions a key can activate.
BTS has the following extras:
  1. 1-click Optimizer
  2. Startup Optimizer
  3. Disk cleanup
  4. Anti-theft
I think their optimizers will likely be safer than some aggressive utilities out there. It offers basic system maintenance tools along with anti-theft, the latter would be useful only to a group of people, but nonetheless worth it.
 

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