App Review F-Secure SAFE 18.2

It is advised to take all reviews with a grain of salt. In extreme cases some reviews use dramatization for entertainment purposes.
Product name
F-Secure SAFE 18.2
Installation (rating)
5.00 star(s)
User interface (rating)
4.00 star(s)
Accessibility notes
The UI is streamlined and well-organized. But no advanced settings (heuristic sensitivity) are available and some pro users may be disappointed at this. Adding the capability to submit samples within the product would be nice.
- One star deducted for the lack of advanced settings.
Performance (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Core Protection (rating)
4.00 star(s)
Proactive protection (rating)
4.00 star(s)
Additional Protection notes
Generally good. Like many AVs using Avira engine, F-Secure is not so good at detecting script malware. Unable to remove and repair threats within archive (zip, rar....). See below for comments on DeepGuard and F-Secure Security Cloud.

Banking protection is very cool.

Internet Surf protection is so-so. The plug-in failed to block many phising sites, not as good as McAfee.

No bulit-in firewall.
Browser protection (rating)
3.00 star(s)
Positives
    • Minimal setup required
    • Low impact on system resources
    • Lightning fast scans
    • Easy to use
    • Simple and non-intrusive
    • Ransomware protection
    • Detects or blocks in the wild malware
    • Virus signatures are updated daily
    • Well designed, clear and easy to use interface
    • Multi-layer protection approach
Negatives
    • Advanced users may want more control
    • Short on configuration options
    • Limited web protection
    • Not as many features as some competitors
Time spent using product
Reviewed over a 30-day period
Computer specs
ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen)
Recommended for
  1. Inexperienced users
  2. Financial banking or trading
  3. High-end or medium spec PCs
  4. Low spec PCs
Overall rating
4.00 star(s)

MacDefender

Level 16
Verified
Top Poster
Oct 13, 2019
779


I haven’t tried this myself but I was told in a support ticket that the “skip-sidegrade” option on PSB also works for the SAFE installer. It allows bypassing the incompatible apps warning.
 
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Shadowra

Level 33
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Malware Tester
Well-known
Sep 2, 2021
2,243
Hello :)
I hadn't seen this User Feedback, let me comment it.

I always appreciate @Anthony Qian tests, it's always well detailed and pleasant to read.

But, where I don't understand, why say that F-Secure blocks few phishing sites?
In my tests, they block them all...

I don't know what is your source of phishing, but I don't understand :/
 

Anthony Qian

Level 9
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Apr 17, 2021
448
Hello :)
I hadn't seen this User Feedback, let me comment it.

I always appreciate @Anthony Qian tests, it's always well detailed and pleasant to read.

But, where I don't understand, why say that F-Secure blocks few phishing sites?
In my tests, they block them all...

I don't know what is your source of phishing, but I don't understand :/
I used Chinese phishing websites (confirmed by McAfee as phishing site:)) to test. I understand that geographical footprint and/or language barriers can be an issue for a foreign company like F-Secure to detect and classify these sites. But as I mentioned in my comments, at the very least I wish F-Secure could be more responsive to my submission. Taking 5+ days to analyze and add detection is unacceptable.
 

AMD1

Level 5
Verified
Aug 21, 2012
208
Hi,

I am a new user of F-Secure SAFE and liking it so far. I have the TOTAL package and is working well on my devices.

One thing I am not sure of is the People & Devices set-up. I have myself listed as subscription owner on my
PC however can you add another user/family user with restricted rights on the same PC and does that involve setting up another user in Windows ?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Andy
 

Shadowra

Level 33
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Malware Tester
Well-known
Sep 2, 2021
2,243
Hi,

I am a new user of F-Secure SAFE and liking it so far. I have the TOTAL package and is working well on my devices.

One thing I am not sure of is the People & Devices set-up. I have myself listed as subscription owner on my
PC however can you add another user/family user with restricted rights on the same PC and does that involve setting up another user in Windows ?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Andy

Hello :)

If it's on the same PC, yes you have to go through Windows to create a limited account.
If it's another PC, you have to go through your My F-Secure account.
 

Trooper

Level 16
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Aug 28, 2015
772
They work well together, but I find that the Windows firewall is more than enough.
I remind you that F-Secure modifies the Windows firewall by adding rules to it.

And if security is important, you have the tool of @Andy Ful which allows to reinforce even more :)

Which rules does F-Secure modify in Windows Firewall. I just took a quick glance on my machine and did not notice any.
 
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Anthony Qian

Level 9
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Apr 17, 2021
448
It feels like the official community has been quiet since the announcement of WITH-Secure.:unsure::coffee:
According to F-Secure’s FAQ page, Mikko Hypponen seems to have joined WITH Secure and is only the “ambassador” to F-Secure, which is definitely a pity.

Plus, have you noticed that F-Secure’s virus database lags behind Avira’s sometimes?
 
Last edited:

Trooper

Level 16
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Aug 28, 2015
772
According to F-Secure’s FAQ page, Mikko Hypponen seems to have joined WITH Secure and is only the “ambassador” to F-Secure, which is definitely a pity.

Plus, have you noticed that F-Secure’s virus database lags behind Avira’s by a few versions?

That's not good. As for the sigs, no idea to be honest. I think they use their own as well though correct?
 
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Reactions: franz

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