- Apr 25, 2013
- 5,356
Malicious URL Blocking
PCKeeper did a decent job, blocking 38 percent of the malware samples. The current average is 32 percent, with a very wide range of detection rates. At the top are Avira Free AntiVirus (2014), with 79 percent detection, and Panda Free Antivirus 2015, with 64 percent detection. Apparently PCKeeper didn't license the Avira component that blocks malicious URLs, just the antivirus engine.
I did note that PCKeeper did all of its blocking at the download phase, typically before I could even click "Save." It didn't block the browser from accessing any of the URLs. At this point I double-checked with support, to make sure I should proceed with my antiphishing test. The new agent speculated that since my test URLs go directly to an executable file they might be treated differently, and assured me that phishing websites should be blocked.
Hands-On Antimalware Testing
When I opened a folder containing my current set of malware samples, PCKeeper eliminated over three quarters of them. Where some products slowly churn away, taking several minutes to perform their real-time scan, PCKeeper acted almost instantly.
I repeated the process with a folder containing versions of the same files that I had tweaked by hand. I changed each filename, modified some non-executable bytes, and appended zeroes to change the file size. PCKeeper quickly caught all but one of the modified files; that shows flexibility.
I launched the remaining samples and noted the product's reaction. It detected a few during installation, but in each case the malware managed to plant executable files on the test system. The rest of the samples, all of which might be characterized as "potentially unwanted programs" rather than high-risk malware, it simply ignored.
At 83 percent detection and 7.9 points, PCKeeper's score is on par with Kaspersky Anti-Virus (2015) and a hair below Panda Antivirus Pro 2015. Do note that Panda's free product scored the same as the Pro edition.
No Phishing Protection
Wading through almost 150 recently-reported phishing sites, I found 60 that definitely qualified, with fields to steal your username and password. Of these, PCKeeper detected...none.
About this time, I got a timezone-delayed response from my main contact at Kromtech. He informed me that PCKeeper does not actually include phishing protection or malicious URL blocking. "We do not have antiphishing feature implemented at that point," he said, "but we have the resources to block malicious files during download."
In other words, both of the supports agents I chatted with were just wrong about the product's features, even though I explained my query in detail.
You Can Do Better
Kromtech PCKeeper Antivirus is an attractive, easy-to-use antivirus, and I like its emphasis on providing support. However, my enthusiasm for the chat-based support was somewhat soured by the fact that they served me misinformation. The product performed decently in my hands-on tests, but didn't score well in the more important independent lab tests.
In truth, you'd be better off with Panda Free Antivirus 2015, an Editors' Choice for free antivirus. It slightly edged PCKeeper in my own tests and swept the field in lab tests, with high marks across the board.
For the same price as PCKeeper, you could have Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2015 orKaspersky Anti-Virus (2015), both of which we named Editors' Choice for paid antivirus. Any of these is a better choice.
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