when visiting friends, and will then be free to explore as they please. Amongst other reasons, children will in all probability get to use unrestricted devices at some stage, e.g. Parents should always talk to their children about the dangerous and worrying things in life.
We must stress that no software product can ever be a substitute for parental advice.
Before employing a parental control product, parents are advised to check that it includes whatever web-filtering categories and other features they deem appropriate. Some products may contain additional features such as time limits for computer or Internet use, monitoring of the child’s online activities, and restrictions on usage of particular apps. This allows parents to block websites relating to topics they feel are inappropriate for the child, such as pornography, drugs or violence.
A common feature of parental control products is web-category filtering. Parents who are concerned about what their children may find online can use parental control software to restrict their access. McAfee says that it continues to carry the Internet Security line for people who aren’t ready to switch to its all-inclusive products, which are equally effective against malware.In today’s world, even young children commonly use Internet-connected devices. For example, McAfee All Access costs just $50 (for a limited time) and provides unlimited protection for all of your devices (including mobile), as well as online and social network protection. But the company sells other products that offer greater functionality at a lower price.
McAfee Internet Security 2014 offers reasonable protection and an intuitive interface, especially for Windows 8 users. McAfee explains most of the advanced settings in simple language, and each menu features a ‘Learn more’ link that leads directly to the appropriate help section. Inside, they look like typical checkbox-and-radio-button menus. Settings menus have clickable banners that you tap to open.
To the right of these buttons are three smaller buttons for data protection and backup, PC and home network tools, and parental controls.Įach section has its own settings menu-an arrangement that can be a bit confusing. Below the banner are four large buttons for virus and spyware protection, Web and email protection, updates, and your subscription status. The main window has a large banner across the top that appears green if you’re protected, and red if you’re not. To its credit, McAfee Internet Security 2014 has among the best interfaces for Windows 8 touchscreens, with large buttons and banners that even clumsy fingers can easily tap. Then it downloads the rest of the installer-which can take some time if you’re on a slow connection-installs the program, and requires a system reboot.
Next, it asks you to log in to your McAfee account, using the email address and password that you used when you downloaded the program. First, the program scans for threats to ensure a smooth installation. Installing McAfee Internet Security 2014 is somewhat arduous. McAfee Internet Security 2014’s interface makes it easy to find your way around. This translates into slightly slower startup and shutdown times and some lag in opening programs. In AV-Test’s performance assessment, McAfee received a score of 5. In usability tests, the suite blocked a couple of legitimate software actions on suspicion that they were dangerous. Though quite good in comparison to Microsoft Security Essentials’ performance (71 percent of samples blocked in the same tests), that mark lags behind the perfect scores posted by Eset Smart Security 7, F-Secure Internet Security 2014, Kaspersky Internet Security 2014, Norton Internet Security 2014, and Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2014. Like most of the other suites, however, McAfee detected 100 percent of widespread malware that had been discovered in the month prior to the test. In AV-Test’s real-world protection tests, McAfee successfully blocked 98 percent of all zero-day malware attacks (including Web and email threats). The installation process can be a chore, and finding specific settings can be difficult, but its main shortcoming is that it offers fewer features than some of McAfee’s other products, despite its higher price. McAfee Internet Security 2014 ($56 for one year of protection on up to three PCs) offers adequate protection and an intuitive interface.