Win32 Virus Removal

The software designers at Trend Micro identified three main pain points for security software users: complexity, intrusiveness, and overuse of resources. With Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ 2012 ($39.95, direct; three licenses for $59.95) they aim to avoid those pain points and offer an antivirus that's safe, lightweight, and easy to use. It succeeds at those goals, but PCMag's tests and independent lab tests agree that its actual protection capabilities lag behind the competition.

Changes for 2012
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012 ($39.95 direct for three licenses, 4 stars) and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 ($59.95 direct for three licenses, 3.5 stars) both got a full makeover this year, a new, simpler interface. Trend Micro's interface didn't need a change, as it was already super-simple. Interestingly, the latest edition lets you personalize the product by selecting a skin or using one of your own photos.

Action-wise this edition promises better protection against fake antivirus, better behavioral protection, and new technology to resist botnets and standard viruses. It also adds better detection and removal of rootkits, automatically offering a bootable rescue CD if needed to eradicate rootkits.

Trend Micro's Smart Protection Network (SPN) blocks 5 billion threats daily. About 80 percent of the antivirus's signature data resides in the cloud with SPN, to keep the product's footprint small. It's so quiet and unobtrusive that some users wondered if it was even working. The current edition offers a security report once a month, so you can see what it's doing for you. Of course, you can view the report any time you wish.

But wait! There's more! Whether you purchase one license or three of the PC-based antivirus, you get a free copy of Trend Micro Smart Surfing for Mac, which would normally cost $49.95.

Not Fond of the Labs
Trend Micro's researchers feel that many of the antivirus testing labs aren't doing their testing quite right. This product is designed to block malware at many levels, starting with the initial download of the file, and few labs test at all levels. Trend Micro stopped participating in Virus Bulletin's tests some while ago, and more recently withdrew from the retrospective tests performed by AV-Comparatives.org. In the latest on-demand malware cleanup test by AV-Comparatives, Trend Micro rated STANDARD, the lowest passing rating.

The company also declines to participate in testing by ICSA Labs. West Coast Labs certifies the product for both virus detection and virus removal.

Each quarter AV-Test.org runs a virus certification test under Windows 7, Vista, or XP. Products can earn up to six points in three areas: Protection, Repair, and Usability. A total of 11 points is required for certification. Trend Micro did make the cut, but just barely. Its last three scores were 12.5, 13.5, and 12.5. Bitdefender's technology averaged 16 point on the last three tests, the highest of any tested. And Kaspersky came in second with an average of 15.17.

It's true that few labs conduct tests the way Trend Micro would like. It's equally true that other products manage to turn in near-perfect scores in the tests that the labs do perform. Trend Micro's technology doesn't fare so well in these tests, nor in my own hands-on tests.

The chart below summarizes recent lab tests. For an explanation of how I interpret these tests, see How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests.

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