Intego Mac Security

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OSX/Calisto Mac Malware Masquerades as Intego Software. Every so often, a new piece of malware comes along that tries to deceive victims by disguising itself as legitimate anti-malware software from a reputable company. A recent example was Proton malware masquerading as Symantec software in November. Apple has released iOS 13 for the iPhone and iPod touch, and the newly-named iPadOS 13 for the iPad.

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  • Intego Mac Internet Security X9

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Sold as a bundle with network-defense tool NetBarrier X9, Intego VirusBarrier X9 really does one thing: Scan your drives continuously as new files are added, unless you’ve set it to perform scans only on a schedule or when you trigger them manually.

Intego made the choice that Internet Security X9 doesn’t delete malware by default. Nor can you set the program to automatically do so. Instead, malware is quarantined, with the option to attempt repairing files that contain data you still need.

Glasgow coma scale pdf. Note: This review is part of our best antivirus roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.

AV-TEST found VirusBarrier caught 100 percent of macOS malware and identified more than 99 percent of PUA, while AV Comparatives scored VirusBarrier at 99.6 percent for macOS malware. Updates to the virus definitions are automated, with a default weekly schedule, but there’s no option to get updates on demand.

Intego has a very abbreviated privacy statement, as it only aggregates information anonymously. In Preferences > Feedback, you can read its policy and opt out.

VirusBarrier has three distinct showstopping missing features that knock it down as a recommended product in 2018:

First, it doesn’t even mention the term ransomware and only uses signatures to detect known ransomware viruses. That’s true of many other packages tested, but it’s still a mark against Intego. There's very strong concern in the security community that macOS will be hit by ransomware—and macOS does not screen for it, only for existing malware that employs ransomware.

Second, it doesn't offer native plug-ins for common Mac browsers. Instead, it relies on the protection against malicious sites and software that browser makers have built in. Native extensions provide more robust protection in several, but not all, other products tested.

Third, Intego scored the lowest in both AV-TEST and AV Comparatives testing of Mac AV software against Windows malware. AV-TEST gave it a zero score; AV Comparatives, 35 percent. The next worst were ProtectWorks at just over 20 percent and Norton Security at 70 percent, while the rest of the packages reviewed scored at least 90 percent. Several earned ratings over 99 percent or a solid 100 percent. Unless you never interact with Windows users, this is a significant issue.

Along with VirusBarrier, the separate app NetBarrier X9 provides solid options for network protection. That’s especially so for laptops, where you may be working regularly in different locations, and want different security settings active in each one. NetBarrier lets you set up different levels of network blocking and monitoring for Home, Work, and Public Hotspot profiles, and prompts you when you join a new Wi-Fi network to identify which of those kinds of locations it qualifies as.

The network firewall has coarse high-level controls, so you can, for instance, block all incoming connections. But you can also drill down to more technical settings if you're so inclined, and work with IP addresses and network ports. NetBarrier also filters by application, allowing you to know that apps are trying to send data over the local network or the Internet, and choose to block or allow it. For most people, this level of network and application firewall are enough.

The bottom line

Intego's software has no fatal flaws, but because of what it doesn't address, we cannot recommend VirusBarrier until it's updated to handle at least one of the above three points. Even with that, it would still be ranked relatively low among options.

Version tested: 10.9.15

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  • Intego Mac Internet Security X9

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    Intego's software has no fatal flaws, but because of its lower ratings by security labs, minimal ransomware protection, and lack of native browser plug-ins, we don't currently recommend it.

    Pros

    • Crisp control center interface for managing actions and current status
    • No account needed

    Cons

    • No effective protection against passing along Windows malware
    • No active ransomware monitoring
    • Doesn’t include native browser plug-ins for additional security
    • No auto-delete for malicious files
    • Subscription cost for a single Mac expensive relative to products with better features and broader licensing

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This Mac antivirus scanner took longer to install than other applications on our comparison. We had to initiate the Intego Mac Security X9 download process three times before it was successfully installed, but once it was, it immediately began scanning for threats on our test Mac. Intego blocked 97 percent of the Mac malware samples we used during testing, with only five threats sneaking in. During a deep virus scan Intego did find and quarantine these threats.

Don't have a Mac or want a different antivirus? Check out our best antivirus guide

As part of its malware detection, Intego automatically scans incoming emails and any USB drives that are plugged into your computer. This also includes mobile devices. In addition to malware protection, Intego Mac Security includes a firewall to enhance the one included with your Mac device. There are antiphishing tools to detect unsafe emails that could potentially trick you into giving your personal and financial information away.

Intego doesn’t have its own safe browsing features, but rather it checks your web browsers and lets you know if the safety features are off. We found that most web browsers do a good job of warning about malicious websites, but many have difficulty stopping some virus downloads on their own. Antivirus programs, like Norton Security, that include browser extensions, tend to find more of these threats than those that don’t.

Browser extensions also tend to help antivirus programs recognize Windows malware threats trying to come through and stop them from embedding themselves on your computer. While these threats won’t hurt your Mac, they could be accidentally sent along to a PC through file sharing and infect it. During our tests of Intego, we learned that it doesn’t recognize Windows malware at all.

Intego Mac Internet Security is more of a basic antivirus program rather than a full protection suite. It doesn’t include a virus scanner or parental controls. But both are included with Intego Mac Premium Bundle, and when we tested and evaluated this program we found these features work well. However, neither of these programs include more advanced protection tools like safe banking features, password managers or a VPN.

Intego Mac Internet Security X9 is good at detecting Mac viruses, but it struggles to identify and block Windows malware. It automatically scans incoming emails and attached USB drives that are connected to your device. It also has a firewall to bolster the one included on your device as well as antiphishing tools; however, it does lack more advanced protection features including safe browsing, secure banking, vulnerability scans and parental controls.

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Intego Mac Internet Security X9 For Mac

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Intego Mac Security Review

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