German security suite G Data InternetSecurity 2010 was among the best at malware detection and removal of the security suites tested for our May 2009 security suites roundup. It also earned the top spot on the accompanying security suites chart. In a number of categories G Data scored the best test results and offered more protection features than other suites. It's also a good value for its price.

G-Data uses a combination of Avast and BitDefender antivirus engines, and in AV-Test.org's extensive malware-detection tests that combination worked. G Data had the highest detection rate of all the products tested, identifying on average 99 percent of the 722,372 collected samples of Trojan horses, worms, password-stealers, and other nasties.

G Data identified and removed 100 percent of the files and Registry changes that malware had put in place, but it failed to scrub the Registry for any remaining traces of the test infections. It detected 100 percent of the inactive rootkits, but removed only 77 percent of rootkits, the second-lowest result among the products tested. G Data gets credit for having the fewest false positives in heuristics; it misidentified only 1 file out of 5000.

G Data achieved its best scores with behavior-based detection of malware. In overall behavioral detection G Data produced a warning 80 percent of the time; detected and blocked 47 percent of malware samples; and removed 13 percent. The suite scored particularly well when it came to proactively identifying unknown malware for which it lacked a signature. Here, G Data scored well above average. In tests with 2-week-old signature files, it identified 56 percent of samples. And on four-week-old signature files it identified 49 percent--among the best of any product tested in this round.

According to AV-Test, G Data typically responds to new threats in less than 2 hours. G Data produced the second highest number of signature updates per month (551 in January 2009, 506 in February 2009, and 642 in March 2009), and averaged 18 per day, bested only by Norton with over 200 per day. AV-Test found short on-demand scan times of 17 seconds for a 741MB file, and on-access scans of 73 seconds.

G-Data also scans incoming e-mail and IM messages, and provides its own antispam tool. For antiphishing, G Data relies upon information from Netcraft to identify and block phishing sites. G Data is perhaps too cautious on the Web, though; it falsely identified the xb-Browser, which allows anonymous Web browsing, as a potential security threat.

Overall, G Data's protection is solid on the basics. Its interface is the most advanced we've seen, allowing sophisticated users to drill down to fine-tune each setting. At the same time, it won't alienate casual users. And parental controls come within the interface.

The file data shredder exists as a separate icon on the desktop, so you don't have to open G Data to securely delete a file. One nitpick: The signature file updates, announced with a popup, should happen in the background--or, like CheckPoint ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2009, with a change in the task tray icon.

In our comparative reviews, G Data InternetSecurity 2010 was the best all-around suite, offering protection--it can detect and block traditional malware while deploying superior heuristics to stop newer threats--and several additional security features for a low price.

Note: The price given here is for a one-year, one-user license. This link takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

--Robert Vamosi