Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac

Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac

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Security is everyone’s problem, and just because Macs aren’t known for their malware, it doesn’t mean you’re safe if you use one. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac brings antivirusprotection, firewall tools, Web protection, parental control, and more to OS X. It’s a very solid offering, though it suffers from some of the same weaknesses found in its Windows equivalent.

Kaspersky’s website currently lists support for versions of OS X from 10.7 through 10.10 Yosemite. It requires 1GB of RAM and 500MB of free disk space. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac can be purchased on its own for $39.95 per year for one device or $59.95 for three devices, with a 30-day free trial. It is also available as part of the package, which, for $79.95, provides five one-year licenses that can be used on PC, Mac, and Android devices.

Setup and User Impact
Installing Kaspersky on my was a snap, taking just over three minutes to complete. Note that you can’t simply walk away from the installation. You’ll need to give Kaspersky permission to install a Safari plugin before it can finish.

During installation, you get a quick rundown of all the features included in Kaspersky Internet Security. I was especially pleased to find that, once installation was complete, antivirus protection was automatically enabled. But while you can run a scan right out of the box, you’ll want to wait until Kaspersky has finished downloading a slew of updates. For me, this took over 15 minutes, but your mileage will vary.

Previous versions of Kaspersky centered on a circular interface that reminded me of a particularly ambitious WINAmp skin. The latest version is much cleaner, with large buttons for the app’s main features.

Once it’s fully up and running, Kaspersky had a minimal impact on my test iMac. The difference in reboot time with and without Kaspersky is so small so as to be negligible, increasing by less than 1 percent. I also measure user impact by repeatedly unzipping an extremely large archive of videos and found no noticeable impact. Kaspersky clearly knows how to stay out of your hair.

Antivirus Scans

Kaspersky has two on-demand scans that search your computer for suspicious files. A Full Scan runs through everything on your computer, while the Quick Scan focuses on critical areas. You can also indicate specific folders to scan, and even the format, size, and locations of files to be scanned. Conversely, you can whitelist specific files, folders, and even URLs to remove them from Kaspersky’s scans.

In my testing, a Full Scan took about 6.5 seconds to complete and a Quick Scan an unintuitively longer (but still spritely) 9.9 seconds. Kaspersky uses cloud-based scans in addition to traditional local signature-based scans. It also has heuristic detection tools that look for potentially malicious behavior, giving you protection against novel threats that security companies have yet to identify.

Interestingly, I found that the Quick Scan was more effective than the Full Scan. The Full Scan only picked out one problem with my folder of active malware, while the Quick Scan detected all the suspicious files. I reached out to Kaspersky about this odd behavior, and the company’s experts suggested it might be caused by particular settings in my test environment and running scans back-to-back. The Full Scan, for example, is only supposed to look at files that have changed since the last scan. I’m inclined to believe that my experiences don’t mean that Kaspersky puts users at any risk, since Kaspersky scored so well in third-party malware detection tests.

In addition to on-demand scans, Kasperksy’s File Anti-Virus feature scans files as they are opened, saved, or run on your computer or any connected drive. In order to reduce the performance impact on your Mac, Kaspersky scans only the files that have changed since its last scan. uses a similar technique. In my hands-on testing with live malware and suspicious files, this is where Kaspersky really shone. It detected every single one of my malware samples when I opened the containing folders.

Though Mac users are no doubt primarily concerned with threats against their own computers, Kaspersky also detects Windows and Unix malware. While these files won’t necessarily harm your computer, they’re not going to help it, either. Worse yet, advanced non-Apple malware can use Macs as an infection vector for other computers. also scans for Windows malware, and it throws Linux threats in as well. During my testing, I encountered several suspicious .exe files which I expected Kaspersky to quickly subdue. But in most cases, it did not. This isn’t terrible, as your Mac simply cannot run .exe files, but it is disconcerting.

While my hands-on testing is illuminating, it’s nothing compared to what independent labs are doing. These organizations have much-larger malware libraries to draw from, and more-sophisticated methodologies. In August 2014, AV-Comparatives evaluated the previous version of Kaspersky Internet Security. Back then, the researchers found that Kaspersky blocked 97 percent of the 50 most-recent Mac malware samples, and 100 percent of the 500 most recent Windows malware samples without generating a single false-positive result. Similarly, researchers at AV-Test found in their April 2015 evaluation that Kaspersky detected 100 percent of the 160 most-recent Mac malware samples.

Web Security and Privacy

Malware and viruses are a major concern, but online attacks and malicious websites pose a huge threat because these attacks target victims regardless of their operating system. Kaspersky’s Web AV solution scans all incoming and outgoing data transferred over HTTP and HTTPS against its database of known dangerous URLs.

To test its Web protection abilities, I visited 50 suspicious websites using a frequently updated feed from security company MRG-Effitas. Of those sites, Kaspersky only blocked 11. Google flagged far more of the sites, requiring me to confirm that I wanted to proceed. Of these 50 sites, 33 attempted to download a file onto my computer. Kaspersky only managed to halt three of these downloads, and didn’t flag the bulk of them as malicious even after an on-demand scan. This is likely because most were .exe files, or saved as bundled archive files. Unfortunately, Kaspersky’s reputation for poor performance on this particular test has carried over from the Windows version of the software. Given the stellar performance Kaspersky also achieved in the hands of third-party labs, it seems safe to say that the security company is focused on detecting malware on the device.

In addition to going after you with malware, attackers will sometimes create bogus websites that look like real Google, PayPal, or banking websites in order to trick you into handing over your personal information. These are called phishing sites, and Kaspersky guards against these threats as well. To test this feature, I visited sites from a list of recently discovered (sometimes only minutes or hours ago) phishing sites. Kaspersky blocked about 64 percent of the 50 phishing sites I visited.

Also on the Web front, Kaspersky includes an on-screen virtual keyboard for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. You can use this tool to input sensitive information like passwords and personal data, thus ensuring that it won’t be intercepted by keyloggers.

Many Mac antivirus apps include a URL advisor, which alerts you to dangerous links in search engine results. Kaspersky calls its tool the Kaspersky URL Advisor, and it supports Safari, Mozilla, Firefox, and Google Chrome. Kaspersky also scans for known phishing websites, which attempt to trick victims into handing over personal information by posing as safe, familiar sites.

The final piece of Kaspersky’s Web component is Safe Money. This deploys additional security measures to make sure that your online purchases are safe. When you go to make a purchase, Kaspersky places your browser into a protected mode, checks site certificates, ensures a secure connection, and prevents screen grabbing and keylogging. You can add merchants manually, but Kaspersky will suggest sites as you visit them. Once engaged, Safe Money lets you know it’s working by placing a glowing green border around the browser window. This is so subtle that I actually missed it the first time I used the feature!

Firewall and Parental Controls

OS X already ships with strong firewall tools, but Kaspersky has its own set of tools which it calls Network Attack Blocker. In my testing, I found that Kaspersky kept my computer’s ports hidden against a battery of probes. For more on firewalls, see ourfirewall reviews.

If you have children or young teenagers in your home, you may want to limit their access to certain websites and online content. With Kaspersky’s included Parental Control features, you select categories of websites to block, including pornography, violence, weapons, and online shopping. You can also white-list specific websites, so youngsters can access useful services—like online encyclopedias—that might also contain objectionable material. Kaspersky also allows you to block downloads of specific file types, like music or archive files.

In my hands-on testing, I noted that Kaspersky successfully blocked access to anonymization sites—which can be used to circumvent content filtering software—even when those sites are secured with HTTPS. The software also did an excellent job of locking Google’s Safe Search settings, effectively barring me from finding naughty pictures online using Google.

Parents might also be worried about their kids spending too much time online. Kaspersky helps here with time limits for your child’s online activities. You can set a total allotment of online time or schedule different allowances of Web time on different days. Parents will be pleased to note that this feature won’t be fooled by simply setting the system’s clock back.

Kaspersky also keeps an eye on your children’s social activities, and it can be configured to prevent them from sharing personal information online. This is entirely user-defined, and can include information such as phone numbers, addresses, and banking information. The app can also deliver detailed activity reports, including your child’s online correspondence. You can even block your child from communicating with specific contacts. Be sure to read our Parental Control and Monitoring software  reviews and our roundup of the best porn filters.

A Solid Offering

When using Kaspersky in testing, I wanted more-dynamic feedback from the app. I like to know when an app is working, and striking the right balance between too much and too little information is a tricky one—especially for security products. I’m also disappointed in how Kaspersky handled suspicious URLs and Windows files. Still, Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac offers just about everything you’d want to keep your Mac safe. Plus, its high (and consistent) scores in independent lab testing show that in the world of OS X security, Kaspersky actually works.