CyberDefender Anti-Spyware Software Review

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CyberDefender - Star Review

CyberDefender Star Rating

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When it come to staying safe on the Web, anti-spyware protection is critical. Without it, everything you keep on your computer and every single thing you do online is up for grabs. In our quest to compare anti-spyware software, CyberDefender was one of the products we knew we had to cover. Although their name may not be as well-known as some of their competitors, we were still curious to see what they had to offer. The inside scoop on this anti-spyware software is right below.

What's New?

Get the free ad-supported version or pay for the ad-free version.
Integrated spam blocker.
Anti-phishing and anti-hijacking tools.

Star Reviews' Favorite Feature:

We really like the fact that CyberDefender offers both free and paid versions of their software. Think of it as a utopian ideal – even those who can't afford advanced anti-spyware protection can get access to it. If you don't want to pay for CyberDefender, just opt for their ad-supported version. If you don't want the hassle of ads, pay for the convenience by purchasing an ad-free license. It's a win-win situation.

CyberDefender User Interface and Product Application:

The first thing we noticed about CyberDefender was the fast and easy download and install process. It was less than 20 minutes from the time we clicked the download link to the time the software was running on our system.

Once CyberDefender was up and running, we took a look around the interface. We were happy to see that it was very user-friendly and easy to navigate. The anti-virus and anti-spyware features are very similar to the more expensive anti-spyware products on the market, with auto-scanning and scan-on-demand options. Scan times were fast and CyberDefender seemed to catch all of the potential spyware threats lurking on our test PC.

We really liked CyberDefender's early SCAM feature. When CyberDefender was running on our system, it analyzed each website we visited. If CyberDefender thought the website was a threat, a webpage telling us about the potential threat was displayed before we were taken to the page. At that point, we could either back up and forget about the page or override the warning and continue on.

The early SPAM feature, however, was not as impressive. With early SPAM, the program doesn't necessarily block what you and I would consider spam. Rather, it blocks dangerous email messages and attachments. If you use CyberDefender, don't expect a significant decrease in the spam in your inbox. Just expect a decrease in the number of malicious attachments that get through.

CyberDefender Features:

Protection from spyware and viruses
Malicious spam protection
Fraudulent website alerts
Phishing protection
earlyMonitor security update notifications
safeSearch Internet search tool bar prevents malicious search results

Pricing Plan:

The ad-supported version of CyberDefender is free.
For the ad-free version, a 1-year license is $29.99.

Customer Support:

CyberDefender offers customer support via phone and an Internet email form. When we called CyberDefender, we were a bit disappointed. We asked a question the support rep didn't seem to understand. We were then put on hold and eventually, disconnected. We did call back. Glutton for punishment I guess. This time the rep we spoke with was more competent, but hard to understand and not exactly "top notch" in the politeness or friendliness categories. Email support was prompt (we received a response the next business day) but it was "canned" and we wonder if our answer wasn't copied and pasted from a script. All in all, we have to say that the Star team has run into much worse customer service, but this is far from the best we've experienced.

Upside:

Free or ad-free versions, integrated phishing and scam protection, easy-to-use interface.

Downside:

Customer service definitely lacking.

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