Verdict

Pros

• Flexible tie in with Dropbox
• Set and forget backup with scheduler
• Data encryption

Cons

• Back up categories can’t be combined
• Strange interface design
• Noticeable slowdown during scan

What is Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security?

Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security is the company’s top of the range Internet Security (IS) suite. It includes backup, parental control, a secure browser, password manager, data encryption and a number of extra tools, such as a file shredder.

The licence currently covers three PCs for the price of one and at £50 is competitive with its main rivals. That price doesn’t include any online storage, though, as it prefers to tie in with Dropbox, which currently offers 2.5GB of free space.

Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security – Interface and Features

Whoever signed off the design of the main interface panel should have thought a bit more about the features people are likely to use regularly. Three large panels, labelled Backup, Computer Protection and Parental Control take up most of its area and the green surround turns amber or red, depending on safety status.

Status messages for backups and AV scans, and options like running a
scan or checking for updates are displayed very small within their
panels, much smaller than the text under the icons for Additional Tools
or Data Encryption, which are secondary functions.

The usual functions are there when you look for them, though. So, for example, you can AV scan your whole system or perform a quick scan. Individual files and folders can also be scanned by right clicking within a file browser.

It’s good to see backup included in an IS suite, as physical archiving of important files goes hand-in-hand with protection from malware. Kaspersky’s provision can back up on internal or external hard drives, network drives and to the internet.

Files can be selected by category or picked by folder or individually. Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security let you combine categories in a single job so, for instance, Photos and Videos can’t be backed up in the same job.

Online protection is provided by two associated modules. Safe Money is a secure browser that opens when you move to designated sites. This combines with a virtual keyboard to prevent key loggers stealing passwords, but there’s also the Password Manager.

This is an encrypted location for all the many passwords you need these days to work the Internet. The archive is protected by a password of its own and that’s now the only one you need to memorise. If you need to encrypt other important files, that’s available through the suite, too.