ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 Review

[Charles P. Jefferies]

by Charles P. Jefferies

The Internet affects our lifestyle in more ways than most of us care to admit, and the innumerable threats lingering on it can do likewise. A PC connected to the Internet should have a software security capable of actively defending the end-user from these threats. Today we look at one company's solution: ESET's NOD32 Antivirus 4 package. This comprehensive solution is advertised to protect from known and unknown threats while maintaining a low profile. Read on to see how it held up in our testing.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW
NOD32 Antivirus 4 is first and foremost exactly what it implies; a security suite aimed at protecting computers from viruses. NOD32 takes a proactive stance on antivirus and anti-spyware protection, actively scanning all forms of Internet traffic, including email and encrypted channels, and the hard drive. ESET's ThreatSense technology even allows the software to protect against unknown threats. The programs database is updated frequently, so the user will be protected against the latest threats. Other features of NOD32 include a removable media scanner; it automatically checks anything connected to the computer (such as a flash drive) for malicious threats. NOD32 has technology that helps it defend itself, so it will not be disabled or corrupted.

The Business Version of NOD32 Antivirus 4 includes additional features, including a Remote Administrator feature that allows gives administrators the ability to control a network from a single screen. Additionally, the business edition includes a Host-based Intrusion Prevention System, which defends against threats on the network that may have bypassed external network security.

ESET prides its NOD32 Antivirus 4 on resource efficiency; the company claims the software uses less than 44MB of memory and is "so fast you won't even notice it's there."

INSTALLATION AND ACTIVATION

NOD32 Antivirus 4 has a standard wizard-based installer, making installation painless.

After accepting the license agreements, users can choose to perform a typical or custom install; we did a typical install, since that is what most users will want to do.

Activation can be done during or after the install. To activate the software, all users have to do is enter the username and password provided to them when they purchase the software.

Following the activation step in the install, users can choose to be a part of ESET's ThreatSense network, which allows computers connected to it to submit information about new threats to the company. We chose to enable this option.

The last step before the install is completed is choosing whether to enable an option that allows for the detection of potentially unwanted applications. This feature is not necessarily for security reasons, but more for system resource management: if NOD32 detects a program that is installed or being installed that could alter the computer's behavior, it will let the user know. We also chose to enable this option.
Overall, the installation and activation procedure is simple and painless; it took less than six minutes to get through.

PROGRAM INTERFACE
NOD32's main program interface window can be accessed by double-clicking the program's icon in the system tray. There is no wait time for the window to open, which is a clue to how well optimized NOD32 is.

The program interface is clean and simple without looking boring. A navigation bar is located on the left, and whatever category is selected is highlighted in the navigation bar and displayed on the right. Items in the navigation bar are easy to identify thanks to large icons and clear text. All descriptions are given in plain English and friendly enough for the average Joe to understand.

Updating is done automatically and does not require user intervention. I performed the process manually once to see it in action. A manual update is as simple as clicking "Update."

There are two interface modes: Standard and Advanced. The Standard interface, shown at the top of this section, is what most will use; Advanced mode, shown above, uncovers a few options and categories that are otherwise hidden, including a Tools category and a few other screens, as shown below.

Under the Protection Status category, for example, users can get statistics and real-time activity graphs.

The Tools category shows log files and other information that most people would not care about. There is one significant feature in the Tools category: the Create rescue CD option.

This option allows users to create a CD/DVD that assist repairing an infected computer.

Overall, the program interface is clean, simple, and easy to navigate.

IN USE AND EFFECTIVENESS
NOD32 Antivirus 4 did not cause any interruptions during normal use. The only indicator it is even running is the occasional information system tray pop-up that the virus database was updated.

A nice feature of NOD32 is that these pop-ups are disabled while running full-screen applications, such as video games or presentations.

I tested the effectiveness of NOD32 Antivirus 4 by using several virus files from Eicar.org, an IT security website. The four files provided for download, which have different extensions including .com, .zip, and .txt, contain viruses. Please see the test description for extensive information on the tests. Good antivirus software should detect the files as threats.

NOD32 did better than detect the files as viruses – it would not even let me download them over the standard HTTP protocol. Using the SSL-encrypted protocol, NOD32 still detected the files and deleted them immediately upon download. The quarantine window shows the details of what happened:

NOD32 performs as advertised – it identifies threats at their source.

PERFORMANCE IMPACT
We evaluate the performance impact and system resource usage of using antivirus software in three ways:

1. Overall system performance measured before and after installation using PCMark05, a system benchmark suite
2. Memory footprint
3. Time it took to perform a full system scan

Our test system is an Acer Aspire 5735-4744; it has the following specifications:

• Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3200 (2.0GHz/1MB L2/667MHz FSB)
• 2GB DDR2-667 RAM
• 160GB 5400RPM Fujitsu hard drive
• Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, stock install with all updates and Search disabled
• Atheros 802.11 Draft-N wireless

Overall System Performance Impact measured with PCMark05
Prior to installing NOD32 Antivirus 4, the notebook had the following performance numbers:

After installing NOD32 Antivirus 4, I ran the benchmark again:

Extremely impressive – NOD32 hardly touched system performance, with less than a two percent difference between the scores.

Memory Footprint

Antivirus 4 is claimed to use less than 44MB of system memory; we found it did even better than that. The Task Manager shows 21MB of usage. This means the software is using about one percent of the 2,048MB of available memory in our test computer – essentially nothing.

Time it took to perform a full system scan

A full scan of our test system’s hard drive containing 37GB of data took 19 minutes and 4 seconds. This is slower than Kapersky Anti-Virus 2009, which took 15 minutes and 40 seconds, but not significantly so.

CONCLUSION
NOD32 Antivirus 4 passed our tests with flying colors. We found it to perform exactly as advertised, which is not exactly a common thing in today’s world. This security solution is effective at combating viruses and detecting Internet threats, all while barely consuming any system resources. Antivirus 4 is a "set it and forget it" application; updates are performed automatically and the system is continuously monitored, all with essentially no user interaction. From its simple plain English interface to its pro-active defenses, NOD32 Antivirus 4 is a polished and user-friendly software security solution. NOD32 Antivirus 4 gets our recommendation for an excellent antivirus solution.

Pros:

• Effective at combating Internet threats
• Minimal resource usage
• Easy install
• Simple interface
• Non-intrusive
• Automatic updates

Cons:

• System scans not quite as fast as competing products

[John Ratsey]

I was recommended NOD32 a year or two back because it isn't a resource hog and just does what is wanted. I've no complaints about the performance. To get a good price it is advisable to get together with some friends and buy a 3 or 4 seat licence.

John

[JaneL]

I've been using NOD32 for a couple of years now with no problems. Lightweight footprint and very unobtrusive. It just works in the background silently and well.

[Han Bao Quan]

I'm using ESET Smart Security here, and I don't ever want to use another product, the performance is just so good.

[Deks]

Using Eset Smart Security here since version 2.7 and works great alone.
I recommend it to virtually everyone, and when they finally make the switch, plus I additionally clean up the computer of all extra trash, they are VERY grateful.
They virtually never experience problems with viruses and similar stupidities ever again (at least, I didn't), plus of course the amount of resources it uses it negligible.
Absolutely love the program as it is ... and I really hope that it won't become bloated piece of trash like many other programs on the market.
ESET is better off sticking with what it does best.
:-)

[Angelic]

Using Eset NOD Business Edition v 3.0 something. Its always doing its job perfectly, yet you forget its even there, its that good. Nice review Chaz, I loved it! <3

[tylerdurden51]

very nice alternative to others out there. i still like my sb:s&d

[ashura]

Question to current NOD32 users, my dad isn't all that PC savvy and uses his machine for simple web browsing and office app use. Constant pop ups and notices of changes from various anti-spyware and anti-virus software overwhelms him. Is NOD32 something I can install, configure and leave on the PC without it prompting my dad with messages? I'm looking for something that's completely out of the way unless you purposefully bring it up. And by out of the way, I really mean out of the way. Absolutely zero prompts/notices/whatever...

[zfactor]

how come you only did the av and not the suite like all the others? just curious

[Charles P. Jefferies]

how come you only did the av and not the suite like all the others? just curious

I only did the AV for most of the others as well.

Question to current NOD32 users, my dad isn't all that PC savvy and uses his machine for simple web browsing and office app use. Constant pop ups and notices of changes from various anti-spyware and anti-virus software overwhelms him. Is NOD32 something I can install, configure and leave on the PC without it prompting my dad with messages? I'm looking for something that's completely out of the way unless you purposefully bring it up. And by out of the way, I really mean out of the way. Absolutely zero prompts/notices/whatever...

Yes; NOD32 is a 'set it and forget it' application. It rarely ever requires user intervention, and if it does, it is easy to understand. NOD32 or Kaspersky would work well for your dad.