OREANDA-NEWS. Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 has received the highest Advanced+ award in the latest independent AV-Comparatives Performance Test (Suite Products) designed to evaluate the impact security software has on PC performance.

Protection products need tight integration with the operating system to combat malicious attacks. However, if the solution makes inefficient use of system resources, it can noticeably slow down the computer's performance. Sometimes the problem is so acute that users opt to temporarily switch off their protection - leaving themselves open to criminal attack. Therefore, it's important that the product not only detects threats but also doesn't interfere with user activity.

AV-Comparatives conducted a series of tests to evaluate the impact security software has on PC performance. Performance was evaluated using two sub-tests and the scores were combined. The scenarios included everyday operations such as copying and archiving files, installing programs, converting music files from one format to another, and other everyday operations performed by PC users. The impact of an antivirus product on system performance was also measured using the specialized application Futuremark PCMark 8 Professional Edition.

A total of 22 solutions participated in the testing conducted on computers running Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit. All the products ran under their default settings. Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 scored 188.8 points out of 190 and earned the Advanced+ rating.

Commenting on the results, Nikita Shvetsov, Deputy CTO (Research) at Kaspersky Lab, said: “Protection is always a compromise between security and usability. Kaspersky Lab believes in providing maximum protection with minimum impact on system performance. The specialized AV-Comparatives test, which imitates common tasks performed by PC users, proves that Kaspersky Internet Security is one of the best in the industry in this respect.”

The updated version of Kaspersky Internet Security was released in late August. The product integrates several new anti-malware technologies, specifically, ZETA Shield capable of detecting malware hidden in legitimate files and Anti-Blocker which combats malware that locks your computer and demands a ransom to return control of your data.

Kaspersky Internet Security regularly comes out on top in independent testing. According to July-September 2013 quarterly testing by Dennis Technology Labs, Kaspersky Internet Security was awarded the top AAA rating. Shortly before that Kaspersky Internet Security successfully detected 100% of malicious samples in Virus Bulletin's comparative test.