Besides keeping your computer safe from viruses and all sort of malware, BitDefender Total Security 2009 extends its umbrella over the nasties coming via your email client as well. The application comes with a built-in module for eliminating your wading through spam while trying to read the true relevant messages.

Equipped with two tabs designed only for displaying the current status and for configuration, the module fits the general feature of the entire application when it comes to ease of use. Status window lets you know if the module is active and the protection level assigned for scanning incoming messages. In the lower part of the window, you have the statistics giving the number of emails received during the current session, the amount of spam for the session, the total number of messages checked by the engine and the total number of spam messages detected.

Users can make a few customizations in this screen by creating a list of friends, either by entering their email addresses or by typing in the accepted web domain. A spammers list can also be created in the exact same way.

Protection level against spam is split into three main notches and two intermediate ones. The main levels go from Permissive through Moderate, to Aggressive with Permissive to Moderate and Moderate to Aggressive in between. They define only the thoroughness of the job and can be set to effectively label spam messages according to the type of email you receive. The downside is that only one defense level can be set for all incoming emails and, if you joggle with multiple accounts, false positives may arise.

BitDefender's anti-spam feature integrates in the email solutions provided by Windows by adding a few options of its own. In Windows Mail, for instance, you can configure the module, create a black and whitelist, or configure the anti-spam rule and the alerts.




If you are not using a Windows solution for retrieving your email, BitDefender will function just as well; even if you cannot manage the actions to be taken whenever a spam is detected by the engine, the message will be appended the [spam] prefix just so you know what to expect. I have to confess that BitDefender's antispam functioned unexpectedly well in Windows Mail and segregated the spam from the relevant mail just as I set it up.

However, there is a minor glitch that hopefully will be fixed by the final stage of the program: when adding a friend/spammer to the list, there is no possibility to revoke the action when the message is displayed. This may come in handy whenever users make a mistake and press the wrong buttons in the interface. The action can be corrected only by going to the list you sent the contact to and removing it from there. Now, if that list is extensive, trouble lurks ahead.

Setting up the module is just a matter of enabling the options that best work for you. Users can enable the marking of spam and phishing messages in the subject, enable basic anti-spam filters (block mail in Asian or Cyrillic characters) or advanced ones (URL filter, explicit content blocking, enable Bayesian filter, set the dictionary word limit, image filter). All of this sounds pretty fierce, but unfortunately you have no control over the words you need to be blocked and, from what I have seen, the image filter is not doing its best. We may be wrong, but Traci Lords and Jenna Jameson explicit pictures from an address that was not on the friends list should have been enough for the engine to block or at least warn us about the content.

One thing is clear, though: using it with Windows Mail will definitely provide better security than with any other email client. It integrates in Windows application and fights efficiently against spam and phishing attacks. But there is no deeper configuration available, not to mention the lack of DNSBL option that would protect users against spam originating from known IP addresses.

The Beginning
Antivirus Module
Firewall Module
Privacy Control Module
Parental Control Module
Backup and Restore Module
Encryption, Tuneup and Product Tweaks
Final Conclusions