Scanguard Review

How Scanguard meets the 5 criteria?

1. Threat Protection

Malware Protection
The Scanguard Quick Scan specifically scans for malware. After the scan has finished, you can decide to take action.

Spyware Protection
Normally, spyware will be detected by the system’s Real-Time Protection feature. However, there is an extra security measure, if you like. A free Chrome extension (Scanguard Safe Site) “that detects and safely redirects searches away from websites that may pose a threat to your system. This privacy-enhanced search engine will keep you protected from phishing, malware and malicious websites, stopping hackers and snoopers from gaining access to your personal data.” You can activate this extension straight from your Scanguard account dashboard.

Web Protection
From the moment you turn on your PC, the Real-Time Protection feature is automatically activated. If desired, you can exclude certain paths from this automatic scan, and you can also set which file types are scanned (all, smart or custom).

Phishing Websites Protection
To protect your PC from potential phishing attacks, Scanguard, first of all, offers the Safe Browsing (VPN) option. However, activating this feature will cost you another $39 (discounted price, originally $78). Apparently, the safe browsing option is not part of the Antivirus Pro subscription. A bit of research in Scanguard’s Knowledge Base, part of the Help Center, offers a cheaper solution: we can install a free Chrome extension (Scanguard Safe Site) “that detects and safely redirects searches away from websites that may pose a threat to your system. This privacy-enhanced search engine will keep you protected from phishing, malware and malicious websites, stopping hackers and snoopers from gaining access to your personal data.” You can also activate this extension straight from your Scanguard account dashboard.

Adware Protection
Adware, while widely considered the least dangerous form of malware, is generally still unwanted on any PC. It might not be super harmful, but it does have a major effect on your computer’s performance. Scanguard offers the Ad Block Pro feature to “remove unwanted & annoying adverts” on four major browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera). It is not a free feature, unfortunately.

2. Resource Consumption

Let’s see how much CPU power the Scanguard Security Suite takes up. The task manager gives us an indication of the resources it uses. When the program is running in its default state, which means real-time protection is enabled, it doesn’t seem to interfere with your PC’s regular performance. When running a system scan, Scanguard takes considerably more of the CPU power, but still not a whole lot. Very rarely does it take more than 5% of the CPU resources during such a scan, so we can safely say Scanguard’s CPU usage is modest.
Scanguard offers users a tool to boost your PC’s performance. The System Boost offers to optimize your startup menu, helps you get rid of applications that take up a lot of space on your PC, and assist you to improve your internet experience by clearing up cookies and browsing history of all browsers installed on your system.

3. 24/7 Real-time Scanning

Scanguard’s Real-Time Protection feature monitors your computer 24/7 for dangerous activity. Once Real-Time Protection is enabled, Scanguard will automatically block harmful threats and notify you you of any unwanted activity.

4. Extra Protection Features

A security suite that comes with a whole lot of bells and whistles might need those extras to cover up a lackluster performance in its main features. Scanguard’s focus is on a strong performance of its main features, not so much on the available extras. It does offer some extra features, most of which come at an additional price. The extra features that are available in the standard package, are the following:

• Firewall. The Scanguard Firewall feature is not actually an additional feature of the security suite. It is a combination of recommended system settings, which you are able to activate through Scanguard. For starters, Scanguard makes use of the existing Windows Firewall, which it recommends to turn on. It also recommends to Allow Outbound Traffic, which means that “any application which is installed on your PC is allowed to make a network connection”, with the exception of existing firewall rules that deny applications to make such a connection. The recommended setting for inbound traffic is to not allow applications or persons to connect to your PC.
• The Disk Cleaner feature comes with a Duplicates remover that deletes duplicate files to free up disk space. While this is definitely not a core feature, it is a ‘nice-to-have’ option. It is also not a standard feature in other security suites, which is basically the reason for listing it as an extra protection feature here.Additionally, you can purchase extra features to add weight to your Security Suite:
• The Safe Browsing (VPN) feature protects your privacy online by encrypting your internet traffic. Scanguard highly recommends you to purchase this extra feature to “stop snoopers & hackers watching your every move” and they offer you a discounted price to do so. It is a very good feature to add to your security setup.
• Scanguard offers a Password Vault to keep all of your passwords safely stored in one central place. The vault provides a safe location to store your passwords, all of which will be stored locally, on your PC, encrypted with a master password. Your passwords will be inaccessible to anyone unless they know the master password, even if your device is stolen.

5. Platforms/Devices Accessibility

When you log into your Scanguard account and access your dashboard, you have the option to add the Scanguard Security Suite to additional devices. You can add your smartphone, for example, which is very easy. A download link is sent to an email address of your choice, you click the link in the email on the device you want to install Scanguard on and the program will be installed. Three devices are offered by default, and if those three are used, you can add more by clicking the “Add additional devices” button.

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