Kaspersky Total Security 2022: Antivirus software under test


Kaspersky confidently advertises its Total Security security solution. The Russian software specialist promises everything you need in terms of protection against Internet threats. COMPUTER BILD takes Kaspersky at its word and put the security program for Windows through its paces. The manufacturer had to prove itself in a comparison test with other AV providers.
Note: Due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the associated potential risk that the Russian government could misuse Kaspersky’s infrastructure for cyber attacks, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has issued an official warning against Kaspersky protection software .
  • Good in the practical test
  • Best protective equipment
  • Low resource hunger
  • Weaknesses in the laboratory test
  • Poor offline protection
  • No theft protection
  • Complicated program structure

test conclusion

Kaspersky Total Security protects well against infected websites, uses hardly any system resources and offers the best additional equipment in the test. However, the security software weakens somewhat when it comes to virus protection: In the laboratory test, the detection rate was still satisfactory, while the scanner only delivered a very poor result in offline mode. Overall, Kaspersky offers acceptable virus protection, but the top spots in the comparison test are reserved for the stronger competition. Kaspersky still has some catching up to do in terms of the impractical operation and the inadequate license conditions.

The best antivirus

test winner



Bitdefender

Norton 360 Premium


NortonLifeLock

Avast One


Avast

Avira Prime


Avira

G Data Total Security


GData

Kaspersky Total Security


test grade

2.5

satisfactory

Kaspersky

Windows Defender


test grade

3.1

satisfactory

Microsoft

Eset Smart Security Premium


eset

Complete list: The best antivirus

Kaspersky Total Security: what does the package offer?

Here is a brief overview of what Kaspersky Total Security offers its users:

  • Protection program: The real-time scanner protects against viruses, hackers, malware and other online threats.
  • Firewall: The program comes with an integrated firewall.
  • VPN: Total Security includes a VPN for anonymous and encrypted surfing. Kaspersky limits the data volume to 200 megabytes per day.
  • Devices: The standard license allows installation on a maximum of three devices.
  • Platforms: The security program supports the operating systems Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
  • Extras: Additional equipment you get, for example, child protection function, vulnerability scanner, update assistant, password manager, trace remover and other extras.
Kaspersky Total Security Dashboard

Kaspersky Total Security: The software is top-notch in terms of features, but only average when it comes to virus protection.

Kaspersky Total Security: how good is the antivirus?

Kaspersky’s antivirus is pretty mediocre. In view of the good performance of previous COMPUTER BILD tests, this year’s result is sobering. Over a period of several months, we repeatedly exposed Kaspersky Total Security to thousands of computer malware both in the laboratory and in the wild and measured how well the protection program repels the threats.

The practical test with more than 1,400 infected websites went well for Kaspersky. The scanner prevented infection 99.73 percent of the time. In terms of false alarms, Kaspersky was even among the best antivirus services. When scanning uninfected files, it only hit three false alarms, and none at all for uninfected websites. Other AV services such as NortonLifeLock, Bitdefender or Avast react much more nervously and put the user on unnecessary alert much more often.

Kaspersky achieved a satisfactory result in the recognition performance in the laboratory test. Of the more than 20,000 pieces of malware unleashed on the protection program, 0.07 percent remained undetected by the scanner. This is a bit too high to still have a good protective effect. Kaspersky had a much worse scan without an internet connection. In offline mode, the AV service recognized just 84.3 percent of the malware. A very poor result. Only Windows Defender and Norton 360 Premium delivered worse results in the offline test.

Kaspersky Total Security VPN

Kaspersky limits the VPN data volume. To how many megabytes exactly? This is not entirely clear even to the manufacturer.

The protective equipment of the antivirus program includes a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for anonymous and secure surfing on the Internet. The manufacturer operates under the name Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection its own VPN service, which COMPUTER BILD subjected to a separate test. Among other things, the testers praised the high speed and the simple operation, but at the same time criticized the small selection of countries, the weak streaming capabilities and the lack of transparency of the provider.

Embarrassing: According to the website, Kaspersky limits the data volume of the free VPN to 300 megabytes per day. After installation, we found that the VPN client only has a daily limit of 200 megabytes.

Kaspersky Total Security Tools

The additional equipment of Kaspersky Total Security leaves little to be desired.

Does Kaspersky Total Security slow down the PC?

One of the most important properties of antivirus programs, apart from virus protection, is performance. Performance is a scarce commodity, especially on older and therefore usually weaker systems. We use benchmarks to measure the performance of virus monitors on differently configured systems and carry out various operations.

Kaspersky performed well in almost all test scenarios. When viewing websites and managing files, the system load caused by the protection program was very low. Even when working with complex office and multimedia applications, the system’s load remained pleasingly low.

Kaspersky Total Security Settings

Functions are not always easy to find and the program is somewhat awkward to use.

Set up and use Kaspersky Total Security

Downloading and installing Kaspersky Total Security is easy. After you have selected the right tariff for you on the manufacturer’s homepage, entered your data and confirmed the payment, you will receive an activation key by e-mail. After installing the approximately 230 megabyte download package, the antivirus program is set up.

The program interface is attractively designed, but makes it unnecessarily difficult to find certain functions. For example, the firewall can be found in the settings, but is missing as a separate module under More functions. A program-wide function search is missing. We also missed a choice when a virus was found. Overall, we found the operation to be quite cumbersome and confusing, which made it difficult to configure the security software.

Kaspersky Total Security comes with a number of extras that leave nothing to be desired – too many to list them all individually here. Only an anti-theft function for mobile devices is still missing in the security package. We were less satisfied with the quality of the program’s alerts. The comprehensibility and information content of the messages did little to educate the user. Fortunately, the virus monitor rarely spoke up.

The inadequate license conditions of the program give cause for criticism. In the meantime, we rate the data protection declaration as sufficient.

Kaspersky Total Security My Kaspersky

You can manage your protection software from a central location via an optional online account with Kaspersky.

How much does Kaspersky Total Security cost?

Under the designation Kaspersky Security Cloud Free the manufacturer offers a free version of its antivirus program, which is clearly limited.

Access the Security Suite for full protection chargeable Main program Kaspersky Total Security. The standard license allows installation on up to three devices of your choice. With other providers such as Bitdefender, NortonLifeLock or Avast, the license covers significantly more devices. The Kaspersky offer is an annual subscription that can be automatically renewed if you do not deselect the option.

The 1-year package costs 53.99 euros (4.50 euros per month). We would like to point out that this price is only valid in the first year of the contract and can change in the following year. Kaspersky does not offer a money-back guarantee like other manufacturers. The manufacturer accepts credit cards (Visa, Maestro, Amex, Mastercard), Sofortüberweisung, Giropay, purchase on account and direct debit as means of payment.

22 percent discount on Kaspersky Total Security*

Kaspersky Total Security in the test: conclusion

Kaspersky Total Security protects well against infected websites, uses hardly any system resources and offers the best additional equipment in the test. The security software weakens somewhat when it comes to virus protection: In the laboratory test, the detection rate was still satisfactory, while the scanner only delivered a very poor result in offline mode. Overall, Kaspersky offers acceptable virus protection, but the top spots in the comparison test are reserved for the stronger competition. Kaspersky still has some catching up to do in terms of the impractical operation and the inadequate license conditions. Test score: 2.5 (satisfactory).

* If you make a purchase using the links marked with an asterisk, COMPUTER BILD will receive a small commission. Our standards of transparency and journalistic independence can be found here.



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