Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

-Lord- reviewed v9.0.114.0 Beta on Jun 1, 2015

*** WARNING *** WARNING *** WARNING***

This DOES NOT work on Windows 10 builds 10122 and up. Disables network connectivity regardless of what you do. Getting connection back may involve uninstalling, reinstalling, then uninstalling this product again, as well as uninstalling and reinstalling drivers etc. If you're dumb enough to try this, MAKE SURE you create a usable restore point prior to installing this.
I've used Eset for years and I prefer it over any other AV software out there.... but this one's broken in a major way.

You have been warned.

Music4Ever reviewed v9.0.114.0 Beta on May 29, 2015

I like it, I've tried just about all AV's & like the small size & footprint of Eset - Best AV there is & no issues on Windows 7.

It's only an epic fail when SS & Windows 10 are final (doh)

JohnR3184 reviewed v9.0.114.0 Beta on May 29, 2015

You do realise this is a beta right? And Windows 10 Build 10122 is itself a beta also right? Right?

lilmegz reviewed v9.0.114.0 Beta on May 29, 2015

DOES NOT work on Windows 10 Build 10122+... EPIC FAILURE seeing as this beta JUST came out AFTER THE FACT that Win10 Build 10122 was just released not long ago

CyberDoc999 reviewed v8.0.301.0 on Feb 1, 2015

good app but nothing new from version 7 to 8 just a new number

outofspace reviewed v6.0.115.0 RC on Nov 17, 2012

Great product but with one bug,.
When downloading files with IDM Internet Downloading Manager, they are corrupted! There is no issues without Eset.

deric0 reviewed v6.0.115.0 RC on Jun 29, 2012

I've been using this version for a couple of months. The Anti Theft feature will be a useful tool in case of theft. Ive been using ESET for several years probably 10. Starting with NOD32 and now ESS x32 and x64 with 5 computers today, and have tried many other leading security solutions along the way to make sure ESET is in fact who I want to go with and the answer has always been, without a doubt yes.
In response to Music4Ever who states that the program leaves traces after uninstalling, while he's scanning with the program as he wrote it... how does he know this, and even if true (not) does he know that many programs leave data bits, has he tried CCleaner at all? And the link he posts has no mention about it.
5 stars all the way baby!
@Music4Ever --> to each his own, enjoy your music. And take everything with a grain of salt from those cracked posters on Wilders.
Indeed an interesting post. It's always been ESET.

Music4Ever reviewed v6.0.115.0 RC on Jun 29, 2012

Version 6 final a big improvement over previous Eset SS, issues with the Betas sorted.

If you do upgrade either from 5 or betas use the Eset uninstaller that's run in safe mode, removes just about everything & sorts any upgrade problems out.

trynow reviewed v4.2.22.0 Beta on Dec 24, 2009

Smart easy protection with your OS windows 7 and rest of them..But where is the family protection....

pjb reviewed v4.2.22.0 Beta on Dec 23, 2009

Seems to be heading in the right direction.
Not come across any issues using this version - been using it since this morning.

hardgiant reviewed v4.0.226 RC1 on Apr 16, 2009

The new version 4.0 adds self protection and is still very light on resources. It's not perfect at detection for malware but what AV is, still need to use several software AV to be sure. I would never trust a single AV.

I prefer Zone Alarm Pro Firewall to Eset's Firewall but Zone Alarm is slow and they take forever to get a 64-bit version released. Zonelabs will probably take forever to get a Windows 7 version out as well. Eset 4.0 works fine on Windows 7 so far.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v4.0.226 RC1 on Feb 20, 2009

NOD Has gone to the dogs
AntiVir is Free and twice as good

http://www.av-comparativ.../ergebnisse_2008_11.php

pjb reviewed v4.0.68 Beta 1 on Nov 19, 2008

Certainly seems an improvement over version 3.
The connection to thier AV server seems a little slow at the moment, perhaps it's using a different server from usual, or it is just getting hammered with people trying this.

At this stage the app is a bit sluggish and seems to use more resources than v3.

AV Update sometimes hangs.

emperordarius reviewed v3.0.642 on Jul 11, 2008

The good:

-Light on System Resources
-User Friendly interface
-Above average malware detection
-Quick scanning
-Above average heuristics

The bad:

-BAD spyware detection
-Very basic firewall
-BAD rootkit detection
-Low cleaning success rate
-Doesn't work in safe mode
-Doesn't have any Self Protection, can be easily damaged by viruses

Bottom line: Good for basic antivirus protection, doesn't have enough qualities to be a good security suite.

tipstir reviewed v3.0.642 on Jun 13, 2008

I've tested both Home and Business Editions and found that the NOD32+anti-spyware is the best features.

Firewall can block the entire network
I had to create a rule on Vista Business SP1 before I could even touch my Windows Server 2003 and XP Pro SP2 boxes. But on SP2 and Server 2003 I got mix results. It's better if you had the standalone ESET NOD32 Anti-virus+anti-spyware as that does work better and forget the Smart Security all together!

PC Tools Firewall Plus (free)
ESET NOD32 either Home or (Business for server)

regy11 reviewed v3.0.642 on May 14, 2008

slow like hell

cowgaR reviewed v3.0.642 on Apr 29, 2008

I like it, and I have been using it for a long time...recently switched to version 3.0 though.

And smart brains in ESET are using their computers only as administrators, that's why they got so many viruses they ended up writing antivirus soft ;)

ah...it SUCKS when used on std(restricted) account on Vista (650 build), can't set anything despite knowing a password.
won't show neither ADMIN setup settings (switched off useless internet check) nor USER setup settings (can't change /switch off a thing, no internet, no real-time check off). Vista ultimate.

guys, test it first before calling it final, back to 2.7 when at least the changes can be made global.

OAKsider reviewed v3.0.642 on Apr 24, 2008

Build 650 of ESS has been out since April 2, c'mon FileForum. Great looking suite, simple firewall, lacking good anti-spyware.

Psychocrusha reviewed v3.0.642 on Mar 25, 2008

Very good this program is. Easy to use and great protection.

ww2vet56 reviewed v3.0.642 on Mar 25, 2008

I'm impressed! On my Vista Home Premium HDD, I needed a light footprint as Vista is starving for recourses. I found it with this suite. I gave up a Kaspersky 7 license with 294 days remaining for ESET Smart Security. I'm not sorry I did either. Other reviewers complain about the firewall. Me, I've had no problems with it at all. It remembers my choices by asking twice at most. Its quick and light as well as attractive and simple to use. I'm keeping KIS on my XP Pro HDD but have no complaints at all with my change on Vista. ESET Virus Rating = 96.71, who's to gripe?

edd3800 reviewed v3.0.642 on Mar 16, 2008

Very nice.Fast,and light or resources. Only thing I didn't like was the firewall is a slow learner. I see that some reviews say it's Bloated, Slow, and a Memory Hog. To anyone that hasn't used an Eset product,give it a try.(Free Trial)This is one lean program shouldn't slow your computer at all.

BarneyR reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 29, 2008

Simple to configure, speedy and it does what it's supposed to do.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 28, 2008

Very Bloated and Slow!

keystroke reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 27, 2008

What has changed in this version?

madmike007 reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 27, 2008

The Best! have used Bitdefender, that wouldnt remove a virus , Used Outpost till the lamers gave it away free afer I just purchased it.. then found ESET, small footprint, takes care of everything, Spam - Excellent Detection Rate - Antispyware , very nice and Firewall which lacks minor ability to change some settings else a brilliant program. Highy Recommended!

lotherius reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 27, 2008

The antivirus is nice. But the firewall is borked, it doesn't matter if you tell it to allow a program access or not, it blocks both UPNP requests (even though I have the only UPNP option in the setup enabled to allow UPNP), and then it refuses to accept incoming connections regardless of setting.

Apparently there are about 8 (EIGHT!) custom rules you have to set just to run a program such as uTorrent. My router has ONE rule. All I cared about was outbound filtering, but this program is impossibly stupid when it comes to telling it what you want to ALLOW.

pjb reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 27, 2008

Works well for me. Nice & Lean, yet powerful.

dre360 reviewed v3.0.642 on Feb 27, 2008

this av is good but it tends to miss some of the nasty virus thats why i rate eset.
so my pick is bitdefender

djdoom29 reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 21, 2007

Nice. Stable and secure like nod32 av. Firewall is easy to handle. Looking foreward to final release.

b0mmel reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 14, 2007

Installation ends prematurely.

tom_gole reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 9, 2007

I am using it since beta/1, I must say, it is great app, no problems during testing, everything is working OK.

Adie reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 5, 2007

I've been using ess since beta 1 on both my laptop and desktop (must admitt that both are using pretty much default settings). I've encountered few small problems (with update and windows security center detection) but overall it was very stable and fast. Now trying final version and everything looks promising.

Point Zero reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 4, 2007

This one is NOT in a state to be called a final release. I'm used to much better stability and less system-impact from ESET software. Until it is properly fixed, 1 STAR.

luckman212 reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 4, 2007

good software, but I prefer the lighter less bloated AV/AS only version. Where is the final release version of that?

ballyhairs reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 4, 2007

I'm a NOD32 user for years, tried this but didn't like it, why isn't there a system tray exit? is that too much to make? gamers would like to disable it once playing, and I'm not sure about the firewall since I don't see what is being blocked and what is being allowed, its a very low on resources though. So maybe future releases will be more professional, till then I will go on using their Antivirus only.

why hello there reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

My oh my, anti-malware software sure is polarizing, isn't it? Well, I am on no crusade; I only offer my opinions.

I have used NOD32 2.x extensively, for years, on multiple systems. After having one too many problems on one of those systems, I tried ESS RC1. I was shocked that they had the gall (or lack of skills and/or concern) to label that abomination a "release candidate". I found so many serious bugs it was astonishing.

As far as performance goes, NOD32 and ESS are very good--UNLESS you use "advanced heuristics" for real-time protection. If you do, there is a serious performance hit to be paid under some circumstances, such as when new executable files are written to the disk.

marrix reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

gnovak1,
You're kidding are you not, perhaps you might like to edit your post there a far too many contradictions, if you're serious of course.
This is yet another extraordinary app from the creators' of NOD32.
Wonderful stuff indeed, keep up the fine work, and ignore nonsensical comments.

hpetranovic reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

The dream of dreams. Must have. Uncomparable to any AV software.

pjb reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

I am using the AV Version, 3.0.551.0 and it works really well. I like Eset - No bloated applications.

gnovak1 reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

ESET Smart Security isn't the best security suite on the market today,thus I'm using it.
Its firewall is improoving,but it's still behind the best ones.I'm really interested how it will do at the next Matousec Leak test.
The other problem in ESET SS is an antispyware protection.The problem isn't in its module (engine),but in a lack of definitions.This is also the main reason why its antivirus doesn't score the best at independent tests.
The antispam module is very good,in fact it's exellent,catching spams that the others miss (gmail for example).Using Bayesian filter sure bring the results.
I like ESET's products.I also like that it contains only what a security suite should.No bloatware and that I appreciate a lot!
In the end I would like to mention its legendary lightness.We all know it,so I won't loose any words on that.
If ESET SS wants to be the best security suite in the future,its engineers must do two things:
- improove a firewall
- much more spyware definitions (malware is covered good).
I'm realistic,so I give 4 of 5 to ESET Smart Security.
P.S.:We at SSUpdater Forum tested 30 antiviruses (current versions) and ESET Smart Security ended 9th.We used more than 250.000 malware samples.It's a completelly independent test.

JACOBLM reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

The best!

Second Shadow reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 3, 2007

Excellent!

godzila reviewed v3.0.551 on Nov 2, 2007

bad its junk

slinkys_delsol reviewed v3.0.414 RC1 on Oct 25, 2007

For a RC (Release Candidate) and still considered BETA, this is one of the best and smallest (Not a Memory Hog) AV / Firewall Security Programs I have ever seen. I have used quite a bit of them too.

When this becomes RTM (Release To Manufacturing) I will heavily consider it for purchase!

The only drawback I have and again, it's a BETA still is that once in a while, its Service hogs up 97% of resources, but again, it's BETA and still might be some bad code in it.

Combining this with IE7Pro (IE)(http://fileforum.betanew...ail/IE7pro/1168277137/1) or ADBloker Plus (Firefox) (http://fileforum.betanew...ocker_Plus/1063959824/1) makes for excellent security and Web Surfing (Without ADS!)

robmanic44 reviewed v3.0.414 RC1 on Sep 28, 2007

This is the best protection you can buy for your computer. It's amazing how little system resources it uses. There's really no reason to use anything else.

ninjeratu reviewed v3.0.414 RC1 on Sep 24, 2007

Very nice suite.
The NOD32 anti-virus engine and a pretty decent firewall combined with protection against malware, spyware, rootkits and spam.
If you're looking for one of the best and fastest anti-virus engines, with a low memory usage and almost no system performance hit, and don't care about a pro software/hardware firewall this is an excellent solution. This solution is a lot better than Agnitum's take at the bundled security solution (Security Suite, anti-virus + firewall), even though Agnitum's firewall (Outpost Pro) is one of the better ones. The performance is just so much better with the NOD32 antivirus.
Very easy to install and it "just works". This is absolutely what I'll get when my current licenses run out. Oh, and it works perfectly in Vista too, if that's your flavour. You might not "need" all the features, but you don't really pay much for the bundle. And since you don't really notice it's running it's a cheap and powerful way of staying safe.

b0mmel reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Sep 24, 2007

"Rolling back action". I didn't manage to install this program.

Nikkie reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Sep 19, 2007

This program is great.A very fast security suite and i trust their detection.

xmakx02 reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Aug 31, 2007

my machine is on windows vista 32-bit
Processor: intel pentium 4 cpu 2.66 GHz
Memory (Ram) : 1024

and eset smart security suite is taking about 12 mb's of the system ram
and nearly no impact on the cpu.
the protection is great...
its actually catching every thing that might compromise my pc.
and its in depth scan..will..i cant even feel it
really this suite is great
i cant wait for the final release.

integrii reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Aug 28, 2007

Wonderful!

http://blog.integrii.net/?p=80

polocanada reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Aug 25, 2007

So far, ESS is one of few firewalls that work under Vista. I have Home Premium, so I can't comment whether it works on Ultimate. I didn't try Kaspersky yet so I can't speak for it. But Zone Alarm for Vista is not fully functional, it is heavy. Outpost and Comodo don't have Vista versions.

So far - ESS has strange settings menus, you have to dig deep to change settings. Having automatic mode is good for average consumer user. More computer savvy will prefer interactive mode. However this mode will produce 10-16 popups for some programs connecting to internet, like Firefox. That's little bit too much.

So far it's stable and light on resources, uses about 15-20 mb on my machine. For a BETA this is good

markus10018 reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Aug 24, 2007

@CyberDoc999

Starting with Beta 2 (alas now) there is an Antivirus only version available in Beta as well. It's available on the homepage and it's pretty good.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v3.0 Beta 2 on Aug 24, 2007

I hope this is NOT the future!
I do not want/need another firewall!

keep NOD32 just the way it is!

Second Shadow reviewed v3.0 Beta 1a on May 12, 2007

I have been using NOD32 for a couple of years and was eager to check out ESET's Security Suite. I've never been a fan of bundled suites, in fact I had never used a bundled security suite before, always relying on NOD32 and a good firewall (Sunbelt Kerio or Comodo, lately) for protection.
But recent problems with both Sunbelt Kerio and Comodo persuaded me to try out this suite by ESET.
I had read that it was still buggy and the firewall performance was so-so.
After installing it and having it running for two days, these are my conclusions:
- It is amazingly stable for a Beta. I have not had any stability or performance problems with it
- It still has some bugs but those are mainly cosmetic or interface-related (at least the ones I detected)
- Resource usage is VERY low (right now it's using less than 20 MBs in memory). Much lower than a separate AV + Firewall
- It is still not feature complete. Latest release was oriented to solve reported bugs rather than adding features. But the lacking features will probably not prevent me from keep on using it.
- GUI, while not perfect, is a HUGE leap forward from NOD32's interface. At last a usable interface from ESET!

All in all, a very good product from the makers of arguably the best antivirus. I think that for the first time I will be using a bundled security suite.
If they add the lacking features while keeping bugs in check, this could emerge as the best security suite in the market when it leaves beta stage.

Mad_Griffith reviewed v3.0 Beta 1a on May 11, 2007

Why does it say this when I launch the installer?

"The product does not support upgrade from older versions of NOD32. Please uninstall NOD32 and run the installer again."

I just have Kaspersky installed, but got it disabled when running this setup.

RaGhul reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on May 10, 2007

First impressions...

Mind you, I've only been playing with ESS for about 40 minutes, so bear that in mind. But I have to say, as far as 'first looks' go, I've got an eyeful.

The main differences between this and NOD32 2.7 are the interface and a new firewall.

First, the interface:
I'm grinning. It's that good.

The only complaint most people seem to have about NOD32 is its GUI. ESS shows the world that ESET listens to its customers very carefully.

Personally, I'm not all that big on the 'pretty' factor. I just need my antivirus to WORK. My biggest fear was that the new GUI would be very convoluted and huge, like Norton or McAfee. And although it HAS been updated considerably, it's still very simple.

For me, although I admit NOD could do with a minor facelift, it's no big deal.

The new GUI has all the shading and colors of Vista, but thankfully isn't overdone. There aren't a bunch of buttons popping out everywhere, or annoying messages. The best part is that it is MUCH easier to navigate. Everything is where it should be, with nifty little icons to make it more obvious 'what-goes-where'. This will drop the learning curve and make it much easier for new users.

Now, the Firewall:
I'm not too big on firewalls, to be honest. With a good AV, antispyware, and common sense when surfing, I feel a firewall is kinda overkill. I just use the one built into Windows. But from what I can tell, it seems that ESET has taken the same memory-conscious, intelligent scanning that makes NOD32 so great, and applied it here as well.

So far, so good.

I have to say I'm not entirely thrilled about ESET trying to expand into a full security suite. Hopefully, they'll do the same as Symantec and release both ESS and NOD32 v3.0 standalone, for those who just want the antivirus. Although, compared to Norton's System Works, (with a download of only 16 megs,) I'm sure you could do a lot worse.

I personally haven't experienced any freezes as others have reported here. I did notice that the drop-down menus in the upper-right corner are offset somewhat, although it's reasonable to expect small glitches here and there. After all, the newest thing here is the interface. And it IS beta, right?

In fact, under the hood all seems pretty much the same: same scanning engine, same update engine. It actually seemed to scan faster, but maybe that's just me.

STILL ONLY A FOUR.
But consider me highly anticipating the FINAL release with sweaty palms!

[UPDATE]
Apparently, the firewall doesn't turn on until after a restart.

I decided to play a friendly game of Command & Conquer over LAN with my buddy. Normally, the Windows firewall will send me alert, which I have to Alt+TAB to see. But I just click "Allow" once and I'm done.

Well, ESS disabled Windows' firewall. It proceeded to popup asking me to allow/disallow about 5 or 6 times. You need to check a box stating that you want ESS to 'remember' these settings as well, or they'll popup again next time you play.

NOT FUN. So, I decided to go back to NOD32 2.7
Here's where the real fun begins.

I already had noticed that there was no 'Quit' option in ESS like there is in NOD32. No way to turn it off whatsoever. It took be a few minutes, but I'm finally back to 2.7

Hopefully, ESET is listening...

wat0114 reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 8, 2007

This suite needs a lot of work before it can even be considered a Beta. Given its instability issues with the GUI freezing while trying to edit firewall settings, it is more like an Alpha release. Hard-coded system rules and documented leaktest failures in the firewall are just a few more reasons for its deserving low score. To be perfectly honest, this should not yet have been released to the public. No way does it even come close to deserving a five rating.

Yes, I know it's a Beta, but that does not mean it should warrant a high rating just because of how well it could perform. It has many bugs and is no where close to being competitive with the likes of KIS.

ezh reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 8, 2007

Memory hog!

Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0.2.614 uses right now 11Mb RAM by me...

KIS is a great firewall as well: http://www.matousec.com/...s.php#firewalls-ratings

minc3d reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 7, 2007

I just checked mem usage of the new Eset program and WOW it uses less than what the gentleman below stated. Mine runs at just under 9.5MB, I have the proof in the following screenshot:

http://xs514.xs.to/xs514/07151/vista_eset.jpg

Let's do our research before bashing an app. Looks like ESET wins this round.

luhirs reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 7, 2007

awesome program.

tnx [deXter] for your review, great job.

[deXter] reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 7, 2007

Eset Smart Security Beta 1 Test/Review by [deXter]
--------------------------------------------------

------------
Program Test
------------

Overview:

Firstly, this isn't just a simple bundle of Firewall + Antivirus + Antispam. Its a completely integrated (single) product; a single service "Eset Service" controls and contains the entire app. (You cannot disable this service from the service manager)

Interface:

The interface is a fresh change from the old NOD32 look. It has a slick vista-inspired look. The interface also reminds one of Kaspersky Internet Security. All notification messages are delivered using a sleek popup baloon, that fades in/out.

Performance:

As expected, performance was great! It didn't slow down a PIII PC with 256 MB ram. Although memory usage was higher than what NOD32 users are normally used to (~30 MB), the CPU usage was constantly zero. But considering that you're getting a Firewall, AntiVirus and AntiSpam all in under 30 MB, it does use considerably lesser memory compared to its competitors.

Bugs:

Sometimes the interface gets locked up. As a result, the hotkeys Ctrl+R, Ctrl+M don't work, the Real-time filesystem protection can't be disabled from the main interface, links like "Configure", "Enter antivirus protection advanced setup", etc in the Advanced mode sometimes don't work, clicking on Enable/Disable on the other modules work, but the interface doesn't update. The scheduler isn't working.

Limitations:

Keyboard shortcuts aren't present for the main options. It's not possible to scroll down the window using the Arrow/PgDn keys. It's not possible to quickly disable the entire program, if needed. Firewall doesn't protect against DLL Injection/DDE Attacks/Timed Attacks/PID change-trick/parent-child thread bypass etc. Antivirus still doesn't have a good cleaning engine (its good at detecting and removal, but not cleaning).

--------------
Firewall Tests
--------------

I) GRC Shields UP!
------------------

- Port Test:

"Your system has achieved a perfect "TruStealth" rating. Not a single packet — solicited or otherwise — was received from your system as a result of our security probing tests."

- Messenger Spam:

No spam was received

II) Firewall Leak Tester
--------------------------

1. LeakTest:

Passed! When Leak Tester attempted to connect, Eset firewall presented a neat prompt asking me whether to allow it to connect it or not.

2. TooLeaky:

Passed! There was no leak.

3. FireHole:

The AntiVirus module picked this up as a trojan and didn't allow to download. Since I couldn't disable the antivirus, I had to remove "EXE" from the file-types to be scanned.

Failed! FireHole was able to connect by injecting code into the Internet Explorer process, since IE was allowed to connect normally, ESS didn't prompt or alert. This however, shouldn't be a problem if you're on Vista.

4. Yalta:

Can't Say - ESS did give a allow/deny prompt , but it was too late - Yalta had already sent UDP packets. However, when "Deny" was clicked, a new rule was created and Yalta was unable to send any further packets.

5. Outbound:

Did Not run - Outbound was unable to detect the ethernet adapter, and hence was unable to work.

6. PCAudit:

Failed!

7. AWFT:

Test 1 - Failed!*
Test 2 - Failed!*
Test 3 - Failed!**
Test 4 - Failed!*
Test 5 - Failed!
Test 6 - Failed!

Note: All above tests failed on Windows XP but passed on Windows Vista.

8. Thermite:

Failed!

9. CopyCat:

Failed!

10. MBTest:

Did not run. Apparently the MAC has to be hardcoded, but the source files aren't available for download.

11. WallBreaker:

Test 1 : Failed!*
Test 2 : Failed!*
Test 3 : Failed!*
Test 4 : Failed!*

12. pcAudit

Failed!

13. Ghost

Failed!

14. DNStester

Failed!

15. Surfer

Failed!*

16. Breakout

Did not run. File not found.

--------------------------------
Summary of areas where ESS fails
--------------------------------

- DLL Injection / Process patching
- Launching under different context
- Timed attacks / PID Changing
- DDE based attacks

---------
Verdict
---------

ESS is a very promising product. Although the firewall is open to a few exploits like DLL injection, it shouldn't be a problem under Windows Vista. Secondly, most of the failed tests in the end manipulated IE, which gives the security-conscious user a good reason to block IE in the firewall. ESS falls short on a few areas, but its too early to pass the verdict on the final product, since its only the first beta. If they manage to plug these leaks by the final, ESS will be give all its rivals a run for their money!

Pros : Low resource usage, easy to use interface, good inbound security
Cons : Firewall has average outbound security.

--------------------------
* = Assuming you allow Internet Explorer to connect.
** = Assuming you allow Windows Explorer to connect.

FarBeyond reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 6, 2007

Does not work with my Vista Ultimate 64bit. I was so looking forward to it.

pjb reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 6, 2007

Holds promise.
It looks quite nice and has a lot of potential. The only problem with it at the moment (for me) is it gives me a BSOD in Vista when the wireless card is connected.(Version 2.7 does not give me any problems)

ninjeratu reviewed v3.0.128.0 Beta on Apr 6, 2007

Oh. This is so nice!
The NOD32 anti-virus engine, a very nice new firewall application (did they license Outpost from Agnitum?) and e-mail antispam .. all in one application.
And it works perfectly in Vista as well as in XP.
Very low footprint, but still the 100% Virus Bulletin AV and an effective Outpost Pro-like firewall. Sexy. Very sexy.

NOD32 is still the best AV out there (maybe together with KAV and F-Secure) and the new firewall from ESET works a lot like Agnitum Outpost Pro. And that is very good in my book.
The automatic filtering mode (default) makes life easy for people who don't know if they should deny or allow connections, while more advanced people can use the interactive mode. There's also a "rules only" mode that will block everything not specifically allowed in rules.
The antispam module has a whitelist and a blacklist, as well as rules based on updated lists from ESET.
It's beta, but I am already in love with this.
Excellent product that should be used by everyone.