Everyone needs protection from today’s many security and privacy threats, and if you want the best that money can buy, then Bitdefender’s feature-packed Total Security package is hard to beat.

At the heart of the program is its renowned antivirus engine, recognised by independent testers as one of the most comprehensive. AV-Test regularly gives it maximum (6.0) scores for protection, performance and usability, while AV-Comparatives recently awarded it a Gold award for its Advanced Threat Protection tools.

As you’d expect, Bitdefender protects against all manner of threats, from viruses, worms and Trojans to ransomware, zero-day exploits, cryptomining, rootkits and spyware. There’s a Rescue Environment for tackling even the most deeply embedded malware too.

The protection doesn’t stop there. Bitdefender’s renowned Advanced Threat Protection tools include Network Threat Prevention, which closely monitors network activity to block attacks before they can begin, and Advanced Threat Defense, which can stop zero-day attacks by monitoring (and acting on) suspicious behaviour. And of course, backing it all up is a firewall to help keep hackers and data thieves at bay.

You can also perform various audits on your system: a Vulnerability scan analyses your system, apps and network for potential security issues, while the Wi-Fi Security Advisor will reveal if the network you’re currently connected to is secure or not. And for those with young families, Total Security includes a full set of parental controls so you can monitor (and manage) their online access.

When it comes to privacy, Bitdefender offers you anti-tracking for your browser, anti-spam for your email and a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic (up to 200 MB per day). There’s even a dedicated, sandboxed web browser – Bitdefender Safepay – to make shopping and banking safer and easier, plus a password manager to store your sensitive login details.

All this protection is wrapped up in a pleasing, easy-to-navigate dashboard, with all available tools within easy reach. And if you’re worried about all these protections impacting on your system performance, don’t worry: Bitdefender works hard in the background to not just minimise its own impact, but speed up performance for work, media and games as well as optimise your laptop’s battery life. You also gain access to the OneClick Optimizer, a tool for quickly locating and removing junk files.

In addition, your Total Security subscription will enable support for your PC, Mac, Android and iOS devices, too.

Includes a 5-Device, 1-Year licence

Review by Nick Peers.