AVG recently released their 2012 version of the Internet Security Suite. Being as it is that the 2011 version failed the test a few weeks back when I did a number of tests on different security suites, I figured it’d only be fair to give this new version a chance.

So I installed a trial of it in my Windows 7 based test computer, and went on to visit my friends the malicious websites. Here’s a summary of the results:

One of the files downloaded by visiting a malicious website, “Root-kit  zero access”, tried to and successfully connected to internet address 193.105.154.210:80. Tsk-tsk on AVG’s firewall, it should have stopped the outbound connection attempt.

I then went on to another malicious website infected with a fake antivirus program. Upon opening the malicious download, the firewall did alert me of an outgoing connection attempt, and asked me if I wanted to allow it. I blocked it, and then the real-time protection shield proudly announced it had found an infected file… but failed to stop the infection. A few seconds later, the fake antivirus took the computer over. Game over.

And here’s the kick: Even though the firewall did block the execution of the file created by the initial download ( file name aH12402HlElD12402.exe), a post-mortem forensic analysis revealed that the originally downloaded file accessed a website in China (Internet address 122.224.4.134) without any protest or prompt from the firewall! What a joke.

Sorry, AVG fans. AVG 2012 Internet Security Suite = FAIL.