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Trend Micro Full Review

Trend Micro’s real-time security and malware scan are both top-notch. Privacy features can also be added to enhance offline and online security.

Trend Micro’s extra features may not be as effective as other antiviruses, but they are still very user-friendly. The plans are flexible and will satisfy most users’ needs.

Trend Security Features

Virus scanner

Trend micro’s anti-malware scan is highly effective in detecting malware.

Trend micro 3 scan options

• QuickScan:Scans for security threats in areas that are most likely to be found. These include system folders. Background processes. Registry.
• Full Scan: Scans entire disk (not encrypted or password protected files).
• Custom scan Scan files in the folders you select.

I downloaded almost 1000 malware samples in order to test various scan options.

I first ran Trend Micro’s quick scanner. This is remarkable considering that other antivirus products can take up to 30 minutes to perform a quick scan.

My scanner detected every malicious file in my critical folders.

I was able to run the Trend Micro full scan in just 40 minutes. This is faster than McAfee’s hour-long scan.

During the scan, my computer speed did not suffer. I was still able to stream HD video.

You also have other options for the scanner. You can also modify the notification settings. Trend Micro can ask for the deletion of unneeded files, PUPs (potentially unwanted programs), and deactivation of machine-learning.

I love the variety of scan settings Trend Micro provides.

Trendmicro’s malware scanner does not drain the system resources. There are many settings that you can use to fine-tune the antivirus experience.

Protection in real-time

Trend Micro’s immediate malware protection is basic but effective. It checks your hard drive for malicious files and blocks them from modifying your computer.

Trend Micro can provide instant protection against the following:

• Malware.
• Potentially unwanted programmes (PUPS).
• Ransomware.
• Exploits.

To ensure that the real-time protection was in place, I removed all leftover samples from the antivirus scanner test. To test the real-time protection, I tried to redownload the archive, which contained nearly 1,000 samples.

Trend Micro’s online protection against WICAR’s Web-Based Exploits database was also tested. I was impressed by the fact that Trend Micro stopped all exploit attacks from reaching my browser or plugins.

Trend Micro’s real-time protection was very effective in stopping malicious software running on my computer.

Phishing/Web Protection

Trend Micro’s web protection works behind the scenes to block malicious and fraudulent sites. Trend Micro will block your access to sites that are listed in the database.

I tested the protection using Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. It blocked access to websites that default browser protections such as Chrome or Firefox failed to block.

It is so easy to whitelist secure websites. Trend Micro displays a small dialog box every time it blocks a website. You can choose to ignore the warnings and continue to visit the site or to whitelist it completely.

I was impressed with Trend Micro’s antiphishing protection. It blocked all phishing websites that I tested.

PC Health Check-Up

Trend Micro’s PC only system optimization feature, PC Health Check up, optimizes your PC in 4 ways.

• Repair Security Vulnerabilities.Checks that your OS is current and that the firewall settings are safe.
• Reduce startup time by changing which programs start when you log on to your computer.
• Restored disk space: Empties the recycle bin, deletes duplicate files and cleans up temporary directories.
• Clear privacy data:Removes personal data from Windows and other messenger apps.

I was not impressed by this feature. It took only 5 minutes for the PC health checkup to scan my hard drive. When it ran on my PC, the built-in Windows Disk Cleanup app helped me save almost 300MB.

This option reduces startup time by highlighting programs that can manually be disabled to speed up startup.

Trend Micro’s PC Health Checkup is not very good. Many of its functions are available on Mac and Windows as well. They perform better. PC Tune-Up offers only one benefit: you can access all your optimization functions from one place. You can also use the built-in cleaning tools of your system if you don’t have this option.

Privacy scanner

Trendmicro’s privacy scanner allows users adjust their web browsers’ privacy settings. Trend Micro searches for:

• Who can access your personal information?
• Your social media account will appear in search engines.
• Who can find your email address?
• To get in touch with someone, you can call your phone number.
• Advertisers may be able display targeted ads based on your activities.

I downloaded Trend Micro Chrome and ran a scan of all my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

The scanner took just a few minutes and showed all privacy concerns with an option to adjust.

The browser scanner component of privacy scan was less than satisfactory. This allowed me to turn on or disable their built-in anti-phishing protections, as well as track and store passwords on Internet Explorer and Firefox.

These features can be useful on their own, but they are also available in the web browsers’ individual settings. Trend Micro does not require you to use these features, particularly since Internet Explorer is no longer supported. Microsoft has put all its energy into the new Chromium-based Edge browser.

Privacy scanner can help you to find and change privacy settings on your social media accounts

Trend Micro ID Security (Mobile Only).

Trend micro ID Security scans every inch on the dark web, and alerts you immediately if it discovers any personal identifiable information.

• Email addresses.
• Passwords.
• Numbers for credit cards.
• Bank account numbers.
• Passport information.

Although it isn’t as comprehensive and impressive as Norton, it does cover additional information. TotalAV uses only Have I Bened Pewned’s data to scan emails for potential breaches.

Trend Micro’s data monitor sends alerts to you when there is a breach of your mobile or email.

I tried the email security scanner with an older email address. It worked well and showed me 20 sites that had stolen the email address

Trend Micro ID Safety is available only for iOS and Android. This was a little strange to me. Trend Micro only offers basic email scanners for Mac or PC.

Trend Micro’s ID Security offers more coverage than its competitors’ products but it is still not as comprehensive as Norton’s.

Password Manager

Trend Micro password managers protect passwords with 256-bit AES encryption. When you consider that most free password managers offer unlimited storage, Trend Micro offers a Premium Package that allows unlimited password storage.

Trend Micro’s password manager includes:

• Unlimited password storage (premium version).
• Password generator.
• Automatic form filler.
• Secure note.

The password manager is only available as a desktop application. There are browser extensions available for desktop users and mobile apps for both iOS and Android. The password manager will ask you to create your master passcode.

Trend Micro’s password manager works on a zero-knowledge protocol. You won’t be able to reset your master password if you forget it. This is a great security feature. It can also cause problems if you forget your master password. LastPass and Dashlane offer many account recovery options to help those who have lost access.

Although the password storage/autofill feature on Trend micro is very basic, it works well. The program was able to identify all the websites that I visited during testing.

Trend Micro also provides a password generator. This allows you to create passwords that are between 8-20 characters. This feature is very useful. You can use both upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, as well as symbols. However, Bitwarden doesn’t offer a passphrase generator.

Trendmicro’s password manager does an excellent job but lacks many features like 2FA (two-factor authentication), vault inspection or password sharing, which are all standard features in top password managers.

Parental Control

Trendmicro can help you with your parental controls:

• Block Websites.
• You can limit the amount of internet access you have. You can limit certain apps or your entire computer.
• Block Applications.

Once you have set up parental controls, a wizard will walk you through the process. If you don’t want Trend Micro to do the entire setup, you can choose from different age presets.

I created a fictional profile for a preteen boy aged 8-12 years. The test profile was blocked from accessing some applications.

Website filtering worked well. It blocks 31 websites, including

• Adult websites.
• Communication media sites.
• Websites that are being criticized.
• Shopping sites.
• Entertainment websites.

Trend micro displayed a popup message in the bottom corner advising me that the site was blocked after I attempted to access a prohibited website.

To access blocked websites, you can click on the “Temporarily permitted” or “Permanently authorized” links in the message. This feature allows you to temporarily whitelist websites, which I am sure parents will love.

Trend Micro’s content filtering was inconsistent. It only worked for certain categories, such as adult websites. But, I was still allowed to access other websites and videos on weapons, even though I tried to filter them out.

The Trend Micro Image Search Filter did not work. I was able to view adult images via Google Images.

Time limitations worked well – I could set time limits and schedule internet access for my children. Enter your password to extend your child’s time online.

If their computer/device usage is ending, a timer will display warning them that there are only five minutes before they will be log off. For an extra hour, you can enter the password during the 5-minute countdown.

Program access controls are also very effective.

However, Trend Micro’s parental control screening screen was disappointing. If they’re playing games or using educational apps span>

Top parental control software will show your child every website they visit, every app they’ve tried and how long each app took to load.

Overall, Trend Micro’s parental monitoring was not very effective. The content filtering was inconsistent. The report screen is also not very detailed and can be customized with pre-sets for web-filtering. There are also automatic age-based defenses.

Trend Micro VPN

Trend Micro’s premium VPN plan does not include Trend micro’s VPN.

It transmits your data via secure cloud servers that use 256-bit AES encryption. This standard is used by many banks and governments.

Trend Micro’s virtual private network (VPN) is not able to grant you a virtual address or allow connections from different regions.

You cannot choose the server that you want to connect to. Trend micro will ask for your username, digital certificate and password if you try to change the server manually. My connection was always dropping. It was impossible to fix the problem by switching servers.

Trend Micro’s VPN does not offer many customization options.

• Manual VPN Turn on/off the VPN manually.
• Auto VPN: Connects to unsecured networks automatically.
• Always on: Connects every time you turn on your device.
• Always On:VPN will not turn on unless activated manually.

DNS leak protection and kill switch are not available. Your activity might not be hidden if your VPN connection is lost. Hackers may be able to intercept your activity.

The short version is that Trend micro’s VPN works less effectively than other VPNs, such as McAfee or Norton.

Additional Features

Trend Micro offers additional features that go with the features above.

• Payment Guard:Opens a browser window in a secure way for shopping online (Chrome Firefox Edge Internet Explorer).
• Data protection: Prevents the theft of sensitive data such as credit card numbers.
• Folder Shield:Adds extra security to selected folders to prevent ransomware from decrypting them.
• Trend Vaault:Stores sensitive information in a password-secured folder
• Safe Erase: Permanently erases files so they cannot be recovered. Customers who have the Premium Security, Maximum Security, or Internet Security plans can only use this feature.
• Firewall Booster:Enhances Windows’ built-in firewall and stops botnets from stealing your computer.

Many of these features work well. Pay Guard is available whenever you go to a financial website or bank. This window provides protection against exploit attacks and pop-ups. None of these browsers offer the same functionality as Pay Guard.

Trend Micro’s file vault and erase features are excellent. The firewall booster, folder protection and data theft prevention are great features.

Trend Micro Plans and Pricing

Trendmicro offers four plans. Internet Security is a slightly more expensive plan, but it only works for Windows. Premium security suite and maximum security are premium plans that can be used on both Macs and PCs. They work with Androids and iOS.

Trendmicro does not offer a FREE plan. However, it does offer some free features such as House Call, which is an online security scan. All purchases come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Trend Micro is easy to use and set up

Trend Micro is very easy to set up and use. Once it started, I was directed towards a simple-to-use user interface (UI). This showed me the main features in four easy-to-read icons.

Access to each feature is easy. Click the “Device” button to access security settings, including the real-time scanning options and the computer optimizer.

You can access the Privacy Scanner and Social Media Protection by clicking the “Privacy” button at the top. Here you can also configure your Payguard settings. Trend Micro’s secure browser allows you to choose which websites you want to open.

The Data Theft Prevention options are also available under the Privacy tab. Trend micro will protect your data much like Pay Guard.

From the “Data” button on the main interface, you will be able to access Folder Shield or Secure Erase.

Click on “Family” to access the Parental controls. It took me just a few seconds for this to be set up.

Trend micro’s interface is intuitive and easy to use.

Trend Micro Mobile App

Trend Micro’s mobile security for iOS and Android is available as part of the Max Security or Premium Safety Suitepackages. You can get it separately as well.

• Malware scanner. Only for Android
• Website protections.
• VPN.
• Blocker for SMS Phishing.
• App manager.
• Anti-theft protection.
• Parental control.

The malware scanner I used to test it worked flawlessly. Trend micro was able detect nearly all of the viruses in my archives.

Trend Micro has excellent mobile security protections. I especially love the smishing based phishing blocker.

My favorite Trendmicro theft protections are the ones that I use. Remotely lock, wipe, locate, turn off, or turn off your alarm using Trendmicro’s theft protections. You can locate your device within 50-100 meters using the “locate device” function.