Shoppers, parents and thieves: who should know about Bitdefender 2013

Security software provider Bitdefender has added an ‘arsenal’ of features to its 2013 edition, on top of improvements to the core antivirus technology.

The inclusion of tools like Anti-Theft and Safepay expands the offering to a make a full security solution, according to Catalina Albisteanu, product manager for Bitdefender.

"The antivirus itself is better than the best,” Albisteanu says, "but 2013 is also fighting physical thieves with Anti-Theft, hackers and other undesirables with Safepay and the whole menagerie of online threats such as bullies, bad influences, predators and spies with Parental Control.”

The Anti-Theft feature allows the user to lock and wipe their computer remotely, as well as locate it from any internet-connected device, while Safepay secures online transactions, including creating an unbreachable connection on public wireless connections when the user accesses his or her bank account.

Parental Control offers the ability to remotely monitor kids’ online activities, and restrict access to certain sites and certain hours. Bitdefender 2013 also includes access to Safebox, the company’s secure online storage service.

As for the antivirus itself, Bitdefender 2013 has been updated with a new security status widget, a USB Immuniser to protect from flash drive infections, an enhanced MyBitdefender dashboard, and support for Windows 8.

Bitdefender 2013 is out today. Some of the features require higher-level subscriptions; go here for a full run-down.