Webroot is a cybersecurity software company that offers internet security for individual consumers and businesses. It provides antivirus and internet security for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS mobile devices and computers, with features like threat protection, ransomware protection, and firewall and connection security.
The company also offers Webroot Security for Chromebook to provide a similar feature lineup for the Chromebooks often used in educational settings.
To learn more about cybersecurity, check out Webopedia’s 10 Interesting Facts About CyberSecurity.
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Features of Webroot
Webroot’s cybersecurity features include an antivirus scanner, password manager, web, phishing, and identity shield, and a system optimizer.
Antivirus Scanner
This feature prevents viruses from harming devices by constantly scanning for malware and dangerous programs.
Webroot’s antivirus scanner is cloud-based, which means it uses less disk space, and users do not have to constantly update Webroot’s malware database.
Password Manager
This feature stores your passwords securely. Its advantage is that you do not need to remember your passwords after you store them, making it easier to log on.
Webroot offers a subscription to LastPass, which is a separate password manager platform. It includes two-factor authentication, secure password sharing, and account recovery options.
Web, Phishing, & Identity Shield
A Web Shield blocks common website exploits, like SQL injections; a Phishing Shield detects and blocks phishing websites; and an Identity Shield monitors for sites that can steal your details online.
Webroot’s Web Shield is able to block exploits like Internet Explorer, Java, Adobe Flash, and Chrome, and according to a test done by SafetyDetectives, Webroot’s Phishing Shield had an 80% protection rate against phishing websites.
System Optimizer
A system optimizer removes your browser’s cookies and unneeded files that take up space on a device. This helps protect your online privacy and improve your CPU’s performance.
Based on SafetyDetective’s analysis, Webroot is able to detect against websites that use one’s webcam but fails at blocking some sites that use keylogging and browser-based data mining tools.
Webroot for Business
Webroot also offers products that specifically support the needs of small and medium businesses (SMBs). This includes products for endpoint and DNS protection and security awareness training.
Endpoint Protection
Endpoint protection is used to describe the cybersecurity services offered for different network endpoints, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Endpoint protection is critical for SMBs because it protects intellectual property and customer & employee data from ransomware and different cyberattacks.
Webroot’s Evasion Shield helps protect against file-based and fileless script attacks; block malicious JavaScript, VBScript, and PowerShell; lets admins detect scripts running in their virtual environments; and allows whitelisting for approved scripts.
DNS Protection
Domain Name System, DNS, protection relates to providing a highly secure, private, and manageable connection to the internet. Webroot offers tools that help prevent dangerous or malicious internet domains, even if they are encrypted.
Some of the attributes of Webroot’s DNS Protection include blocking malware and phishing domains, using machine learning to augment threat feeds and content filtering. Advantages of Webroot’s DNS Protection platform is that it runs on Google Cloud Platform, which offers high-redundancy, low-latency networks worldwide that maximize performance and utilizes Google’s built-in DoS (denial of service) prevention and mitigation.
Security Awareness Training
Webroot also offers a service that lets businesses train their employees to avoid behaviors that encourage cyberattacks. It also makes them more confident in reporting possible security threats, following company IT policies, and better adhering to multiple data compliance and privacy regulations like GDPR, PCI DSS, and HIPAA.
Webroot’s security awareness training program offers over 120 courses, with over 60 of them taking 10 minutes or less to complete; a phishing simulator; and compliance training.
Webroot for Threat Intelligence
Webroot also offers cloud-based, threat intelligence tools that scan for different indicators of compromise (IOCs) and use machine learning to classify and categorize these IOCs according to how they threaten your business.
Webroot BrightCloud Cloud Service Intelligence
This software can be used to prevent unsafe, unauthorized, and noncompliant usage of cloud applications and services. Overall, the technology allows Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) and technology vendors to have more visibility and enforce more compliance over cloud technology-related activity.
Webroot’s cloud service technology offers:
- Cloud Application Classification—Assigns URLs to a related category
- Cloud Application Function—Categorizes URLs based on the function within a cloud application that accessed it
- Cloud Application Reputation—Applies a score between 0–100 that represents the reputation of the organization
Is Webroot Good Antivirus Software?
Webroot works well for people who are on a budget, need an easy-to-use solution, and do not require the most advanced security and protection.
Also, in a test done by SafetyDetectives, Webroot caught 93.1% of the malware samples tested and took approximately five minutes to complete a scan. In the same test, Norton and Bitdefender found 100% of the malware sample, but took a few minutes longer.
Compared to its competitors, Webroot is slightly less robust in terms of features. For example, it does not offer a VPN, parental controls, or an ad blocker. However, Webroot is also more affordable. For example, it’s most expensive plan costs $79.99, whereas Norton’s most affordable plan costs the same.
Is Webroot going out of business?
In 2020, Webroot shut down its Webroot Business Mobile Protection as well as its Webroot Business User Protection. Webroot users were unhappy with this move because of the increased use of mobile devices and mobile malware attacks that occurred in 2018.
Within a community forum discussing the shut down of Webroot Business Mobile Protection, a Webroot spokesperson stated that, “this product was no longer meeting their requirements. I like to think this gives more resources to focus on innovating our core portfolio of products”. This means that the company does not have the resources to create a sufficient mobile-focused protection service, which is critical in the day and age of smartphones.
Webroot Competitors
Webroot exists in a competitive marketplace with other high quality antivirus software solutions. Some of it’s competitors include:
- Kaspersky
- Norton
- Bitdefender
- McAfee
- Trend Micro
- ESET
Read more about Webroot’s competitors, and how you can better protect your technology, at TechnologyAdvice.com.
About Webroot
Webroot was founded in 1997 by Steven Thomas and Kristen Talley. In December of 2019, it was acquired by OpenText to help bring comprehensive cyber resilience solutions to the enterprise, managed service provider, business, and consumer markets. Its mission is to protect businesses and consumers from cyber threats. Today, the company has more than 7 million users and nearly 800 employees.
