Bitdefender Review: MacBook Pro Install Walkthrough & Features

Why a Bitdefender Review?

Here at Neil Brown Reviews, we are reviewing antivirus systems. Why? There are a lot out there making it confusing as to what you choose, so will go through the different steps of using the systems, looking at them, loading them, and running them. Most systems are more than just adware removal tools. After you read this Bitdefender review you can decide yourself which fits your approach and your family’s approach. Sometimes how you share these things with your family is just important as how you can use it yourself!

Bitdefender Review on the MacBook Pro

Bitdefender Review Stand-alone and Suite
Bitdefender Stand-alone and Suite

Bitdefender Total Security is the Bitdefender current, complete protection offer. Bitdefender is taking a suite of functions approach that is becoming more common in the computer security software arena. This suite approach is replacing the stand alone antivirus sitting alongside other separate packages doing other security tasks. However, single function antivirus is available.

Let’s see what it does on the Mac.

Ransomware Protection

Does it handle ransomware? Yes. They claim advanced ransomware protection. Ransomware is a category of software which blocks access to your computer files until you pay some money or Bitcoin with the hope of being given an access key. What Bitdefender does for that ransomware protection is presumably some activity and function analysis of the suspect file, but it doesn’t specify the approach used.

Wi-Fi & Ransomeware Protection Screenshot
Wi-Fi & Ransomeware Protection

Wi-Fi Security Feature

Bitdefender also has a Wi-Fi security adviser; this means that you are aware of the safeness or the dodginess of any Wi-Fi connection you’re on. So particularly at cafes, hotels, and airports, it’s a boon.

Installing Bitdefender Walkthrough

Let’s have a look at the Bitdefender software doing an install. To begin, we will have to read and accept the license and then start the install. When the install starts, we have to put in our system password to show that we are happy for the installer to modify our system. Once started it writes files to disk and installs this first step pretty quickly. When that step of installation finishes, it takes you to the central dashboard where first thing it does is download other files for the install. We will let it keep downloading the extra files, probably virus signature files because these are frequently updated so that the system is aware of the most recent malware that is on the Internet. After a four and a half minute download, there is unpacking the downloaded data and adding to the system to finalize the installation.
Now that that’s complete we’ll have a look at what the other features are. There next pops up a dialogue for Time Machine protection. To turn this on we must enter our system password to allow Bitdefender to change our system. Time Machine is the Mac built-in backup system. Bitdefender keeps these backups protected. A dialogue confirms this is now active if we opt for this protection.

Bitdefender Time Machine protection screenshot
Bitdefender offers Time Machine security

Bitdefender Review Antivirus Scan

Following this, we can go to a scan. Bitdefender has a good reputation for the quality of the malware scan engine. This is the part of the software responsible for finding malware before it can run.

Bitdefender Mac scan optons screenshot
Bitdefender Mac scan options

Bitdefender shows options of full-scan, quick scan or a custom scan. To see how quickly a quick scan runs though we started and it shows which items are scanning along with a completion progress bar. After 14 minutes the MacBook Pro 250G Solid State Drive is finished scanning.

Bitdefender on Mac scan done report screenshot
Bitdefender on Mac scan report

I can now go on to use the machine with it fully protected by Bitdefender antivirus on the MacBook.