G DATA Total Security is a paid security suite from the German company G DATA CyberDefense. On Windows it combines malware protection, a firewall and online banking protection with a set of tools for backup, file encryption, device access control and system cleanup. A subscription can also cover Macs, Android phones and iPhones, where G DATA’s apps for those platforms provide the protection. Total Security is the top tier of G DATA’s consumer range, above Antivirus and Internet Security.
What Total Security adds over Internet Security
The protection layer is shared with G DATA Internet Security: the virus scanner, ransomware protection, firewall, BankGuard, email protection and protection against tampered USB devices. Parental control, with web filters and time limits for each Windows account, is part of both. The extra parts of Total Security are utilities that look after the data on the PC and control what can reach or leave it:
| Module | What it does |
|---|---|
| Backup | Scheduled or manual archive backups of files and drives, with restore and recovery media |
| Encryption | Password-protected virtual drives (“safes”), including portable safes for USB sticks and discs |
| Device control | Rules for which users may read from or write to USB storage, optical and floppy drives |
| Tuner | Cleanup, update checks and privacy-trace removal, run on demand or on a schedule |
Malware scanning and the firewall
The virus guard in G DATA Total Security checks files in the background, and new virus signatures arrive every hour. Manual scans can cover all drives, selected folders or removable media, and infected files go into an encrypted quarantine.
Anti-Ransomware watches for programs that start encrypting personal files and stops them before they lock photos and documents. BankGuard protects the browser during online banking and shopping so that it shows only genuine page content. For a PC that is already infected, a wizard creates a bootable CD, DVD or USB stick with current signatures. This boot medium scans the system before Windows starts.
The firewall checks incoming and outgoing connections. In autopilot mode it decides by itself. In manual mode each network gets its own rule set.
Backup jobs and restoring files
The Backup module stores selected files and folders, or whole hard disks and partitions, in G DATA archive files. A job can run manually or daily, weekly or monthly.
Each job is a full backup or a partial backup that builds on an earlier full one. Partial backups can be differential (all changes since the last full backup) or incremental (changes since the previous partial run). Options cover compression, password protection, a virus scan before archiving and splitting archives to fit discs.
Archives can go to another internal disk, a USB stick, an external drive or a disc. A restore can cover the whole backup or chosen files and folders, in their original place or in a separate folder. A boot medium from the program can restore a drive backup without G DATA installed. This matters when Windows no longer starts.
Encrypted safes for private files
The Encryption module creates safes: encrypted container files that Windows mounts as an extra drive with their own drive letter. The user sets the location, size, file system (FAT or NTFS) and one or more passwords. Different passwords can give full access or read-only access, so another person can view the files without being able to change them.
A portable safe copies a safe to a USB stick, external disk or CD/DVD. It includes the drivers needed to open it on a Windows PC that does not have G DATA installed.
For files that should be gone for good, the G DATA Shredder overwrites them several times with random data.
Controlling USB drives and other media
Device control in G DATA Total Security sets access rules for removable storage, CD/DVD drives and floppy drives. Each device type can be blocked, set to read-only or left fully usable. General rules apply to every Windows user, and rules for individual users override them.
Individual devices can be added to the rules. One external backup disk can then stay usable while other USB drives are blocked. USB Keyboard Guard covers a different risk: a USB device that pretends to be a keyboard in order to type malicious commands. When USB Keyboard Guard detects a new keyboard, the user must confirm it by entering a PIN. The guard remembers approved keyboards.
Tuner and startup management
The Tuner groups its cleanup modules into three areas. Security modules check for Windows updates, performance modules delete leftover data and can defragment hard disks, and data protection modules remove browsing and usage traces.
Tuning can run at once or on a schedule. Each change creates a restore point, so an unwanted change can be undone. The Browser Cleaner removes toolbars and add-ons that free software installers often bring along.
The Autostart Manager lists the programs that launch with Windows. It can delay them by one to ten minutes, keep them from starting, or start them automatically once processor and disk load have dropped.
