Security products: claims, testing and what to verify

Security is a category where buyers cannot evaluate the product themselves. You cannot tell whether an antivirus engine catches what it claims, or whether a lock resists what it claims, by reading the box. That asymmetry is why independent testing matters more here than anywhere else in this directory.

For software, look for results from independent testing laboratories rather than vendor-published figures, and check the date. Detection results age quickly and a citation from several years ago says little about current performance.

For physical security products, look for the certification standard and the grade within it, not the adjective. Terms like "high security" and "military grade" have no defined meaning. Standards numbers do.

Across both, be sceptical of any product marketed primarily through fear. The better vendors in this category describe a specific threat model and what their product does and does not address. The weaker ones describe a general sense of danger, because a specific claim could be tested.