Protect Your Computer!

Identifying and Protecting Yourself from FAKE Antivirus Software

2011-04-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

The best way somebody can get you to install fake software on your PC is to trick you into believing you’re getting something you need. The biggest threats in terms of computer security are scammers, identity thieves and hackers. How to identify the fakes antivirus software packages you should try and avoid at all costs.Scam creators or Malware designers sponsor and promote fake antivirus through diffrent websites in order for financial benefit.

Hackers play malicious tactics in the name of a free virus scanner. Fake antivirus software force users into purchasing the legal version of fake scanners.These programs attack your computer and take your personal information from your PC for various purposes.

How to Identify Fake Antivirus?

These tips will help you identify a fake antivirus software

- Software pops up asking you to scan your computer.

- You haven’t installed that software.

- If you have clicked “Scan” button it will show a lot of viruses.

- It won’t help you clean your computer instead it will ask you to purchase security software to clean your computer.

List of Fake Antivirus Software

Following is the list of some common antivirus software.

- CleanUp Antivirus

- Dr Guard- Antimalware Defende

- XP Guardian 2010

- XP Internet Security

- Antivirus XP 2010

- XP Antivirus Pro 2010

- Security Antivirus

- Advanced Defender

How to Protect From Fake antivirus

- Do not use your credit card information to buy a antivirus you are not aware.

– Never scan your computer online with a antivirus you are not familiar.

- For more details about that product please search over the Internet to find out details.

– If you are affected with a fake antivirus, immediately clean your computer with a real Antivirus product (list of top 10 FREE ones can be found here)

-original article: Cybervally

Best FREE Antivirus

2011-04-02T01:42:00.000-07:00

Protecting your computer from viruses is important. One nasty virus could expose your financial information or stop your computer from working at all. What you need is the best antivirus software possible on your computer. Luckily, some of the best antivirus software is completely free!
So why are some of the very best antivirus programs free? Many popular antivirus companies offer free versions of their programs for home users while offering versions with more advanced features as an upgrade option for professional and business users.
Important: There are no "on-demand only" (without constant virus protection), trial, or shareware antivirus programs in this list. These are the best antivirus programs that are completely free and work similarly to expensive programs from companies like Norton and McAfee.

1. AVG Anti-Virus Free

Anti-Virus Free from AVG is the best free antivirus software available. AVG Anti-Virus Free is a full-fledged antivirus and antispyware tool, includes an email scanner, link scanner, scheduled scanning options, automatic updates, and more. There is no need to pay for an antivirus program when the best free antivirus software in the world is just a download away.
AVG Anti-Virus Free works on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000.
The huge number of premium features, frequency of updating, and install-it-and-forget-it aspect of AVG's Anti-Virus Free really do make it the best of the best free antivirus programs available today.

2. avast! Free Antivirus

AVAST Software's avast! Free Antivirus most certainly deserves to be on any list of the best free antivirus programs. avast! Free Antivirus has fully functioning antivirus and antispyware engines protecting your PC from threats from the Internet, your files, emails, and even instant messages.
avast! Free Antivirus supports Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000.
One big reason I included avast! Free Antivirus as a best free antivirus program is because of its "heuristics engine" which can detect previously unknown viruses and other malware. I also like the fact that AVAST has been making this antivirus product since 1988 and is often cited as the most installed antivirus product.
Tip: During the avast! installation, you're asked to install the free Google Chrome browser. It's not required so if you're not interested just uncheck the box. Also, you are required to register avast! to use it more than 30 days but registration is free and pretty simple. You'll also have to reregister once per year - again, for free.

3. Microsoft Security Essentials

Security Essentials from Microsoft is definitely one of the best free antivirus programs available right now. Microsoft is relatively new to the antivirus game but don't let that scare you - Security Essentials is a fantastic antivirus program that protects you from all sorts of malware, updates automatically, and is incredibly easy to use.
Microsoft Security Essentials supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Two of the biggest reasons I added Microsoft Security Essentials to this list of the best free antivirus software is because it's directly from Microsoft and also because it's very easy to see if you're computer is secure from threats: if the icon next to your clock is green, you're in good; if it's red, something is wrong.

4. Comodo Antivirus

Comodo Antivirus from Comodo Security Solutions is another excellent program, easily one of the best free antivirus options out there. As of this writing, Comodo Antivirus bills itself as the "Best Antivirus on the Market. Guaranteed." due to its proprietary Defense+ technology. Comodo Antivirus also protects you from several threat sources, just as most of the other best free antivirus programs on this list do.
Comodo Antivirus works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Comodo Antivirus is easily one of the best free antivirus solutions solely because of its Defense+ technology that, by default, assumes unknown files are threats instead of safe. That sounds like it might cause problems but Comodo Antivirus utilizes some other technologies to make the whole process silent but still very effective.

5. Avira AntiVir Personal

Avira AntiVir Personal protects you from viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, adware, and various other kinds of malware, making it a fully functional antimalware tool and certainly one of the best free antivirus programs.
Avira AntiVir Personal works on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000. Avira also makes a version of AntiVir Personal for UNIX.
The scope of malware that Avira AntiVir Personal can keep you safe from is alone enough to make it one of the best free antivirus software programs but the heuristics and ease of use add to its value too. The only things I didn't like about Avira AntiVir Personal was the configuration you have to complete after installation which might be difficult if you're a computer novice.
Tip: You're asked to register during the Avira AntiVir Personal installation but it's optional. Just uncheck the box and continue with the install.

6. Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus protects you from several kinds of malware threats - viruses, worms, Trojans, adware, and more - just like all the other free antivirus programs in this list.
What makes Panda Cloud Antivirus one of the best free antivirus programs is that it does its job from "the cloud" meaning the hard antivirus work that typically slows down a computer is done on computers elsewhere on the Internet, freeing up your computer to work like it should and protecting you from malware even better.
Panda Cloud Antivirus supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Tip: Panda Cloud Antivirus tries to install a toolbar and set Yahoo! as your browser's home page during the installation process so uncheck the boxes before continuing if you don't want them. Neither are required to use Panda Cloud Antivirus.

7. Immunet Protect FREE

Immunet Protect FREE is a unique, cloud-based antivirus program, much like Panda Cloud Antivirus. Immunet Protect FREE protects your computer from bots, worms, viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, and spyware.
Immunet Protect FREE works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. You must also be connected to the Internet at all times.
I think Protect FREE from Immunet is one of the best free antivirus programs for several reasons: you never have to update it, it has completely free telephone based support, and it can be run alongside some of the other best free antivirus tools like AVG Anti-Virus Free, Microsoft Security Essentials, and avast! Free Antivirus, increasing your overall protection!

8. digital-defender Antivirus

digital-defender Antivirus isn't a popular antivirus program but it should be. It's certainly one of the best free antivirus software programs you'll find. It's a full antivirus and antispyware program and updates on a daily basis.
digital-defender Antivirus supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
The relatively small installation size, daily virus definition updates, and full antispyware features make digital-defender Antivirus one of the better tools in my collection of the best free antivirus programs.

9. PC Tools AntiVirus Free

PC Tools AntiVirus Free offers basic protection against viruses and other malware. While not my favorite, AntiVirus Free is still one of the best free antivirus programs you'll find.
PC Tools AntiVirus Free works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
The biggest problems I have with PC Tools AntiVirus Free are the reminders throughout the program that there's a not-so-free version that you should upgrade to. To be fair, you probably won't notice it since the program runs silently in the background to protect you from viruses. I probably find it annoying because most of the features available in the upgrade are included for free in some of the higher rated best free antivirus programs above.

Original article by Stacy Fisher, About.com Guide, taken from: http://freebies.about.com/od/computerfreebies/tp/best-free-antivirus.htm

How Does an SMS Gateway Work?

2011-04-02T01:33:00.000-07:00

An SMS gateway is a method of sending or receiving a text message without a mobile phone. The gateway works by taking a message in a different format, converting it to the Short Message Service format (or SMS), then transmitting it over a mobile network. It can also function in the other direction, taking an SMS and converting it to another format, like email. SMS gateways are very useful because they streamline mobile communication between service providers.
One of the major issues with SMS is that companies use their own SMS communication systems. Most of these systems are company-specific and are not designed to communicate with each other. This can solve this problem by translating one SMS communication protocol into another. This gateway allow one mobile service provider to send an SMS message to another service provider without having to translate it themselves.
For mobile application developers, this gateways are vital to their communication strategy. If a developer wants to use SMS, they need to design their program to support many different communication protocols. This can be very costly and time intensive, especially for smaller developers. By offloading the task of communication with different protocols to a gateway, the developer can focus on their specific application. They don't have to write additional code for their program either; they can send SMS messages directly to the gateway and let the gateway handle the translation.
SMS gateways are used in many different areas. For example, if a popular TV show wants to allow their viewers to vote on an issue, they can use this to make it easy. Viewers can send an SMS message to a predetermined number, indicating their choice. The gateway handles the translation, so the network just needs to tabulate the votes. Another example is the email to SMS gateway. Some service providers have a special email address associated with each mobile number, usually in the format of "(mobile#)@carriername.com". These are network-specific SMS gateways designed to take emails and convert them to SMS messages.
These are a critical part of mobile network communication. They give consumers the ability to communicate quickly and easily with users on different mobile networks. Developers and network providers can also use them to facilitate inter-network data communication. With the variety of communication protocols in use, This gateways will continue to serve an important role in network communication.

About the Author

Finding the best SMS gateway solution shouldn't be a complicated process, provided you know what to look for in such a solution. To see the best solutions available for you, visit TextMagic now!