ANTI VIRUS SOFTWARES

11 Ways To Prevent Computer Viruses

2012-05-25T05:02:00.001-07:00

11 Ways To Prevent Computer Viruses

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been on the Internet for five minutes or five years, you’ve probably thought about ways in which you can prevent a computer virus from entering your machine. A virus can compromise your personal information and even destroy your computer completely. Luckily, there are many low cost things you can do to protect yourself and stay one step ahead of the hackers. Here are 11 things you can do to help prevent computer viruses from invading your computer.

1. Install a reliable anti virus program – From the first moment you turn your computer on, you should have a trusted anti virus program by your side. Even if you have a machine that isn’t hooked up to the Internet, a reliable anti virus program is a low cost and common sense addition to any machine. There are even free anti virus programs you can download that work almost as well as industry giants like Norton and McAfee.

2. Install anti-spyware and anti-malware programs – As good as the best anti virus programs are, they sometimes need a little bit of help. Thankfully, many of the top anti-spyware programs are completely free. Spybot Search and Destroy and CCleaner are just two free programs that can help prevent computer viruses from doing any damage on your machine. As helpful as these programs are, however, you must update them and run them on a regular basis for them to do any good.

3. Avoid suspicious websites – A good virus protection program will alert you when you visit a website that attempts to install or run a program on your computer. Many less than reputable adult websites do this, so if you get a warning, don’t go back, you may end up with a bug you can’t get rid of.

4. Never Open Email Attachments Without Scanning Them First – The most common way viruses are spread throughout the Internet is still via email. Some attachments, like pictures, now display in emails and don’t require an attachment to be manually opened, but other documents do. Make sure you use an email client that scans all email attachments before you are allowed to open them. This will help prevent computer viruses from getting a foothold on your machine.

5. Set up Automatic Scans – Many of the top anti virus programs, as well as the best anti-spyware programs, now have settings that will let them automatically run during down times or in the middle of the night. Of course, your computer must be on for this to happen, but having daily scans run when nothing else is going on is a great way to prevent even the latest computer viruses from sticking around too long.

6. Watch Your Downloads – Part of the fun of the Internet is downloading music, movies and other items. However, since these downloads are so massive, it can be easy to sneak a virus along for the ride. Only download these files from trusted sites that you can count on, or, at the very least, scan them before you open them.

7. Updates, Updates, Updates – There is a reason why Windows has a feature called Critical Updates. There is an entire branch of Microsoft dedicated to staying one step ahead of the hackers out there so when they manage to fix a possible security loophole, you need to download the patch right away. Help Microsoft help you prevent computer viruses from causing too much trouble.

8. Know What To Look For – Even if you are just a casual computer user, you should have an idea of how your machine operates, what normal pop up windows look like and what popular viruses are out there, that way, when your computer begins exhibiting tell tale signs, you’ll know. You can help prevent computer viruses by staying updated and educated.

9. Stay Away From Cracked Software – It is so secret that you can download illegal, cracked versions of some programs online. As tempting as it may be, these files are almost always infested with advanced and difficult to detect bugs. Play it safe and get your software from the source.

10. Install a Firewall – A firewall is a program that screens incoming Internet and network traffic. Along with your virus program, it can help prevent unauthorized access to your computer.

11. Be prepared to Lock Down – If you hear of a virus that is spreading like wildfire through the Internet, make an extra effort to be careful. Don’t open any suspicious emails or accept any downloads for a week or two until your virus protection program has been updated and you are, once again, safe.

Firewall Protection

2012-05-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

Firewall Protection - Why You Need It?

If your house has an alarm system, surveillance cameras, or any type of security equipment to prevent burglars, then you can compare it to a firewall. A firewall will monitor and limit connections to your computer from the internet and other users. A computer without a firewall is defenseless, and makes it easier for hackers or unwanted programs to invade your computer. There are two types of firewalls, hardware or software.

Routers are devices that act as hardware firewalls. They prevent other users and unwanted software from entering your network. Routers are not only great for firewalls, but also can be used for sharing and connecting computers to a network. Some people use Network Address Translation (NAT) routers as firewalls, even though NAT routers primary purpose is to share an internet connection with local computers. If you do not have a router firewall, you can use a software firewall that will do the job.

There are many software firewalls out there, but only a few are free. Most of the software firewalls are shareware, trials or subscription. Some free versions only have some features and if you want the full package, you will need to pay. Window XP comes with a decent firewall, but you need to make sure you have Service Pack 2 and the latest updates installed.

You can check to see if your Windows XP firewall is running by clicking Start / Control Panel / Windows Firewall, or another way is My Computer / Control Panel / Network Connections / Right click your "Local Area Network" and click properties / Click on the Advance tab then click Settings. You can click to turn your windows firewall on or off.

Software firewalls can be very complex as they contain several features. Some of the features are antivirus and antispyware, program control, e-mail protection and privacy control. These features help boost your protection for your computer, since a firewall alone cannot do everything. A disadvantage of having a software firewall instead of a hardware firewall is that it will use your computer's resources to function. Make sure you have enough memory to prevent your system from crashing. Software firewalls can manage inbound and outbound traffic by placing policies or rules. These policies will allow or reject your programs from accessing the internet, and prevent any unwanted internet programs from invading your computer. These policies are at the owners control and may change any setting as they wish.

Firewalls may give the user increased security by protecting your computer from hackers, as opposed to having no firewall. Hackers will try anything to get into your computer by searching through your computer's ports. Your computer has many ports. They are used to connect to the internet, but sometimes they are left open. Hackers can send a virus or spyware to these ports, and take control of your computer. To prevent this from happening, a firewall will make sure all unused ports are closed.

If you plan to access the internet without a firewall, it is like putting your hand in a beehive. The risk of you being stung are high, and it is the same risk for your computer to be hacked. Without a firewall your ports will be opened, and make it vulnerable for hackers. Therefore, choose a proper firewall that suits your needs. For more information, visit my blog PC Software Revealed for details about the recommended software to keep you computer safe.

11 Ways Computer Viruses Are Spread.

2012-05-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

11 Ways Computer Viruses Are Spread

t is the worst nightmare of every computer user: you wake up one day and realize that you have a virus, and you don’t know quite how to get rid of it. Most people these days understand what a virus is and how harmful it can be, but they are still somewhat unsure how computer viruses spread. The truth is that there are dozens of different ways in which a virus can spread from computer to computer, but let’s take a look at the most frequent ways in which people run into viruses, spyware and Trojans on the Internet.

1. Email attachments. The world became familiar with the phenomena of email attachments carrying viruses thanks to Microsoft’s Outlook Express automatically opening every attachment to every email you received a few years back. Now that email clients no longer do this, the infection rate from email attachments is significantly lower, but it can still be a common problem. The golden rule is that if you don’t know what an attachment is, don’t open it. To this day, many email users never open attachments, no matter what. You don’t have to take such drastic steps to protect yourself, however; simply use common sense when opening attachments in your email.

2. Rogue Websites. It is depressing to know that you may become infected with spyware or a virus by doing nothing more than simply visiting a website, but it is true. Many adult websites, gambling websites and other less than trustworthy websites will attempt to automatically access your computer when you visit them. They often install adware bugs that will cause a flurry of pop ups to appear on your screen. This adware will often allow for other programs with even more nefarious purposes to be installed and before you know it, your computer will be swamped. To stop these rogue websites, adjust the settings on your antivirus software and firewall so that no outside connections can be made and no programs can be installed without your express permission.

3. Networks. If your computer is connected to a home network or if your work computer is part of a larger network, you may find yourself with an infection through no fault of your own. Someone else on the network downloaded a bug by accident, and within minutes, the entire network could be infected. There isn’t much you can do to stop these kinds of infections, short of having your network administrator ensure that everyone’s antivirus software is up to date so that the invading bug can be removed as quickly as possible.

4. Infected Boot disks. Now that hard drives are obscenely large, the overwhelming percentage of us don’t bother to use boot disks anymore, but a virus can still be spread if an infected disk is in your hard drive and you attempt to restart. When you start your computer, your machine will always check your drives to see if a disk with boot information is present. If one is, your computer will likely automatically attempt to boot from the disk and not from your drive. If a virus is present, it will often be activated and you will become infected. Always know the origin of any disk you put into your drive.

5. Phishing Schemes. Learning how computer viruses spread is important to keep yourself, and your personal information, safe online. Phishing schemes are one of the chief ways in which people end up with their identity stolen and a computer fill of viruses. A phishing scheme starts when you receive an email from a website claiming to be your bank or credit card company. You are asked to click a link and log in, but the truth is that you’ve just given away all of your personal information. Often times, when you visit these sites, spyware, adware and viruses are automatically installed on your computer (see Rogue Websites, above). Your lender or credit card will often send out a real notice that let’s you know that a phishing scheme is going around. The smartest thing you can do is to simply call your bank or credit card company if you receive an email saying there is a problem with your account instead of blindly following links in your email.

6. Infected Software. One of the great things about the Internet is how many free games and programs there are out there, but these free programs often come at a price. Too many rogue websites intentionally infect their freeware (like Kazaa) with trojan viruses so that you unknowingly infect your computer every time you download a free game or piece of software. The key here is to only download freeware or shareware from a trusted source like CNet that always ensures your safety.

7. Hackers. The Internet today is a much more law abiding place than it was ten years ago. Not only did most people not have antivirus protection and firewalls that could stop incoming attacks, most people didn’t even know what they were. Today, people understand the value of good online protection, but hackers can still pose a problem if you allow your protection software to lapse. The best way to beat hackers is to ensure that you have a firewall and up to date antivirus software.

8. Instant Messaging. It is difficult to find a computer in this day and age that doesn’t have at least one instant messaging service installed on it. Unfortunately, these programs are often targets of hackers who see an easy way to trick people into clicking links that lead them to rogue websites. Common sense can keep you out of trouble, however. Only chat with people you know and never follow links to sites that you don’t recognize. You should easily be able to keep Internet worms, viruses and other bugs at bay.

9. Fake Anti Virus Software. This is one of the most frustrating ways to become infected with a virus or worm. There are dozens of anti virus and anti spyware programs you can download for free on the Internet and a surprising number of them actually do exactly the opposite of what they claim. The product websites make outrageous claims that their product can protect you from a whole range of threats, when, in reality, their product will only make things a thousand times worse. Only download antivirus programs from trusted sites or from websites that you know are completely legit.

10. From Mobile Devices. A recent story in the newspaper should serve as a wake up call for anyone who is getting ready to plug in a mobile device into their computer for the first time. A family purchased a digital picture frame from a local store and when they attempted to install the software that came with it, they inadvertently infected their computer with a virus. There really is no way to stop such an infection from happening, since we all buy peripherals that work with our computer, but we can ensure that we have the tools ready to go if an infection should happen. Keep your anti virus software up to date at all times and you should be able to wrestle control back from any Internet bug.

11. Friends and Relatives. Often times, we are sent viruses through our email from people that we know and trust. The social networking site Facebook has had to battle this very problem when their serves get a bug and automatically send out emails to everyone on the system that are infected. Often times, these emails are extremely generic sounding and come with suspicious attachments, but people often open them anyway since they have come from a friend or from a site they trust, like Facebook. Remember, if you get an attachment with an .exe extension or a .dll, don’t ever open it.

Learning how computer viruses spread is the best way we can put an end to their reign of terror online. It is only with the right knowledge and the best antivirus protection software that Internet users everywhere can beat online bugs for good.

EMAIL VIRUSES

2012-05-25T04:43:00.001-07:00

EMAIL VIRUSES EFFECTING COMPUTER.

Beware of Email Viruses in Spam - Top Tips to Stay Safe

Giving you more know how of Email virus is the intent of this article. Internet browsing is not the only pastime for people.

Getting connected and using the computer for communication is also a pastime for many. For those who are not web browser savvy you may by now know how to send and receive mails.

You may open a mail account and soon you will find so many mails from people you do not seem to know. Sometimes you even find some junk mail from people you seem to know. It is a bad world out there and just beware even if you get a stupid mail that seems to be from your friend do not open it. For now crooks adopt spoofing-A technique by which they use another email id so that you may accept the mail and open it. Phishing is a means used where the "From email id" is spoofed to appear as though it is from your credit card company or your bank. This is to entice you to part with your PIN number and other password with which they will rob your account.

Spamming is popular on the net. Advertising companies target your mail box in a means to send adverts across. But that is not all. You may find a variety of annoying and destructive mail or sometimes mail that has attachments. Many times these attachments contain

Worms
Viruses
Trojan Horses

What is an email virus, worm or Trojan? Email viruses are not viruses in the true sense of the term. They are more Trojans and worms. Normal computer viruses replicate on its own; but Email viruses cannot replicate without human intervention. Yet for all that they have cause major damage and shut down many email systems.

Means of Infection

Attachments

Humans are gullible and it is this gullibility that virus writers use. The only means of infecting your computer via emails is by opening an attachment that contains a Trojan, a worm or a virus. Once you do this you infect your computer and cause the damage the virus or Trojan is supposed to accomplish. If it is a worm then you have caused more extensive damage not only to your self but to all on the internet. A worm is an email sending virus and send emails to all the others using the email id's from you're the address book of your mail account. The worm thus uses your mail box to spread to others.

Email Sending Virus: Spam Infects You

Email sending virus-If you know what file extension are then remember this always when opening your mailbox. Any file with extensions

.pif, .exe, .com, .vbs, .vb, .bat, .bin, .dot, .reg, .js, .jse, .scr(Trojans), .wmz, .ocx, .wsf, .wmf are dangerous files do not open such attachment if you are not sure. In case you do not know what extensions are just do not open any files if you are not sure who the sender is. Also if you find too many extensions do not open the file. For Example it may look like letter.txt.exe or personal.doc.vbs.

Email Client Configuration

Another means of infection is the configuration of your email client. Under any circumstance do not allow any program to "automatically download and run any email attachments". It may contain viruses that can damage your PC. Also many email clients allow MIME extensions allowing others to encrypt and embed files and send it. Opening files from a sender you do not know can also give you an infection.

For most cases it is your email client that you use that cause the most problems. The latest email virus the recent KAK virus (JS/Kak, WScript.Kak, Kakworm, VBS/Kak) exploited a problem in the email client MS-Outlook signatures to spread. This used an ActiveX flaw and spread. Nimda activated on some machines by itself and is a combination of a mass mailer worm and virus.

Damage

Email viruses destroy and damage files on computer systems. Most viruses and Trojans are used now-a-days to get financial information that is stored on the computer. Like password and credit card information. Email's are the easiest way to download Trojans which is then used by crooks to obtain personal information. Some email viruses are capable of producing bulk email or spam by sending itself to all the others that are in your address book. The damage can be extensive and cause a denial of service attack on any email server.

Prevention

Email virus detection and email virus protection in the form or email filters are many. Spoofing is used to bypass these filters. Prevention is better than cure and the best way to prevent being infected is

Do not open any mail from people you do not know.
Do not open any mail that looks suspicious. Even, if you get, a 'mail bounce back', when you have not sent a mail.
Do not open any attachments if it contains any of the extensions detailed above. Do not open files that have extensions that you do not know about.
Better not to use an email client. Even if you are using one see that you are able to see the extensions of filenames downloaded. Also disable the signature and auto run features that are exploited by some viruses.
Get a spam filter or activate it with your mail server such that it filters out spam. Since some spam contain Trojans and viruses that can cause damage.
Be careful of any file even from known sources run and antivirus scan before attempting to open the document or file.

Removal

Removal of the virus is best done by getting an antivirus and running it
Also regularly update your antivirus as statistics show that one virus is generated every three minutes.
Get you computer scanned online by a reputed antivirus scanner like PC-Cillin or Bit defender.
In case of new viruses look up alerts and find out ways used to prevent and remove such email viruses.

Over the years quite a few email viruses have turned out to be hoaxes; a search for hoaxes email viruses would turn up with some interesting results. One interesting hoax is the invitation email virus. It says do not open any email with an attached file named invitation. The warning is that the attachment opens an "Olympic Torch" that will burn the whole hard disk. This is untrue but the hoax was very popular and spread rapidly. Just be ever vigilant for any email virus and check out antivirus websites for alerts and hoaxes before passing on any warning.

COMPUTER VIRUS

2012-05-25T04:36:00.001-07:00

What Went Wrong - How Did my System Get Infected with a Virus?

There are a number of warning signs that indicate the presence of a computer virus infection on your computer system.

The same symptoms apply to worm infections and Trojans, malicious code often delivered via contaminated email attachments. The major warning sign is a dramatic decrease in your machine's operating speed, especially if you are connected to a network.

Look for strange operating behavior such as flashing drive or modem lights, corrupted or lost files (especially Word documents and Excel spreadsheets), or unusual program messages (for instance messages that say your files are not in the correct format.) Sometimes programs are disabled and will not open or new icons appear on your desktop. Your speakers my play strange sounds or your monitor's display may be disrupted.

Frequent and unexplained systems crashes are common symptoms of virus infection. Sometimes the system will "han" on start-up or will take an unusually long time to start. You may receive "out of memory" messages or be unable to install new programs. But how does a virus infect your computer in the first place?

How do Computers become Infected by Viruses?

The simple answer to "how do computer viruses infect your computer" is that you have most probably been tricked into doing something that you shouldn't have done, thus allowing the virus to be activated and to propagate. Some of the worst virus and worm infections are attributed to email messages.

The vast bulk of viruses are distributed as attachments to trick email messages. The best piece of advice anyone can follow to protect themselves from computer viruses is, do not open attachments - especially those with the file extensions .vbs or .exe. If you receive a message with an attachment, even from someone you know, send an email asking what the attachment is about and even if they actually sent it.

Many viruses, once activated, send themselves to every email address in the contact list of the infected machine. The virus is designed to appear to be sending benign or useful material or programs. Be suspicious! If you are sending an attachment, clearly state in your message what you are sending (format and content) and expect the same courtesy and caution from your correspondents.

Some Viruses can Crash you PC. Check out the Types of Viruses

People have a very general view that there are many types of computer viruses and are those programs that cause damage or make the system crash.

Malicious code is the general word used and virus is one type of malicious code. Worms and Trojans are different from computer virus and destructive types of worms are sometimes termed as internet types of virus. Computer viruses have made their mark on the PC's since the 90's with different types of viruses causing damage to computers.

The earliest viruses made the most impact as no anti-virus programs were available. The advent of anti-virus programs spelled a death blow to many common types of computer viruses that were written by the various tools to generate types of computer virus. Those who were inept at programming used these various tool to generate the virus. Devious mind always find new ways when they found that the anti-virus software's were able to disinfect and remove the different types of computer viruses they went on to new methods and that is how Trojans and worms came up.

There are a few main types of computer viruses and these computer virus types are classified below depending upon the infection methods:

Boot sector/Master Boot Record Computer Virus

Means of Infection

Boot sector is that area of the computer that is accessed when the computer is turned on. A boot sector virus infects this portion. Once the boot sector is infected the virus is loaded into memory when the computer is turned on. This virus then infects boot sectors on floppies or other removable media Master Boot record virus only infects the Master boot record and not the boot sector

Damage Caused

Boot sector viruses gain complete control of the master boot record or the DOS boot sector by replacing the operating system contents with that of its own. This allows the virus to spread fast and cause damage:

By gaining control of the master boot record and the DOS boot sector the boot sector viruses can sometimes hide the resources that the computer has( the floppy drive even though attached may not be present)
Some boot sector viruses contain instructions to redirect disk reads.
Some boot sector viruses move the master boot record to another location causing the system to crash when it boots up. Other boot sector viruses cause damage to the master boot record
Some boot sector viruses damage the File Allocation Table (FAT) which is the index of all the files on the drive. This causes loss of data

Removal

The best way to remove boot sector virus is to boot the computer with using a clean boot disk and then rewrite the files with the good operating system files on the infected disk. These viruses were very much prevalent in the ninety's and a host of antivirus programs are now available to detect and clean them effectively. Spyware remover helps to keep off the malicious spyware to protect your PC and enhances good performance and speed up your PC.

Continue to : Different Types of Viruses

Boot Sector VirusBrowser HijackerDirect Action VirusFile Infector VirusMacro VirusMultipartite VirusPolymorphic VirusResident VirusWeb Scripting VirusTrojan horse

How to Clean a Laptop's Virus

2012-05-25T02:51:00.000-07:00

INFECTED LAPTOP TO REBUILD LEARN

2012-05-25T02:40:00.000-07:00

How to Rebuild a Laptop Infected With a Virus

Knowing how to rebuild your laptop if it's been infected with a virus may save you the cost of professional help. A virus is a program that infiltrates your computer and replicates itself. Removing a virus is a relatively easy process and takes less than a minute. There are dozens of free antivirus programs on the Web that are capable of removing a virus.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Download and install Webroot Spy Sweeper, Malwarebytes or the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (see Resources).
- 2
  
  Double-click the icon of your newly installed anitivirus program.
- 3 Click "Perform Full Scan."
- 4
  
  Left-click "Remove Selected" to completely delete the virus from your computer.
- 5
  
  Restart your laptop. Your laptop should no longer be infected.

Internet Virus Protection Repair

2012-05-25T02:22:00.002-07:00

Help With: Internet Virus Protection Repair

Important issues regarding Internet Virus Protection Repair: Computer errors occur when your operating system becomes filled with junk and important files get removed or corrupted. These types of problems are the consequence of not properly maintaining your system. If left unchecked these problems can result in critical system errors, freezes, and even a complete system crash.

Recommended: Use the Free Scan to diagnose Internet Virus Protection Repair issues as well as other problems plaguing your system. Once registered, this tool can repair the issues that may be causing your system to malfunction while simultaneously boosting computer speed, optimizing memory, improving protection, and much more.

Diagnose Internet Virus Protection Repair Issues

DESCRIPTION	VERSION	ESTIMATED DOWNLOAD TIME
DOWNLOAD – SCAN FOR INTERNET VIRUS PROTECTION REPAIR (Install speedy pc pro optimization tool)	Current as of (May 24, 2012)	56k -> 9m 512k < 1m	DOWNLOAD

Important (depending on your browser settings): when prompted, click "Save" to save the installer to your computer or "Run" to save and begin the installation process. Once installed use the FREE SCAN to search for system deficiencies and Internet Virus Protection Repair related issues. (Note: some advanced computer issues may require additional technical assistance)

Fix System Errors

Many computer problems start in the Windows registry. This complicated database contains valuable information about settings, preferences and relationships. With software installations and uninstalls, it can grow large, unwieldy, unstable and corrupt. This can result in erratic performance, freezes, crashes and a slow computer.

SpeedyPC Pro safely and thoroughly cleans the Windows registry to rid it of errors that drastically affect computer performance. It focuses on such areas as ActiveX entries, shared DLLs (dynamic link library), uninstall entries, font entries, applications paths, file/path references, program shortcuts, file associations and much more.

Improve Performance and Startup Times

When there are too many programs operating at the same time, your computer can slow down. This is because they are all fighting over the available resources. In many cases, there are unneeded processes running. SpeedyPC Pro stops these unwanted processes to improve your PC’s performance. When you turn on your computer, various programs try to launch. Some, such as your anti-virus, are needed. Others just take up resources. SpeedyPC Pro’s Startup Manager helps you stop unneeded programs from launching when you boot up.

Remove Viruses and Malware

Viruses, spyware, adware, keyloggers, Trojan downloaders and other malicious programs can cause all sorts of problems. First of all there is their assigned tasks: to spy on you, steal information, takeover your PC, bring more malware to your machine, and other devious plans. Secondly, malware interferes with applications you need and cause may performance issues. SpeedyPC Pro scans for and ejects active malware that can harm you and your PC.

Repair Many PC Problems with One Tool

Instead of having to buy many software programs to fix and clean your computer, you just need SpeedyPC Pro. It has a wealth of optimization tools and useful utilities. These include:

· Privacy Scanner

Finds and erases such private and confidential information as your credit card numbers, banking info, passwords and Internet browsing history.

· Disk Defragmenter

Optimizes memory by rearranging storage so that parts of the same file are all saved in contiguous locations to improve speed.

· File Manager

Finds the programs you need to open a wide variety of file extensions, including .pdf, .docx, .jpg, .xls, .tiff and many more.

· Clutter Cleaner

Gets rid of junk files, temporary items and other unneeded data that just take up space on your computer.

· Malware Remover

Scans deeply to find and oust viruses, spyware and other malicious programs that can harm you and your PC.

· Registry Cleaner

Fixes registry errors, such as ActiveX, Java, DLL and other common problems that cause poor PC performance.

· Startup Manager

Gives you the power to decide which programs should launch when you turn on your PC. Decreases startup times.

· Performance Problem Finder

Locates unneeded programs and processes that are running, often without your knowledge, and hogging valuable resources.

· BHO Manager

Disables unwanted Browser Helper Objects, also known as plug-ins or add-ons for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and other browsers.

· Restore Point Manager

Create restore points for safe cleaning and program installation and removes old ones to free up disk space.

The Barracuda NG Firewall features intelligent.

2012-05-20T10:32:00.001-07:00

The Barracuda NG Firewall is a family of hardware and virtual appliances designed to protect network infrastructure, improve site-to-site connectivity and simplify administration of network operations. Beyond its powerful network firewall, IPS and VPN technologies, the Barracuda NG Firewall integrates a comprehensive set of next generation firewall technologies, including Layer 7 application control, WAN optimization, Web filtering, anti-virus, anti-spam and network access control enforcement.

Central Management Across the Enterprise

With hardware models ranging from the micro branch office up to the large headquarters and datacenters, and a corresponding offering of virtual appliances, the Barracuda NG Firewall is designed for deployment across the entire enterprise. Through the Barracuda NG Control Center, administrators can manage security, content and traffic management policies from a single interface. Centralized management of security and content policy provides a number of benefits, including:

Consistent security posture and policy enforcement across the enterprise
Real-time accounting and reporting across multiple gateways
Comprehensive history and rollback of configuration and policy changes across the network
Centralized version control of anti-spam, anti-virus, Web filter and network access control updates

Intelligent Traffic Management

The Barracuda NG Firewall features intelligent site-to-site traffic management capabilities that optimize both availability and performance of the wide area network. Administrators can control application-level routing and prioritization of traffic across multiple links, tunnels and traffic conditions. Supported link types include dedicated lines, xDSL, 3G wireless mobile networks, and any other link types presented as a copper or optical Ethernet link.

Stops Threats and Reduces Administrative Overhead

The Barracuda NG Firewall is an application-aware firewall solution designed to mitigate threats, enforce policies and optimize traffic flow - resulting in ultra reliable WAN links. As an added benefit, industry leading, centralized management provides visibility of the entire network, reducing administrative overhead and in line costs.

The Barracuda Web Filter

2012-05-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Barracuda Web Filter is an integrated content filtering, application blocking and malware protection solution that is powerful, easy to use and affordable for businesses of all sizes. It enforces Internet usage policies by blocking access to Web sites and Internet applications that are not related to business, and it easily and completely eliminates spyware and other forms of malware from your organization. No more productivity loss trying to repair computers or make computers usable again.

Blocks access to Web sites based on domain, URL pattern, or content category
Blocks downloads based on file type
Blocks applications that access the Internet, including IM, music services, and software update utilities
Integrates with "safe search" filters built into popular images search engines
Provides integrated gateway and desktop spyware protection
Uses Barracuda Web Security Agents compatible with Windows PC’s and Macs to enforce Internet policies on off-network computers.

Powerful, Enterprise-Class Solution

The Barracuda Web Filter combines preventative, reactive, and proactive measures to form a complete Web filtering solution. Designed for the enterprise, the Barracuda Web Filter enables you to set up custom policies for particular users and groups across customizable time ranges. The Barracuda Web Filter integrates with popular LDAP directory servers, such as Microsoft Active Directory, for both authentication and group membership information on which to apply custom policies. Sample uses of group policies include:

Restricting access to job board Web sites to only the Human Resources group
Defining separate policies for teachers and students at a school
Enabling compliance officers unrestricted access to the Web for investigation
Providing external instant messaging (e.g., AIM) access only to specific users or groups
Restricting personal Web browsing to non-working hours

For organizations that do not utilize directory servers, policies can be defined for unauthenticated users as a whole, locally defined users and groups, or network IP address ranges.

Best of Breed Spyware Protection

The Barracuda Web Filter employs a unique approach to integrate gateway and desktop spyware protection strategies. In providing Web security at the gateway, the Barracuda Web Filter prevents new spyware and virus infections as they attempt to penetrate the network. In addition, the Barracuda Web Filter facilitates automatic removal of spyware from previously infected Windows computers with the included Barracuda Spyware Removal Tool, an ActiveX control that can be served up automatically upon detection of spyware protocol activity (i.e., “phoning home”). By adaptively targeting those machines that are infected, the Barracuda Web Filter provides widespread protection and removal without requiring preloaded client software on every machine on the network.

Easy to Use

With no client software to install and no modifications required to your network, the Barracuda Web Filter is easy to deploy. It has an intuitive user interface for maintenance and monitoring, making it a virtually maintenance-free solution. Even system updates are made automatically by Barracuda Central, an advanced 24/7 security operations center where engineers work continuously to catalog sites used in personal Web browsing and to provide the most effective methods to combat the ever changing spyware variants. Updates are performed hourly so that your Barracuda Web Filter can provide ongoing enforcement of your Internet usage policy and protection of your network.

Affordable

Large and small organizations alike demand solutions that are affordable not just today, but also in the future as they grow. With no per user license fee, the Barracuda Web Filter is the most affordable content filtering, application blocking, and anti-spyware solution available

Protection Layer Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall

2012-05-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Also available as a virtual appliance and hosted service.

The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall provides a powerful, easy-to-use and affordable solution for complete protection of an organization’s email infrastructure. It eliminates spam and virus intrusions while safeguarding an organization’s reputation through content inspection based on policy for both inbound and outbound email. Outbound filtering also prevents confidential or sensitive information from being purposely or inadvertently leaked outside the organization.

Anti-spam
Anti-virus
Anti-spoofing
Anti-phishing
Anti-spyware (Attachments)
Denial of Service
Data Leak Prevention
Cloud Protection Layer

Powerful, Complete Solution The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall is compatible with all email servers and can fit into nearly any corporate or small business environment. It is used by small organizations with as few as 10 employees and large organizations with as many as 200,000 employees. A single Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall handles up to 100,000 active email users. Multiple units can be clustered together for even greater capacity and high availability.

The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall protects your email server with twelve defense layers:

Network Denial of Service Protection

Rate Control

IP Reputation Analysis

Sender Authentication

Recipient Verification

Virus Scanning

Policy (User-specified rules)

Spam Fingerprint Check

Intent Analysis

Image Analysis

Bayesian Analysis

Rule-Based Scoring

The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall architecture optimizes the processing of each email to maximize performance and process millions of messages per day. Unlike software solutions, the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall reduces the load placed on the email server by offloading both spam and virus filtering.

All Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall models include comprehensive outbound filtering techniques including attachment scanning, virus filtering, rate controls and encryption. These features help organizations to ensure that all outgoing email is legitimate and virus-free.

In addition, Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall includes email encryption using a cloud-based portal and Data Loss Prevention features like attachment content scanning.

Cloud Protection Layer

Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall includes a Cloud Protection Layer to stop spam and viruses in the cloud. In this mode, inbound emails are first scanned by the cloud before delivery. The Cloud Protection Layer also features multiple delivery options. If the primary delivery destination is unavailable, then emails are delivered to a secondary destination. If both the primary and secondary destinations are unavailable, then undelivered email is stored for later delivery.

Easy-to-Use

With no software to install or modifications required to existing email systems, installation of the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall is quick and easy. Once installed, the system administrator uses the intuitive Web interface for monitoring and maintenance. With Barracuda Energize Updates, the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall is continuously updated with the latest spam and virus definitions every hour keeping maintenance to the unit at a minimum and eliminating administrative overhead. Updates are provided by Barracuda Central, an advanced 24x7 security operations center that works to continuously monitor and block the latest Internet threats.

Affordable

At Barracuda Networks, we design and build products not only for their power and ease-of-use, but also for their affordability. With no per user license fees, the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall is the most affordable enterprise-class spam and virus solution available

eScan Unique Selling Points

2012-05-10T11:52:00.002-07:00

The following points about eScan are the ones which make the BIGGEST impact on prospective customers:

eScan Toolkit: eScanAV Anti-Virus Toolkit (MWAV) is part of the eScan product range and it is one of the most popular supporting tools that is given by us. Customers use eScan toolkit for

malware/adware/spyware removal and also for removing the "after-effects" of malware

infection. It is also available as a stand-alone download.

Many forums across the world suggest and use eScanAV Anti-Virus Toolkit (MWAV) for customers who are affected by "strong" infections. As a result of this toolkit, eScan got the highest marks for malware disinfection from AV-Comparatives.

If a customer purchases eScan, he also gets to use this eScanAV Anti-Virus Toolkit (MWAV) on all computers which DO NOT have eScan. The Toolkit is also available as a stand-alone download.

Endpoint Security: eScan Endpoint Security or device control is a feature which helps customers to secure USB/Flash and other storage devices. Device control also provides for white-listing and device authentication so that users can "disallow" foreign devices from accidentally infecting their systems. Endpoint Security also provides application control, which is used for blocking unauthorized applications.

Lowest memory usage: eScan has one of the lowest memory-footprints (less than 10 MB at idle times) amongst all AV products.

FREE eScan Remote Support: eScan is the ONLY product in the market to provide the eScan

Remote Support facility, integrated in the software, to help consumers to detect and solve malwarerelated issues, in the fastest possible time-frames.

White-listing: eScan, today, can boast of the fastest scanner because, other than regular malware databases which all vendors provide, we also provide white-listing databases, which ensures that our monitoring only checks for "NEW" unknown files or modified files, and not the regular files.

Malware URL Filter: Socially engineered malware attacks pose one of the largest risks to individuals and organizations alike by threatening to compromise, damage or expose sensitive information. These are web pages with links to applications that appear to be safe and are designed to fool the user into downloading them, like a software update, screen saver application, video codec upgrade, Fake AV, etc. Additionally, the download link delivers a malicious payload whose content type would lead to execution. In other words, the web is increasingly being used to quickly distribute malware and evade traditional security programs.

Considering the above, we have now introduced a new feature within eScan (will be shortly available in real-time updates), which will BLOCK access of users to malicious websites / URLs. Malware URL Filter will further strengthen eScan on End points and will help users and systems-administrators to effectively mitigate loop-holes using which "UNKNOWN" malware enters into computers & networks.

Comprehensive Protection with Virtual Keyboard: eScan provides enhanced Web Protection and Privacy Protection features, such as User-based Parental Control, Pop-up Filter, and Virtual Keyboard. Parental Control and Pop-up Filters are customizable features that would help users block offensive content and Pop-ups, respectively.

eScan also includes an advanced Web Phishing Filter that warns users of Phishing Web Sites. It is also equipped with a Virtual Keyboard to protect the system against keyloggers. Users can use this keyboard while typing sensitive information, such as banking passwords or credit card numbers.

Protection from accidental detections of Operating System files (false-positives) :

In April 2010, McAfee customers all across the world suffered a terrible outage because of a critical Operating System file was wrongly detected as malware by the McAfee engine. This problem will NEVER arise with eScan because, with the help of Microsoft, and our own white-listing database, we will NEVER analyze a clean Operating System file. So the probability of wrongly detecting a good OS file as malware is close to ZERO.

Auto-detection of gaming mode: eScan is the ONLY product which features auto-detection of gaming mode. This means that when a gamer is running a popular game, the product will go into "idle" or "lowpriority" mode so that most of the CPU is given over to the gaming product.

OS Vulnerability checks : Most products in the market DETECT non-presence of critical OS updates and warn the user. eScan is the ONLY product which also automatically DOWNLOADS these OS updates (from Microsoft), if necessary, and REMOVE the vulnerabilities.

Auto and free feature additions during the period of contract: eScan is the ONLY product that gives out new features (as auto-updates) to consumers FREE of cost during the contract period. Other vendors give out feature additions as part of NEW Product releases, for which customers have to pay.

Auto-backup of critical files : eScan is also the ONLY product which provides the feature of autobackup of critical OS and Application files. The auto-backup becomes important if a new variant of a fileinfector (like Virut, Virtob or Sality) infects the system.

Windows Based eScan Rescue Disk : eScan Rescue Disk provides you with a Windows based clean environment that helps you to scan and clean the system and fix the Windows registry changes done by viruses.

Works in Safe Mode : In case of infections, eScan also has the ability to scan and clean in safe mode.

Customization : With the eScan customization kit, eScan Channel Community can get customer protection by customizing eScan products with their email-ID, website and buy links

Best AntiVirus Software Review

2012-04-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

Why Buy Antivirus Software?

Today, an unprotected computer isn’t just vulnerable, it’s probably already infected. New viruses, spyware, trojans, worms and other malware debut every day. New threats are disguised to bypass other security measures and specifically designed to catch your PC off guard. The virus landscape has also changed. Viruses that used to be annoying pranks have evolved into pernicious threats capable of destroying your computer and stealing your identity. The benefits of installing a basic security solution on your PC are obvious, but the cost in system slowdown used to make it tough to bear. Luckily, modern antivirus software haven’t just improved their level of protection, they’ve significantly improved resource efficiency and overall speed. You can have ultimate protection without giving up your resources. With advanced technologies and straightforward usability, antivirus software is more effective than ever. Say goodbye to annoying security warnings and noticeable slowdown; current antivirus programs deliver constant protection and can actually speed up your computer.

The last generation of antivirus software brought advanced heuristic detection into the mix. Continuing to improve, the current lineup of antivirus products often incorporate further developed proactive protection with better behavior checking and file-reputation analysis. Several of the products incorporate in-the-cloud security and other advanced technologies to increase safety and convenience. From gamer modes to battery saving settings to integrated web-link scanners, antivirus applications are more versatile and have upped the ante for features and functionality.
On this site you’ll find a side-by-side comparison of the best antivirus software, helpful articles on computer security, security tips and tricks, buying guides, videos and comprehensive reviews to help you make an informed decision. Three antivirus software products achieve the best test results from AV-Test: Bitdefender Antivirus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Panda Antivirus Pro.

•How to Remove/Prevent Viruses

•Top Rogue Scanners to Avoid

•Worm or Virus…What’s the Difference?

•Is Antivirus Software Enough?

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™

Building Security Systems

Siemens - Security systems that are simpler to run & more reliable!

www.siemens.ae/building-security Ads by Google Antivirus Software: What to Look For

All security software is not created equal. Like all consumer products, antivirus software has the good, the bad and the mediocre. The choices for antivirus protection are many and varied. We feature the best antivirus software available today from a number of providers and compare them. When it really comes down to it, effectiveness and usability can either make or break antivirus software. Our top-ranked antivirus software combine optimal security with user-friendly features and tools.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS uses to evaluate and compare antivirus software:

Scope of Protection

While most security solutions tout multi-layered protection and 360-degree defense, some are more thorough than others. The best antivirus solutions will include traditional protection from viruses, worms, Trojans and spyware, but should also include defense from keyloggers, phishing scams, email-borne threats and rootkits. While antivirus programs are by no means full-blown internet security suites, they should protect from as many threats on as many fronts as they can.

Effectiveness

Antivirus is specifically designed to protect your computer, so if it doesn’t do that well, what good is it? All the features, bells and whistles and sleek interfaces can’t make up for poor performance. We look at results from the industry-standard security software testers and professional security organizations to find the most effective software available.

Ease of Installation and Setup

Security software shouldn’t be a chore to install and should have you protected as soon as possible. From download to install, to the first scan, implementing antivirus software should be quick and easy.

Ease of Use

Antivirus software is complex stuff, but shouldn’t require a degree in computer security. The best security programs have all the features security experts want, but are just as easiy for a beginner. Everyday computer users want a security solution that they can install and forget about; software that doesn’t require constant maintenance or have annoying interruptions. The best antivirus software is flexible enough to do exactly what you want to (even if that means running by itself).

Features

A well-rounded feature set takes a security solution from good to great. More than bells and whistles, added features provide security, usability and performance benefits.

Updates

Security software is only as good as its latest update. Viruses are being identified and added to signature databases all the time. So it’s important that your virus definition list updates accordingly. Modern antivirus software are equipped with automatic updates that perform regularly enough that you get faster updates that don’t slow down your system. The best security providers push updates to you as soon as they’re available.

Help & Support

The best software doesn’t require reading an in-depth manual to use, but still has one available. For specific questions, troubleshooting and additional help, the best antivirus manufacturers provide superior product support online and off. Additional support for software may come in the form of assistance over the phone, email, live chat or through a number of additional resources (knowledgebase, FAQs, tutorials).

A well-balanced antivirus solution is effective, efficient and easy to use. Combining all the right features with a usable interface, our top antivirus software choices deliver the best security and usability without a serious investment in time, money or system resources

iPhone and iPad virus scanner

2012-04-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

iPhone and iPad virus scanner now available from Intego

While there might not be any active viral threats ravaging the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, there have been a handful of infections that targeted jailbroken devices in the past. Though it’s incredibly secure by design, iOS itself isn’t totally bulletproof — and it actually has a greater number of security flaws than Android.

There’s another kind of risk lurking inside your iOS device. Since its internal storage can host files from any number of sources, like email attachments or Dropbox and iCloud syncs. Those files aren’t likely to be infected with iOS malware, but they could be carrying malicious code that targets your Windows or OS X system. Plug in your iPhone or iPad, transfer the files to your system, and you could be in real trouble.

You probably have antivirus installed on your desktop computer, however, and it should intervene and prevent any infection from making the leap from removable storage like your iOS device. For those of you who would prefer an added layer of pre-plug anti-malware defense, there’s a new app from Intego that can help.

It’s called VirusBarrier (in keeping with the company’s desktop software branding), and it’s now available for purchase in the App Store for $2.99. Unfortunately, it’s a bit limited because of the way iOS is designed: realtime protection isn’t an option the way it is on Android, so files must be scanned manually one at a time.

Still, if you’re toting around critical files on your iOS device and want to check out new additions from outside sources before plugging in to one of your desktop systems, VirusBarrier for iOS is well worth the low price of admission.

More at Intego

New Antivirus Software Looks At Behaviors

2012-04-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

New antivirus software looks at behaviors, not signatures:-

It could be argued that security vendors are losing the battle with online scammers whose programs sneak onto computers and drop malicious programs, opening the computers up to remote attacks and turning them into zombies in botnet armies.

(Credit: AVG)

The problem is that most computers today rely on antivirus software that blocks malware by checking the code in a file against a database of signatures of known viruses. With thousands of new viruses arriving each day, many of them encrypted in part or otherwise disguised with modification, the signature lists require frequent updates and many new viruses slip through undetected.

As a result, security providers are turning their attention to behavior-based approaches for identifying new viruses, with software that focuses on watching for suspicious behavior, such as a program trying to write data to an executable program. Two security companies are set to make announcements on Monday that follow this trend.
Antivirus provider AVG is introducing AVG Identity Protection, software that analyzes the behavior and characteristics of programs running on a computer and shuts down activity that looks suspicious. The software is based on technology the firm acquired when it bought identity theft specialist Sana Security in January.
"The antivirus companies are flooded with malware to add to signature databases," with 20,000 to 30,000 new unique samples coming out every day, said Roger Thompson, chief research officer at AVG. "It's time to do something different."

(Credit: Damballa)

Meanwhile, Damballa is releasing its Failsafe 3.0 appliance that is designed to discover botnet malware on computers by listening for communications between compromised systems and command-and-control nodes controlled by attackers on the Internet.

As much as 5 percent of computers in a corporation are compromised with targeted attack type of bot malware, even with up-to-date antivirus and intrusion detection software in use, said Bill Guerry, vice president of product management and marketing at Damballa.

Of a sample of more than 200,000 malware samples scanned by a leading antivirus tool over six months, the average gap between the release of the virus and its detection was 54 days, with almost half going undetected on the day received and 15 percent still undetected after 180 days, according to a Damballa study.

Another company, Triumfant, announced behavior-based software last week that protects companies against zero-day attacks that arise from exploits of security vulnerabilities in software that has not yet been patched.

Triumfant Resolution Manager looks for changes in attributes of the computer, such as registry keys, security and port settings, and performance statistics, and removes code that is suspicious.

Antivirus 2011: Digital Defenders

2011-09-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Digital Defenders

Today’s new threats demand a new breed of antivirus software. Our lab tests show you which paid antivirus products you can trust, and which ones you should skip.

If you haven't bought a new version of your antivirus software in a couple of years, now may be a good time to do so. Malware is evolving faster than ever, and the latest generation of antivirus software is better equipped to handle this rapid pace of change. If your antivirus software is a few years old, it may not be able to defend against this onslaught effectively, even if you faithfully download new virus definitions. In recent years, the technology that powers antivirus software has changed dramatically: An antivirus package you purchased a few years ago may be able to stop known viruses and other known malware, but brand-new, as-yet unknown viruses can be more dangerous, and newer products do a much better job of stopping them.

So which paid antivirus program should you pick? That's where we come in. PCWorld teamed up with AV-Test (av-test.org), a respected security-software testing lab based in Germany. Together, we looked at 13 paid antivirus products from a number of leading security companies. We provide links here to full reviews of all 13, plus summaries of the reviews' key points.

AV-Test's multifaceted testing procedure looks not only at how well an antivirus product can detect malware using traditional, largely signature-based methods (that is, employing a database of known malware types), but also at how well it can block brand-new, as-yet unknown malware. AV-Test also examines how well a security product can clean up after an infection in the event that a piece of malware does get through.

This article focuses on paid stand-alone antivirus products, not free antivirus software or full-fledged security suites. Paid antivirus usually comes with better technical support options and more-comprehensive protection features than free programs. Suites go further still, offering features such as firewalls, parental controls, identity theft protection services, and more.

See "Fee vs. Free: Free and Paid Antivirus Programs Compared" (some of our rankings have changed since that roundup appeared in November) and "Battle of the Security Superpowers," which lists our top security suite picks.
Antivirus Trends

This year, more and more antivirus packages come with tie-ins to so-called cloud services, in which fresh information on brand-new threats pushes down from the vendor's Web servers to your PC. This is a trend we began to see over the past year or two, but it has really taken off in this year's batch of products.

Cloud-based detection takes many forms. In some products, such as Norton AntiVirus, it's used in reputation-based systems that pull together information on files and file types from users around the world to better detect suspicious files more quickly. Norton calls its system Quorum, but each company that offers a reputation-based process has its own name for the feature.

In other products, such as Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus, the bulk of the malware detection actually takes place in the cloud--remotely, on the company's servers, rather than on your PC--with the intention of catching malware sooner and reducing the performance impact on your system.
Since an antivirus product is only as good as its ability to block baddies, we based 70 percent of each program's overall score on its success in malware detection (and blocking and cleanup), with features, ease of use, and overall drag on system performance accounting for the rest.

It was a close race overall, but Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2011 took home the top prize with its excellent malware detection, blocking, and cleanup. BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 and G-Data AntiVirus 2011 round out the top three. Check out our top 10 paid antivirus programs of 2011, or click on the thumbnail image above.
In order of ranking, here are the antivirus products we reviewed. (You can click on each accompanying thumbnail for a full-size image of the program's home or main interface screen.)

Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2011

Pros: Has a good interface and strong malware detection.

Cons: Scan speeds lag behind those of the top performers.

Bottom line: Norton AntiVirus 2011 is a great choice thanks to its strong malware detection and smooth interface.

Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2011 review

BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011

Pros: BitDefender is effective at cleaning up infections and at detecting known malware.

Cons: It struggles at detecting new malware, and its interface may be confusing to some users.

Bottom line: BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 does a good job at detecting malware and disinfecting PCs, but it had some difficulty in blocking brand-new malware.

BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 review

G-Data AntiVirus 2011
Pros: Excellent malware detection and blocking; good at disinfecting PCs.
Cons: Lacks some features common in other antivirus products; scan speeds are inconsistent.

Bottom line: G-Data AntiVirus 2011 is a solid package, with strong malware detection, blocking, and removal capabilities.

G-Data AntiVirus 2011 review

Kaspersky Anti-virus 2011

Pros: Has strong malware detection and blocking, and a great interface.

Cons: It slows PC startup times and file copying.

Bottom line: Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 is very effective at blocking new malware attacks and is easy to use, but it slows system performance more than we'd like to see.

Kaspersky Anti-virus 2011 review

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus Plus 2011

Pros: Easy to use, with good malware blocking.

Cons: Not ideal for advanced users.

bottom line: Trend Micro provides solid, simple protection against malware, but advanced users may find its lack of customizability frustrating.

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus Plus 2011 review

Avast Pro Antivirus 5

Pros: Has a good interface and excellent scan speeds.

Cons: Its detection performance is only average.

Bottom line: Avast Pro Antivirus 5 has a slick interface, but its middling malware detection performance prevents it from achieving a higher score.

Avast Pro Antivirus 5 review

Panda Antivirus Pro 2011

Pros: Excellent at detecting known malware; good disinfection capabilities.

Cons: Slow scan speeds.

Bottom line: Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 is an effective defender, but it's one of the slower antivirus products we tested.

Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 review

Avira AntiVir Premium 2011

Pros: Has excellent malware detection and blocking, and excellent scan speeds.

Cons: It's somewhat light in features, and its main interface needs refining.

Bottom line: Avira AntiVir Personal does an great job at blocking and detecting malware, but its interface needs a makeover.

Avira AntiVir Premium 2011 review

Eset NOD32 Antivirus 4

Pros: Great speed-test results.

Cons: Malware detection and blocking is subpar, and the settings interface is poorly designed.

Bottom line: Eset NOD32 Antivirus 4 is fast, but its malware detection capabilities are lacking.

Eset NOD32 Antivirus 4 review

GFI Vipre Antivirus 4

Pros: Has fast scan speeds and little impact on PC performance.

Cons: Struggles at blocking new malware, and the interface is rough in spots.

Bottom line: GFI Vipre Antivirus is fast, but it's ineffective at blocking new malware.

GFI Vipre Antivirus 4 review

Checkpoint ZoneAlarm Antivirus

Pros: Good blocking of new malware.

Cons: Running it generates a sizeable hit on PC performance, and it manages only middling detection of known malware.

Bottom line: ZoneAlarm Antivirus put up reasonable scores in blocking new malware, but mediocre detection of known malware and speed issues drag its score down.

Checkpoint ZoneAlarm Antivirus review

Comodo Antivirus 2011 Advanced

Pros: Great blocking of new malware.

Cons: Below-average detection of known malware; struggles at cleaning up infected PCs.

Bottom line: Comodo Antivirus Advanced does an excellent job at blocking of known malware, but this can't offset its problems at detecting known malware and removing infections.

Comodo Antivirus 2011 Advanced review

Webroot Antivirus With Spysweeper 2011

Pros: Easy to use.

Cons: Slow scan speeds and below-average malware detection and blocking.

Bottom line: Although it's straightforward and easy to use, Webroot Antivirus With Spysweeper 2011 trails the competition at blocking and detecting malware, and it is hit hard by slow scan speeds.

Webroot Antivirus With Spysweeper 2011 review

Sophos products

2010-12-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

Sophos products:

Complementary endpoint, encryption, email, web and NAC solutions.

Endpoint

Protect your computers and data

Get the level of protection you need with a choice of endpoint security solutions that keep you protected against the latest threats, reduce the impact on your users and are easy to manage.

Why Sophos?Single agent provides both anti-malware and data loss prevention in oneProtection for Windows, Mac, Linux, UNIX and more all included in the licenseCombines anti-virus technologies to protect against the very latest threatsReal-time threat and compliance intelligence reduces cost and administration timeCentralized management delivers unrivalled visibility and control of your networkExpert technical support delivered round the clock at no extra cost

Endpoint Security and Data Protection
Cross-platform anti-virus protection
Simplified, centralized management
Control of applications, devices and network access
Integrated DLP and encryption
Centrally managed client firewall

Sophos Endpoint Security and Data Protection protects all your computers and data – without stretching your anti-virus budget.

Key features

Anti-virus

Stop malware with fast scanning, built-in intrusion prevention and live in-the-cloud protection technologies.

Platforms protected:

Live protection

Protect users against the new threats with in-the-cloud checks against the latest threat data and malicious URLs.
Learn more

Management

Gain instant visibility of security issues for all computers with one console for Windows, Macs, Linux and UNIX.
Learn more

Application Control

Reduce infection, data loss and productivity risks by blocking the use of unauthorized applications.

Learn more

Device Control

Reduce the risk of data loss and malware infection with granular policies to control removable storage devices.

Learn more

Data Loss Prevention

Simplify DLP deployment with scanning uniquely built into the endpoint agent to monitor the transfer of sensitive data.

Learn more

Encryption

Meet compliance needs by securing data on computers and removable media with proven SafeGuard encryption.

Learn more

Network Access Control

Ensure compliance with your security policy and patch status by assessing managed and guest computers.

Learn more

Support

24x7 expert technical support and constant, automatic updates and upgrades for new releases - all included.
Learn more

Encryption

Encrypt and secure your company's data

Protect your confidential information and ensure regulatory compliance with a range of encryption products that deliver policy-based security across mixed environments and operate transparently to your users.

Why SophosIndustry certified, award-winning technology already protecting millions of usersSuperior key management for secure and easy data sharing and recoveryRecognized as a market leader by Gartner for Mobile Data ProtectionReduces cost by integrating easily into your existing infrastructureCentralized, integrated policies for full disk encryption, removable media encryption and port controlModular architecture enables you to tailor the solution to your needs

SafeGuard Enterprise
Advanced full disk encryption
State-of-the-art key management
Single, centralized console
Manages external encryption products
Granular policy control

Key features

Protect your confidential information from data breaches and comply with regulatory mandates—safely and securely—with SafeGuard Enterprise. A modular information protection control solution, SafeGuard Enterprise enforces policy-based encryption for PCs and mobile devices across mixed environments. It is fully transparent to end users and is easy to administer from a single central console. SafeGuard Enterprise provides multi-layered endpoint data security by combining encryption and data leakage prevention (DLP). Its modular architecture provides comprehensive data security tailored to your organization's needs and growth requirements.

State-of-the-art policy enforcement and key management

Delivers centralized data security control across mixed IT environments
Provides consistent implementation and enforcement of company-wide security policies
Centralized key management makes secure storage, exchange and recovery of data simple and easy
Provides comprehensive data protection on all kinds of devices: full disk encryption for laptops and desktops, and flexible encryption for removable media, CD/DVDs, email, et cetera
Offers full disk encryption and port control-based data leakage prevention (DLP) under a single management console
Manages BitLocker Drive Encryption in Windows Vista and Windows 7
Integrates quickly and effectively with existing security infrastructures and automates administrative tasks
Detailed compliance audit logs and reports on device encryption status and user activities

Comprehensive security with a modular architecture

With modular, scalable and open architecture, SafeGuard Enterprise provides seamless integration of current and future SafeGuard modules, new security components and third-party products—guaranteeing continuous investment protection. You can pick the modules that suit your requirements. SafeGuard Enterprise modules include:

Management Center, which provides a single, centralized console to manage all the other modules
Device Encryption for advanced full disk encryption for laptops and desktop PCs
Data Exchange for strong encryption and secure sharing of removable media
Partner Connect for managing external encryption products
Configuration Protection for granular port control of PCs

Benefits

Comprehensive data security with strong encryption for PCs and removable media as well as port control-based DLP
Regulatory compliance with consistent policy enforcement and reporting via a central management console
Secure end user productivity with advanced, transparent key management
Investment protection with a modular architecture that integrates easily with existing architecture

Trusted support from one source
Regular updates and upgrades for new releases, as well as 24x7 in-house technical support are available with a maintenance contract.
Depend upon a recognized market leader in endpoint protection

Antivirus protection tips for today's enterprise

2010-03-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

General server-based protection

Your first line of defense should be at the perimeter of your network. Deploying firewalls to block port- and service-based attacks is essential. However, perimeter protection can go much further than simply blocking all but a handful of required ports. You should also consider deploying perimeter scanners to scan for and block viruses before they ever get inside your network.

Many worms exploit vulnerabilities in the operating system, so patching against those vulnerabilities is critical. Applying service packs and updates can go a long way toward closing holes that expose the server to attack. Windows Server 2003 can typically apply patches without rebooting (and triggering the disruption that rebooting can cause). For earlier Windows operating systems, consider using Qchain.exe to apply multiple patches with a single reboot. Although most worms and viruses target Windows platforms, Linux platforms are equally at risk if not patched and updated.

Disable unneeded services

Carefully review each server and ensure that it is running only those services required for it to carry out its function. Disable services that are not needed to reduce the server's attack surface, and explore ways to harden required services. Separate critical services from noncritical services by moving them to other servers, and consider deploying load balancing and clustering where appropriate to help ensure high availability.

File system protection

Consider how your network resources should be protected. All file servers should have an antivirus solution that actively scans the file system in real time so that, as files are modified or added, the antivirus application can quarantine or repair the affected files before they spread to client systems or other servers. The server should also be protected at the file system level in other ways. For example, all Windows servers should use NTFS, since FAT offers essentially no security. You should also eliminate unnecessary shares, require share permissions for all shares, and use hidden shares where possible to further protect the server from worms that propagate through unprotected shares.

Protection for e-mail services

Mail servers are obviously a vulnerable point in any network. A file system scanner can catch message files as they are written to the system, but a better approach is to use an antivirus solution that scans the messages as they arrive in the mail system. There are several antivirus solutions that interface directly with Exchange Server to proactively scan incoming and outgoing messages. An SMTP gateway scanner is another alternative in networks where other mail servers are used, or where you want to scan the messages before they reach your mail servers.

It's also important to not place all of your faith in one solution. Using multiple scanning engines from different vendors can add an extra layer of protection. A message might get past a single engine, but it's less likely to sneak past two or three. Using multiple scanning engines also guards against a coordinated denial-of-service attack on a particular antivirus vendor. GFI's MailSecurity is an example of an antivirus solution that employs multiple scanning engines. As an alternative to a single-vendor solution, you could deploy an SMTP-gateway scanner from one vendor and a solution from a different vendor on your e-mail servers.

The antivirus solutions you choose for your e-mail servers should scan for more than just virus-infected files. It's critical that they also perform exploit detection and scan for scripts, malformed MIME headers, or other mechanisms that exploit vulnerabilities in e-mail clients or server operating systems

Can Your PC Protector Defend Your Computer?

2010-02-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Can Your PC Protector Defend Your Computer?

All of us must be extremely cautious when browsing the web, if not be prepared to become yet another victim of hacker attacks. Our personal information and money is increasingly becoming the target of cyber criminals. This time get ready to fight Your PC Protector - a program with rather simple name. However, don't be tricked by this title; Your PC Protector is just a new rogue anti-spyware application increasingly infecting unaware computer users.

Wondering how Your PC Protector (also known as YourPC Protector, Your PCProtector and YourPCProtector) would end up on your PC? Well, the first thing to ne noted about this malicious application is the fact that it is spread by the group of cyber criminals who are also responsible for the development of Windows Police PRO and Windows Antivirus PRO.

Your PC Protector and other malicious applications in its family, all perform similar methods to trick unsuspecting computer users into purchasing a full version of the program. It can be dropped onto your system by Trojans or other malicious parasites. The program can also be dropped onto victimized system after visiting some malicious website. Therefore, if you don't want to get infected, it's very important to browse with caution and not to click on unknown links.

Once on the system, Your PC Protector will perform a scan of your computer system and immediately start displaying fake warning messages that your system is infected. Below you can see a screenshot of this fake computer scan:

Image 1. Your PC Protector fake system scan

After the scan, all you have to do is buy the full version of Your PC Protector in order to remove the huge number of purportedly found malware. Don't do that! Don't waste your money on absolutely useless security programs! And keep an eye out for my next article with more detailed information on Your PC Protector.

Computer virus

2009-11-30T05:27:00.000-08:00

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojans, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or go unnoticed.

Infection strategies:

In order to replicate itself, a virus must be permitted to execute code and write to memory. For this reason, many viruses attach themselves to executable files that may be part of legitimate programs. If a user attempts to launch an infected program, the virus' code may be executed simultaneously. Viruses can be divided into two types based on their behavior when they are executed. Nonresident viruses immediately search for other hosts that can be infected, infect those targets, and finally transfer control to the application program they infected. Resident viruses do not search for hosts when they are started. Instead, a resident virus loads itself into memory on execution and transfers control to the host program. The virus stays active in the background and infects new hosts when those files are accessed by other programs or the operating system itself.

Nonresident viruses:-

Nonresident viruses can be thought of as consisting of a finder module and a replication module. The finder module is responsible for finding new files to infect. For each new executable file the finder module encounters, it calls the replication module to infect that file.

Resident viruses:-

Resident viruses contain a replication module that is similar to the one that is employed by nonresident viruses. This module, however, is not called by a finder module. The virus loads the replication module into memory when it is executed instead and ensures that this module is executed each time the operating system is called to perform a certain operation. The replication module can be called, for example, each time the operating system executes a file. In this case the virus infects every suitable program that is executed on the computer.

Resident viruses are sometimes subdivided into a category of fast infectors and a category of slow infectors. Fast infectors are designed to infect as many files as possible. A fast infector, for instance, can infect every potential host file that is accessed. This poses a special problem when using anti-virus software, since a virus scanner will access every potential host file on a computer when it performs a system-wide scan. If the virus scanner fails to notice that such a virus is present in memory the virus can "piggy-back" on the virus scanner and in this way infect all files that are scanned. Fast infectors rely on their fast infection rate to spread. The disadvantage of this method is that infecting many files may make detection more likely, because the virus may slow down a computer or perform many suspicious actions that can be noticed by anti-virus software. Slow infectors, on the other hand, are designed to infect hosts infrequently. Some slow infectors, for instance, only infect files when they are copied. Slow infectors are designed to avoid detection by limiting their actions: they are less likely to slow down a computer noticeably and will, at most, infrequently trigger anti-virus software that detects suspicious behavior by programs. The slow infector approach, however, does not seem very successful.

Stealth:-

Some viruses try to trick antivirus software by intercepting its requests to the operating system. A virus can hide itself by intercepting the antivirus software’s request to read the file and passing the request to the virus, instead of the OS. The virus can then return an uninfected version of the file to the antivirus software, so that it seems that the file is "clean". Modern antivirus software employs various techniques to counter stealth mechanisms of viruses. The only completely reliable method to avoid stealth is to boot from a medium that is known to be clean.

Self-modification:-

Most modern antivirus programs try to find virus-patterns inside ordinary programs by scanning them for so-called virus signatures. A signature is a characteristic byte-pattern that is part of a certain virus or family of viruses. If a virus scanner finds such a pattern in a file, it notifies the user that the file is infected. The user can then delete, or (in some cases) "clean" or "heal" the infected file. Some viruses employ techniques that make detection by means of signatures difficult but probably not impossible. These viruses modify their code on each infection. That is, each infected file contains a different variant of the virus.

Encryption with a variable key:-

A more advanced method is the use of simple encryption to encipher the virus. In this case, the virus consists of a small decrypting module and an encrypted copy of the virus code. If the virus is encrypted with a different key for each infected file, the only part of the virus that remains constant is the decrypting module, which would (for example) be appended to the end. In this case, a virus scanner cannot directly detect the virus using signatures, but it can still detect the decrypting module, which still makes indirect detection of the virus possible. Since these would be symmetric keys, stored on the infected host, it is in fact entirely possible to decrypt the final virus, but this is probably not required, since self-modifying code is such a rarity that it may be reason for virus scanners to at least flag the file as suspicious.

An old, but compact, encryption involves XORing each byte in a virus with a constant, so that the exclusive-or operation had only to be repeated for decryption. It is suspicious for a code to modify itself, so the code to do the encryption/decryption may be part of the signature in many virus definitions.

Anti-virus software and other preventive measures:-

Many users install anti-virus software that can detect and eliminate known viruses after the computer downloads or runs the executable. There are two common methods that an anti-virus software application uses to detect viruses. The first, and by far the most common method of virus detection is using a list of virus signature definitions. This works by examining the content of the computer's memory (its RAM, and boot sectors) and the files stored on fixed or removable drives (hard drives, floppy drives), and comparing those files against a database of known virus "signatures". The disadvantage of this detection method is that users are only protected from viruses that pre-date their last virus definition update. The second method is to use a heuristic algorithm to find viruses based on common behaviors. This method has the ability to detect viruses that anti-virus security firms have yet to create a signature for.

Some anti-virus programs are able to scan opened files in addition to sent and received e-mails 'on the fly' in a similar manner. This practice is known as "on-access scanning." Anti-virus software does not change the underlying capability of host software to transmit viruses. Users must update their software regularly to patch security holes. Anti-virus software also needs to be regularly updated in order to prevent the latest threats.

One may also minimize the damage done by viruses by making regular backups of data (and the operating systems) on different media, that are either kept unconnected to the system (most of the time), read-only or not accessible for other reasons, such as using different file systems. This way, if data is lost through a virus, one can start again using the backup (which should preferably be recent).

If a backup session on optical media like CD and DVD is closed, it becomes read-only and can no longer be affected by a virus (so long as a virus or infected file was not copied onto the CD/DVD). Likewise, an operating system on a bootable CD can be used to start the computer if the installed operating systems become unusable. Backups on removable media must be carefully inspected before restoration. The Gammima virus, for example, propagates via removable flash drives

White Paper: The Evolution of Viruses

2009-11-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

The first computer virus appeared more than 30 years ago, which renders this class of pestilence a mere infant compared to the real thing. But 30 years is an eon in technology time, and the critters—and their creators—have morphed and adapted to resist every effort to stamp them out. While early viruses were the innocuous work of geeks seeking a creative outlet, any of today’s computer viruses are hatched with criminal intent.

Primordial Viruses

The first computer viruses were created for exploration and experimentation; they often did little more than replicate. “Very early viruses were kind of proof of concept,” says Craig Schmugar, threat research manager for McAfee Avert Labs. “[They were] written by, effectively, geek programmers who had a lot of skill and who knew what they were doing. In some respects it was almost like an art form to them.”

Creeper, which appeared in the early 1970s on the ARPAnet (the progenitor of the Internet), is a case in point. It did little more than spread across the network and taunt its victims.

When John Walker, creator of the 20-questions-style game Animal, wanted a better distribution method than mailing tapes (this being 1975, magnetic tape was the prevalent means of data storage), he turned to a second program of his creation called Pervade. Attached to Animal, the Pervade code copied the game to all the directories the game player had access to.

As a result, both Animal and Pervade made their way into the accounts of system administrators, who spread both programs to even more systems—via tape, ironically enough. From there, it didn’t take long for the programs to spread to computers across the United States. Walker, who went on to found Autodesk, had no malicious intent—he just wanted to distribute his little game—but his technique blazed a path for modern virus propagators.

The first personal-computer virus broke into the wild in 1982. Created by high-school freshman Richard Skrenta, Elk Cloner spread by copying itself from an infected Apple II floppy disk to the host computer’s system memory. The virus would reside in memory until another floppy was inserted, at which point the program would copy itself to the new disk. When the disk was used to boot the machine (Apple II computers didn’t have hard drives), the embedded virus would display a short poem on every 50th startup.

Computer viruses became more prevalent in the 1990s, and they exploded with the widespread availability of Internet access. A hacker culture began to take root. Most virus writers remained tinkerers, but they sought more widespread fame and even formed communities.

The use of macro viruses was one common technique for spreading an attack as quickly as possible. The ubiquity of programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel—with their built-in scripting language—gave virus writers a new way to toy with systems.

Modern Times

The virus economy today is booming, for the virus writers as much as it is for the antivirus doctors. “It’s scary how literal a business it is,” says Zulfikar Ramzan, senior principal researcher at Symantec. “You have a lot of people who had really good technical skills, but when the economies in [Eastern Europe and Asia] drastically shifted… [they] were out of a job and needed some outlet to make income.” By analyzing attacks, Ramzan says he can tell the time of day these kinds of viruses are written—a fingerprint that reveals the authors to be 9-to-5 employees. They even write clean, commented code in order to ease collaboration.

These often-criminal enterprises create viruses that can generate illicit profits in several ways: Keyloggers can steal passwords, credit cards, and identities; and botnets create massive, distributed platforms that can be leased for spam mailings, phishing, denial of service attacks, and other uses. Some of these groups even sell virus toolkits with full graphical user interfaces, so their customers can install their own payloads. “They actually offer technical support if you’re having trouble getting it installed,” according to Schmugar.

The original viruses often simply taunted victims with their presence, but today these ventures make the most money by staying quiet to delay their removal. Some viruses even download modified antivirus software as their first step, blocking infection from competitors while fooling the host system into behaving as though it’s healthy.

Rootkits often help viruses avoid detection. These tools are nothing new; system administrators sometimes use them to manage PCs or hide critical files. But viruses often use these low-level tools to mask their presence while gaining complete access to a machine. Once free to muck around, viruses can modify the kernel and process list to stay hidden even if a user asks which programs are running. And boot-record viruses in the spirit of Elk Cloner are once again becoming popular because they can be difficult to detect and purge.

Security researchers and less-predatory hackers have also become a part of this monetized culture. Maintaining a “white hat,” or ethical, approach, they root out vulnerabilities in code and then follow established disclosure practices to inform companies about security flaws in their products before going public with the information. Some software developers even pay bounties for such tips.

Breaking In

Sometimes, computer owners make the hacker’s job entirely too easy. “The main security issues today are not so much technical as they are social,” notes Symantec’s Ramzan. “Hackers often just ring the doorbell and ask to be invited in. Although there are ways to compromise a system by finding a technical hole, the most common way hackers try to compromise systems is by finding the human hole, by emailing you an attachment with malicious code and telling you to execute it by yourself.” These initial bits of code often work as a stage downloader, with the main objective being to clear a path for the malicious bytes to follow.

Sloppy programming, on the other hand, creates opportunities for viruses to infect a system without a user’s help. The buffer-overflow attack is one of the most common exploits. The virus designer, for example, might identify a point at which the software expects user input. Instead of entering a normal amount of data, the virus floods the query, overwhelming the program. Executable code hidden within this tsunami of data gains control of the host machine and overrides the program, tricking the computer into running a new set of instructions.

“Code itself is a type of data,” Ramzan explains. “It’s basically data that can be executed on a machine. Sometimes that distinction is not actually made at a very low technical level, and that’s what often causes these vulnerabilities to occur. At the end of the day, they’re all just bits, and your computer has to know which one’s which.”

Fortunately, it’s easy to protect your PC from viruses and cyber criminals. Install an antivirus program, perform periodic scans, and don’t do anything that would make it easy for criminals and mischief-makers to take advantage of you.

Antivirus Software Roundup -- Protect Your PC!

2009-11-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

Behind every piece of malware—be it a virus, spyware, or any other form of hostile, destructive code—is a sneaky, scheming scoundrel, oftentimes someone you’d never suspect. Antivirus suites promise to defend your PC against all the baddies. We test 10 of the leading products to see which ones are best at keeping your PC safe. You don’t need a military background to recognize that the Internet has turned intoa war zone. Not only are you always under attack, but the bad guys possess a seemingly endless arsenal of weapons that are constantly changing. Set foot in the wrong website and you might be stepping into a booby trap of malicious Javascript code. Toolbars and greeting cards come laced with spyware, hackers are finding new exploits faster than software vendors can patch the old ones, and rootkits have given virtual villains a way to stealthily penetrate deep into your system at the kernel level.

And if all that weren’t enough, social networking continues to sweep the web, making it even easier for morally bereft miscreants to spread their foul files. Can you really trust that MySpace page you’re viewing not to contain some hidden element ready to do you harm? You even need to be suspicious of IMs, and that includes messages seemingly originating from contacts on your buddy list. It’s enough to make you want to wave the white flag—and if you plan on going into battle alone, you probably should.

But you don’t have to fight the fight all on your lonesome. Several security vendors offer software packages that not only promise protection against viruses, but also purport to run off rootkits, stop spam dead in its tracks, and even circumvent websites from loading hidden malware before it has a chance to run amok on your PC. This got us wondering, just how much protection is actually necessary?

To answer that question, we hit up all the major security vendors and asked them to send us their most robust packages. We also gathered the most popular free antivirus programs for comparison. After all, power users know how to practice safe computing habits, which can go a long way toward PC safety. We’ll cut through the hype to tell you if the protection you get with a paid app is any better than what you can get for free—or if the paid programs, which have become so huge as of late, are too unwieldy and ultimately more troublesome than the viruses they’re meant to combat

Our Testing Methodology:

It doesn’t matter how effective an AV app is at catching viruses if it means we have to suffer through constant nagging or performance degradation in our day-to-day computing. We’ve identified the five criteria by which security apps should be judged.

System Performance and Scan Speed

We know you spent time researching components and toiling over your system build, so why let a poorly optimized program transform your hot rod into a horse and buggy? To gauge each AV package’s performance impact, we loaded up a series of action scripts in OSMark (http://tinyurl.com/OSMark), paying close attention to both memory and CPU activity. We then compared the results to that of a clean install.

We’re also interested in how long it takes to complete a full system scan. In today’s dual- and quad-core landscape, you no longer have to sit idly by waiting for a scheduled scan to finish, but if you suspect your system has become ill, you won’t want to do much of anything until your virus scanner produces a clean bill of health. With stopwatch in hand, we measured the time it took each program to run through its routine.

Annoyance:

Whether we’re using our PC for work or play, we don’t want to be bothered with near-constant nagging from our security software. An AV app should integrate seamlessly with the OS and be able to do its job with minimal interaction from the end user, while still offering at least some level of customization. Otherwise, it’s no less obtrusive than the viruses it’s supposed to be protecting against.

In order to assess how much each app intrudes on our day-to-day life, we performed a variety of common tasks to see how the AV software responds, if at all. This includes web surfing, downloading files, running executables, playing games, and everything else you’re likely to do with your PC.

We also took into account how much harassment we can expect to receive when the subscription runs out.

Features and Implementation:

Anyone who’s ever shopped for a new car knows what it’s like to be pressured into paying extra for all kinds of upgrades. And just because the salesman is attempting to increase his profit margin doesn’t mean you can’t both benefit from tacking on useful additions, but that only works if you’ll actually use the added amenities. Do you really need six cup holders in a two-seat sports car?

Likewise, there’s no point in owning a security suite stuffed with apps if most of them suck. Not only that, but you need to consider whether this added functionality is easy to use and how much pestering you can expect from disabling unused features. We take all this into consideration.

How To Avoid Viruses

Captain Obvious says that the best way to prevent infection is to avoid viruses in the first place, but what he doesn’t tell you is how to do it. And even though hackers continue to get more cunning in both delivery and execution, you can tip the odds considerably in your favor by practicing safe and sane computing.

If you receive an unknown or unexpected attachment, don’t open it no matter who it came from. Not only are some viruses capable of emailing themselves to everyone they find in an infected user’s address book, but inexperienced computer users are just as guilty of passing along payloads as hackers are of distributing them.

BitTorrent sites and peer-to-peer networking clients are also common modes of spreading infection. When attempting to download a legitimate program—a Linux distro, for instance —use the link provided at the vendor’s website. Pirated software is a particularly popular source of malware, so if your moral compass doesn’t steer you toward the straight and narrow, the risk of infection should.

And finally, get in the habit of regularly checking for software updates. New exploits are always being discovered in Windows, QuickTime, web browsers, and other common programs

computer virus

2009-11-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

Computer virus rogue computer program , typically a short program designed to disperse copies of itself to other computers and disrupt those computers' normal operations. A computer virus usually attaches or inserts itself to or in an executable file or the boot sector (the area that contains the first instructions executed by a computer when it is started or restarted) of a disk; those that infect both files and boot records are called bimodal viruses. Although some viruses are merely disruptive, others can destroy or corrupt data or cause an operating system or applications program to malfunction. Computer viruses are spread via floppy disks, networks, or on-line services. Several thousand computer viruses are known, and on average three to five new strains are discovered every day. Virus programs can also infect advanced cellular telephones.

Antivirus programs and hardware have been developed to combat viruses. These search for evidence of a virus program (by checking for appearances or behavior that are characteristic of computer viruses), isolate infected files, and remove viruses from a computer's software. Researchers are working to sidestep the tedious process of manually analyzing viruses and creating protections against each by developing an automated immune system for computers patterned after biological processes. In 1995 Israel became the first country to legislate penalties both for those who write virus programs and those who spread the programs.

A distinction should be made between a virus—which must attach itself of another program to be transmitted—and a bomb, a worm, and a Trojan horse. A bomb is a program that resides silently in a computer's memory until it is triggered by a specific condition, such as a date. A worm is a destructive program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing as it goes. A Trojan horse is a malicious program that passes itself off as a benign application; it cannot reproduce itself and, like a virus, must be distributed by diskette or electronic mail.

A Computer Virus Will Cause Damage to Your PC

2009-11-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

Unless you have ever seen how a computer virus can affect a computer; you may not know how bad the damage can be; the thing is that if your system does acquire a virus; most likely you will have to spend the money to get a brand new one. However just because you run out and purchase a brand new system; does not mean that you should not know how to take preventative measures to ensure that it does not happen again.

People do not like to talk about computer viruses; because everyone knows that a computer virus will cause damage to your PC. People understand that there are certain things you have to be aware of online. The first and foremost important thing is to avoid opening up emails from people you do not know. We all get junk email and sometimes that is all we get; however the main thing is to avoid opening it; because it could contain a virus that could harm your system.

Yes you system can become infected by a virus and unfortunately if it is infected; then it can become useless. There is basically nothing you can do with a computer that has been infected and the worst part is that it will be difficult to access all the information on your present computer.

People who are searching for diagnostics tools need to realize that when they run into the free sites that are available online; you have to be careful. You never know what these sites contain and unfortunately since they are free; they may not be the safest sites to use. Even if you are looking for a way to clean up your system; I highly recommend that you use a reputable service that is known for cleaning up systems. Yes you will have to pay a small one time fee; however if you get a virus on your computer; then it will cost you a whole lot more money to replace your current system.

The worm is one of the viruses that is sent by someone sending you a file. If you do get this virus the good thing is that you can not spread it to someone else's computer. You will notice if you do get a worm; that it will quickly bring down your system by eating up all the bandwidth and the memory.

No matter what type of virus your system acquires whether it is a worm, trojan or a virus; you will know that a computer virus will cause damage to your PC. The main thing that I have learned from my personal experience is to make sure that you are cleaning your system on a regular basis to ensure that your hard drive remains clean and clutter free. If you have no idea how to clean up your system; then you can easily visit the site below and get access to the hottest diagnostic tools that will ensure that you PC keeps running the way that it should.

Scan your system right now to ensure that you have not been infected by anything online that can damage your PC. Stop making excuses and visit any site online for free to scan ur PC.

Avast! Home Edition 4.8.1351 [Freeware Antivirus]

2009-11-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

Avast! Home Edition 4.8.1351

Filename: setupeng.exe

File size: 36.03MB (37,778,896 bytes)

Requirements: Windows (All Versions)

License: Non-Commercial Freeware

Date added: August 18, 2009

Author: Alwil Software

Homepage: http://www.avast.com/

avast! antivirus Home Edition represents the best free antivirus protection currently available on the market.

This edition is FREE OF CHARGE for non-commercial & home use. Its features include:

Anti-spyware built-in
Web Shield
Anti-rootkit built-in
Automatic updates
Strong self-protection
Virus Chest
Antivirus kernel
System integration
Simple User Interface
Integrated Virus Cleaner
Resident protection
Support for 64-bit Windows
P2P and IM Shields
Internationalization
Network Shield

Download Avast! Home Edition latest version