The beta can be downloaded for free at http://www.pandasecurity.com/spain/promotions/betatest/

Along with the release of the beta, Panda also announced the launch of a beta testing competition. All users testing the solution will receive a 50 percent discount on the purchase of the final product, and the ten beta testers suggesting the most helpful improvements will each receive a $200 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Even More Security

Panda Global Protection 2014 is the most comprehensive solution in Panda Security’s new retail product lineup to be launched in the next few months. The product continues to improve upon previous versions, providing even better real-time protection against all kinds of threats. The product leverages Panda’s unique Collective Intelligence technology to collect threat intelligence from millions of computer users and deliver automated, instantaneous protection against known and unknown malware from the cloud.

“The new version of Panda Global Protection 2014 is specifically designed for highly-active users with the most demanding protection needs in multi-platform, multi-device environments. The solution preserves user security and privacy on the Internet and specifically social networking sites. In addition, the Panda Global Protection 2014 Beta prevents identity theft as it lets users encrypt private files and folders with valuable information”, explained Hervé Lambert, Retail Product Marketing Manager at Panda Security.  

Panda Global Protection 2014 includes a new disinfection kit for infected computers that allows users to create a safe boot point on the computer to be able to boot it and disinfect it in emergency situations where it has become so infected that it won’t start. Users can also create a bootable USB drive they can share to boot and disinfect any computer, even without a Panda Security product installed.

Multi-Platform, Multi-Device Protection

Another major benefit of the Panda Global Protection 2014 Beta is its new multi-platform and multi-device protection that offers unified security for PCs, Mac, Android, smartphones and tablets.

In short, the new features and improvements of the Panda Global Protection 2014 Beta include:

• Multi-platform, multi-device protection.
• New user interface look and feel, making it easier than ever to use the tools included in the 2014 lineup.
• Improved antivirus engine with better detection and disinfection capabilities.
• New installer that makes installation easier and faster than ever.
• New disinfection kit that allows users to create a safe boot point on infected computers to boot and disinfect them.

To download the free beta and get more information about the contest, please visit: http://www.pandasecurity.com/spain/promotions/betatest/

The latest scam takes advantage of email. Criminals gain access to the victim’s email account and send a message to every person in their contact list to extort money from them.

The message subject is “Muy Urgente” (“Very Urgent”) and always comes from a sender who has the victim in their email contacts. The message text explains that the sender is on vacation and has had their purse stolen with their credit cards and airline ticket inside, and needs money to get home. However, if the recipient falls for the scam and transfers the money as indicated in the email they will be contributing to filling the cyber-crook’s bank account.

“There are many variations of this type of scam. In this particular case, the message has been circulating the Internet for months now and is beginning to fade away”, said Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs.

These fraudulent messages allow cyber-criminals not only to profit from victims, but also harvest addresses from personal and organization email accounts.

“One of the major problems victims of this type of attack face is the fact that the first thing cyber-criminals do is change the account’s password, preventing its legitimate owner from accessing it”, explained Corrons. “The problem can get even worse as many users use the same password for their Facebook or Twitter accounts, allowing cyber-criminal to control them and impersonate the victim”.

 Always Protected

PandaLabs advises users to always use their common sense to avoid falling victim to this type of attack. In addition, consumers should have an effective security solution installed, or make use of free malware scanners like Panda Cloud Antivirus.

“Be wary of messages with these characteristics. Should you receive one, contact the sender directly by telephone, for example, and make sure the message is genuine,” said Corrons. 

Trojans set a new record, causing nearly 80 percent of all computer infections worldwide. Despite their inability to replicate, Trojans are capable of triggering massive infections through compromised Web sites that exploit vulnerabilities in browser plug-ins like Java, Adobe Reader, etc. This attack method allows hackers to infect thousands of computers in just a few minutes with the same Trojan or different ones, as attackers have the ability to change the Trojan they use based on multiple parameters such as the victim’s location, the operating system used, etc.

“Trojans are cyber-crooks’ weapon of choice, which explains why they account for most new specimens in circulation and infections triggered in the first quarter of the year,” explained Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. 

NEW MALWARE DISTRIBUTION IN Q1 2013 (PandaLabs)           

MALWARE INFECTIONS BY TYPE IN Q1 2013 (PandaLabs)

COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST INFECTED COMPUTERS

The average number of infected PCs across the globe stands at 31.13 percent. The countries leading the list of most infections are China (the only nation with more than 50 percent of computers infected), followed by Ecuador (41.01 percent of infected PCs) and Turkey (40.38 percent). The top ten list of malware-infected countries is completed with Argentina (37.77 percent), Peru (37.43 percent), Taiwan (36.48 percent), Russia (36.21 percent), Poland (33.79 percent), Spain (33.58 percent) and Brazil (33.45 percent). These are joined by another four countries with above-average infection rates: Chile (33.37 percent), Colombia (32.01 percent), Italy (31.97 percent) and Venezuela (31.45 percent).

LEAST MALWARE-INFECTED COUNTRIES

The list of least infected countries is dominated by European nations. The country with the fewest infections is Finland (17 percent of infected PCs), followed by Sweden (20 percent), and Switzerland (20.99 percent). The other countries with the lowest infection rates are: United Kingdom (21.89 percent), Norway (22.57 percent), Japan (22.82 percent), Germany (22.94 percent), Belgium (23.89 percent), Holland (23.92 percent) and Australia (24.32 percent).

Finally, here is a list of countries that did not make the top ten list, but which had a malware infection rate below the worldwide average: Canada (24.89 percent), Denmark (25.72 percent), Portugal (26.91 percent), Costa Rica (27.22 percent), France (27.43 percent), United States (27.79 percent), Mexico (29.91 percent) and Hungary (30.69 percent).

Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.5 improves business productivity by adding Internet access control to its Advanced edition. Additionally, the solution enhances corporate security by detecting malware and phishing URLs before they can infect users’ computers. Also, and thanks to Panda Security’s cloud-based technologies, Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.5 can be managed remotely from anywhere in the world.

“We aim to help companies increase their productivity with a solution that allows businesses to monitor and control employees’ use of the Internet, while protecting them when they browse the Web or download contents,” said Manuel Santamaría, Global Product Manager at Panda Security. “Our new solution facilitates security management and provides an additional layer of protection against malicious Internet links and exploits that take advantage of system vulnerabilities”.

URL Filtering

Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.5 Advanced helps increase employee productivity by controlling Web access. It incorporates URL monitoring and filtering on workstations, and allows administrators to define profile-based whitelists and blacklists.

The solution’s URL filtering feature provides maximum protection for users against malware and phishing URLs over HTTP and HTTPS, adding an additional layer of security to their Web browsing. This way, if a URL is cataloged as malicious, any attempt to access it or download any content from it will be automatically blocked by the system.

Protection Against Unknown Attacks

The growing proliferation of malware threats has shown that traditional, signature-based protection is no longer enough. Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.5 leverages Panda Security’s Collective Intelligence System and incorporates new unmatched anti-exploit technologies which detect and neutralize malware that exploits zero-day vulnerabilities. 

More precisely, Panda Security’s new anti-exploit technologies are capable of detecting malware like Blackhole or Redkit that exploits zero-day vulnerabilities in Java, Adobe or Microsoft Office, among others, before it infects users’ computers. The solution’s major differentiating factor lies in its ability to identify new, unknown malware variants capable of infecting thousands of computers around the world, like the infamous “Police Virus”.

Other Major Improvements

The new Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.5 incorporates other significant improvements from the previous version. These include:

• Compatibility with Exchange 2013 and the most popular Linux distributions (SUSE, RedHat, Debian and Ubuntu), plus scheduled and on-deman scanning.
•  Scheduled updates for users of both Panda Cloud Office Protection and Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced.
• Ability to schedule reports from the Panda Cloud Office Protection console. Up to now, scheduled reports were only available to partners using Panda Cloud Partner Center.

Panda Cloud Antivirus, which boasts the Windows 8 Compatible logo, is one of the best-rated free alternatives for the Microsoft operating system, according to AV-Test.org. Results from the latest comparative reviews by this prestigious laboratory rate Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition above other security products, including Windows Defender (Microsoft Security Essentials in previous versions of the OS), Microsoft’s free antivirus in Windows 8, both in terms of protection and performance.

These trials, run in January and February 2013, consider a series of factors including protection against malware infection, the ability to repair systems and eradicate malware in infected computers, as well as usability and system performance. Panda Cloud Antivirus scored 6 out of 6 in usability and returned great results in protection (4.5/6) and performance (4/6).

“Having already achieved the Windows 8 Compatible seal, now being one of the first security providers to deliver a free solution on Windows Store is truly satisfying for Panda Security,” says Alberto Añón, Consumer Product Manager at Panda Security. “It is essential for us to keep our users protected with maximum security, and Panda Cloud Antivirus has proven to be a quality product, and a better alternative to others on the market in terms of protection and performance.”

An Exciting New Release

The release of Panda Cloud Antivirus on Windows Store also includes Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro. This advanced, paid version is available with a 50 percent discount until May 15 for Windows Store users.

The Pro version of Panda Cloud Antivirus offers extra features not included in the free version, such as a firewall, WiFi network protection, automatic USB vaccine and 24×7 VIP technical support in numerous languages. It also includes all the improvements made to the new 2.1.1 version, with anti-exploit protection against zero-day vulnerabilities affecting applications like Office, Adobe or Java.

Facebook’s AV Marketplace will now allow users to enjoy Panda Security’s malicious URL protection in six languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese),  increasing the scope of the initiative.

Since the start of the promotion, six months ago, Facebook users have carried out over 10,000 activations of Panda Internet Security 2013’s free 6-month version.

“We’re extremely happy with the results obtained from our collaboration with Facebook, which now extends to six different languages. This joint initiative against malware has been extremely well received by users. In fact, during the first six months of the promotion, users have carried out a total of 10,000 activations of our solution Panda Internet Security 2013,” explained Enrique Aguilera, VP Consumer Sales and Marketing at Panda Security.

About Panda Internet Security 2013

Panda Internet Security 2013 is specifically designed to protect users’ identity while using social networking sites and other Internet services. Its powerful URL filtering engine and safe browser module are particularly useful for users who want to preserve their privacy and security. Additionally, it can encrypt and password-protect private files and folders to prevent the theft of personal, banking and financial data or valuable multimedia content.

Panda Internet Security 2013 also includes Identity Protect, a module that provides anti-phishing protection, data leak prevention, and anti-dialer protection against unauthorized charged calls. Also, it delivers real-time protection against known and unknown threats by harnessing the knowledge and experience of millions of users through Panda’s unique cloud-based Collective Intelligence technology.

Every day, PandaLabs receives nearly 206,000 new files, 73,000 of which are new malware strains that Collective Intelligence automatically analyzes, classifies and remedies in 99.6 percent of cases. These technologies gather information on malware received from each computer to continuously improve protection levels for the worldwide Panda community. The 2013 product line leverages this huge knowledge base, offering users a more rapid response to the newest and most dangerous malware attacks.

Panda Internet Security 2013 includes a more modern, intuitive interface than ever before, and is compatible with Windows 8, Microsoft’s new operating system.

Torres holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid, and has over 15 years of experience working in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. For more than a decade, she was the editor-in-chief of TCN (Technology Channel News), a publication concerning IT distribution channels and partnerships, as well as a regular contributor to other publications in the technology area.

Over the last few months, Torres has acted as coordinator for Samsung’s IT and Telecommunications division at the Asesores de Relaciones Públicas y Comunicación PR and communications agency.

Silvia Torres has a Master’s Degree in Community Management & Social Media Marketing from CEDECO.

“Joining Panda Security, a leading multinational company with presence in 56 countries and over 10 million users around the world, is an exciting new challenge that will allow me to grow both personally and professionally, helping develop the communication processes of a top player in the security and innovation sectors”, said Silvia Torres.

PandaLabs, the anti-malware laboratory of Panda Security, has released tips to help consumers protect themselves against Valentine’s Day-themed scams. February 14^th is quickly approaching and couples around the world are getting ready to celebrate with the traditional exchange of presents and romantic cards. Unfortunately, cyber-criminals are well aware of this, too, and take advantage of holidays like this to trick users and infect as many computers as possible.

“In the coming days, there will be an increase in the number of emails in circulation with links for downloading romantic greeting cards, videos, gift ideas, and Facebook and Twitter messages related to Valentine’s Day,” explained Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. “However, not all of them will be legitimate. In many cases they will be just scams designed by cyber-criminals to infect computers and steal confidential information through social engineering techniques.”

Social engineering techniques are used by cyber-crooks to trick users into handing over their data, or installing a malicious program which captures information and sends it to the fraudsters. Today, most people use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to communicate, so special care must be taken with messages and links received on these networks. One popular cyber-criminal tactic involves posting links to sensational news stories or hard-to-resist offers to grab victims’ attention.

Another infection source is email. “Many of us still remember the infamous “I Love You” worm, which managed to spread and infect computers around the world simply through a love letter supposedly sent by one of your contacts,” said Luis Corrons. “Today, users are more likely to receive spam messages with links to online shops with too-good-to-be true offers, bills for purchases they haven’t made, and all sorts of other scams aimed at tricking them and infecting their computers.”

PandaLabs offers users a series of tips to avoid falling victim to computer threats:

• Do not run attached files that come from unknown sources. Stay on alert for files that claim to be Valentine Day’s greeting cards, romantic videos, etc.
• Do not open emails or messages received on social networks from unknown senders.
• Do not click any links included in email messages, even though they may come from reliable sources. It is better to type the URL directly in the browser. This rule applies to messages received through any mail client, as well as those in Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks or messaging applications, etc. If you do click on any such links, take a close look at the page you arrive at and if you don’t recognize it, close your browser.
• Even if the page seems legitimate, but asks you to download something, be suspicious and don’t accept the download. If you download and install any type of executable file and you begin to see unusual messages on your computer, you have likely been infected with malware.
• If you make any purchases online, type the address of the store in the browser, rather than going through any links that have been sent to you. Only buy online from sites that have a solid reputation and offer secure transactions, encrypting all information that is entered in the page.
• Do not use shared or public computers, or an unsecured WiFi connection, for making transactions or operations that require you to enter passwords or other personal details.
• Have an effective security solution installed, capable of detecting both known and new malware strains.

Panda Security offers several free tools for scanning computers for malware, like Panda Cloud Antivirus.

More information is available in the PandaLabs Blog.

PandaLabs, the anti-malware laboratory of Panda Security, has released its 2012 Annual Security Report, which details an extremely interesting year of data theft, social networking attacks and cyber-warfare. According to the report, 31.98 percent of all computers scanned around the world had malware. With the addition of 2012’s numbers, the grand total of all malware samples in PandaLabs’ database has reached approximately 125 million and PandaLabs researchers estimated that at least 27 million new strains of malware were created in 2012 alone. Trojans continued to account for most of the new threats, comprising three out of every four new malware strains created in 2012. The full report is available at http://press.pandasecurity.com/press-room/reports/.

These figures show cyber-criminals’ sheer capacity to automate the creation of new malware variants, further evidenced by the average number of new threats created and released every day, totaling approximately 74,000. This malware avalanche can be stopped with Panda Security’s Collective Intelligence technologies, a cloud-based proprietary system that automatically detects, analyzes and classifies 99.4 percent of all malware received by PandaLabs.

Malware

In 2012, Trojans dominated the threat landscape more than ever before. Three out of every four malware infections were caused by Trojans (76.56 percent), up ten points compared to 2011. One of the reasons for this growth was the increased use of exploit kits such as Black Hole, which are capable of exploiting multiple system vulnerabilities to infect computers automatically without user intervention. Viruses came second (8 percent), whereas worms dropped to third place accounting for 6.44 percent of all infections. To see a graph of countries with the most malware infections, please visitHere is a visual depicting these trends: http://press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PLENG1.jpg.

The countries leading the list of most infections are China, South Korea and Taiwan, with 54.89, 54.15 and 42.14 percent of infected computers respectively. On a positive note, the proportion of infected computers around the world decreased significantly. In China, the number of infected computers dropped from 56 percent in 2011 to 54.89 percent in 2012, and in Taiwan, the decrease was even larger (from 52 percent to 42.14 percent). Here is a link to a graph representing the countries with most malware-infected computers: http://press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PLENG2.jpg.

The countries with the fewest infections are Sweden (20.25 percent of infected PCs), followed by Switzerland (20.35 percent), and Norway (21.03). Here’s a link to a graph representing the countries with the fewest infections: http://press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PLENG3.jpg.

2012: The Year of Mobile Malware and Social Networking Attacks

Android’s market share continued to rise, becoming the platform most frequently targeted for cyber-crooks to steal users’ money and information.

Social networking sites play a vital role in the life of Internet users and are extensively covered in the report. Facebook and Twitter continue to be among the most popular social media sites, and are exploited by cyber-crooks to trick users, infect their computers and steal their confidential information. LinkedIn, a tool that is increasingly becoming a key part of job searches, also suffered a massive breach that led to the theft of 6.5 million user passwords.

Ransomware also grabbed headlines in 2012. The ‘Police Virus’ infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, using fear and blackmailing techniques to extort money from computer users.

Security Trends for 2013

Besides offering an overview of the most significant events in the computer security field, the 2012 Annual Security Report also forecasts future trends for 2013. Cyber-crime and social media attacks took the spotlight in 2012 and will continue to do so in 2013. Special care will have to be taken to protect networks against operating system and application vulnerabilities, as it has become increasingly common for cyber-criminals and national intelligence agencies to exploit security flaws to silently compromise systems. In addition, Android users will face a growing number of attacks from cyber-crooks targeting this platform. Cyber-espionage and cyber-war will also be on the rise in a year that presents itself full of challenges in the computer security world.

The full report is available at: http://press.pandasecurity.com/press-room/reports/ and on the PandaLabs blog.

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced the beta release of version 6.50 of Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced, the first cloud-based endpoint security solution with protection for Exchange Server.

Main new features of Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced 6.50 beta include:

• URL filtering: Improved proactive detection for even better protection. The solution’s technology and reporting capabilities allow deeper visibility into end-user Internet activity and productivity. In addition, it enables administrators to create URL blacklists and whitelists, and blocks access to URLs belonging to prohibited categories, such as sex, gaming, etc.
• Anti-exploit technology: Detects and neutralizes malware that exploits 0-day vulnerabilities to infect the PC. This technology leverages Panda’s Collective Technology to block Blackhole and Redkit exploit malware by analyzing its behavior. The solution is capable of detecting new malware variants even before they have been identified.
• Compatible with Exchange Server 2013: The beta release is compatible with the new messaging platform Exchange Server 2013, as well as with Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit) and Windows 2012 Server.

Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced, which was launched last June, features Exchange Server protection that scans all inbound and outbound email regardless of the protocol used. Additionally, the software has an intelligent mailbox scanner that optimizes server resource usage, and incorporates anti-spam protection and Device Control technologies designed to prevent the spread of malware through the improper use of external devices.

The service also includes Malware Freezer, a module that ‘freezes’ detected malware for seven days by placing it in quarantine. This tool ensures system stability, restoring false positive files. An image of the product can be accessed at:  http://press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/url_en.bmp.

Along with the release of the beta, Panda also announced the launch of a competition to reward its beta testers. The ten users suggesting the most helpful improvements to Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced will each receive a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate. The beta can be downloaded for free at: http://www.pandasecurity.com/promotions/betatest/pcop.

For more information about Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced, please visit:  http://www.pandasecurity.com/enterprise/solutions/cloud-office-protection-advanced/.