Archive for the Category ◊ Antivirus & Security ◊

Pros and Cons of Windows 7 Security
Friday, December 18th, 2009 | Author: admin

The recently released Microsoft Security Intelligence Report highlights the vast improvements in security from Windows XP to Windows 7. Even so, no operating system is perfect. I asked security experts what they think about Windows 7 security and came up with a list of what Microsoft got right and where Microsoft is still missing the mark.

A Step in the Right Direction

Microsoft made significant changes to how it protects the Windows operating system kernel and added a number of new security controls when it transitioned from Windows XP to Windows Vista. With Windows 7, many of those security controls are enhanced and there are some new features as well.

Here are three things Microsoft got right with Windows 7 security:

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security, PC Tips  | Tags: , , ,  | 20 Comments
Six Easy Ways to Tell if a Virus Really is a Virus
Friday, December 18th, 2009 | Author: admin
We’ve all been there – you get an alert from your virus scanner warning that a particular file is infected. Sometimes the alert reappears even after you’ve told the antivirus scanner to remove the infection. Or maybe you just have reason to believe the virus alert may be a false positive. Here are six things you’ll want to consider to determine how to handle a suspicious or questionable virus alert.

1. Location, Location, Location

As with real estate, the location of what’s being detected can have critical bearing. If you’re getting repeated alerts of the same infection, it may be due to non-active malware that’s trapped in the system restore folders or a remanant in some other location that is triggering the alert.

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security, PC Tips  | Tags: , ,  | 3 Comments
Antivirus for Gamers
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 | Author: admin
Most everyone realizes that antivirus and firewalls are must-have protection. But when protection interferes with online gaming, it can be sorely tempting to disable that protection in favor of uninterrupted play. These antivirus scanners tackle the unique problems of gamers so you can play without sacrificing performance or protection. In addition to being game friendly, each of the scanners below has demonstrated superior detection capabilities through certification bodies such as Virus Bulletin, ICSA Labs, and Checkmark, as well as independent testing from AV-Test.org and AV-Comparatives.org.

Avira Premium Security Suite

Avira Premium Security Suite has low impact on system performance but offers a full range of protection, from antivirus and spyware protection, to firewall, email scanning, phishing filter and rootkit detection. Beginning in August 2007, Avira Premium Security Suite also offers “Game Mode” – the ability to put the protection in auto-pilot so you’re not disturbed by warning dialogs while playing online. Plus, a proceed of each sale goes to the Auerbach Foundation, supporting various charitable and social organizations, so you can game better and feel better at the same time. more…

Category: Antivirus & Security  | Tags: , ,  | 3 Comments
Free Wireless Security Tools
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Author: admin

Tools and utilities to help you test, monitor and protect your wireless network

NetStumbler
NetStumbler displays wireless access points, SSIDs, channels, whether WEP encryption is enabled and signal strength. NetStumbler can connect with GPS technology to accurately log the precise location of access points.

MiniStumbler
A smaller version of NetStumbler designed to work on PocketPC 3.0 and PocketPC 2002 platforms. It provides support for ARM, MIPS and SH3 CPU types.

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security  | Tags: , , , , ,  | 5 Comments
Securing Windows XP Home Edition
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Author: admin

Users should follow basic security advice like that found in Security Basics In A Home Computing Environment, Password Security, or In Depth Security. But, there are some additional steps to take that are unique to Windows XP Home edition.

The following list includes five things you can do to make sure your Windows XP Home edition is secure- including tricks and tips you might need to know in order to follow the advice from the other articles and implement those recommendations on this operating system.

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security, PC Tips  | Tags: , ,  | 26 Comments
Virus, Worm or Trojan Horse: What’s the Difference?
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Author: admin

So, one day your anti-virus program, say Norton or Panda, alerts you that a threat to your computer has been neutralized. Furthermore, you learn that this threat was a malicious remote access Trojan horse that you had unwittingly executed, thinking the program was just a new update for your computer.

You’re relieved to know that the threat is neutralized, but that leaves you pondering, “What is a Trojan horse, and how does it differ from a worm or a virus?” Although these three malware terms are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences that make each distinct and which when understood can help you better protect your computer.

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security  | Tags: , , , ,  | 8 Comments
10 ways to detect computer malware
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Author: admin

In the ongoing war against malware threats, you need tools that will baseline your system, detect vulnerabilities, and remove existing malware.

Cybercriminals are putting forth every effort to make malware difficult to detect. Successfully, I might add. Ever optimistic, I thought I would have a go at providing information on how to make their job a little tougher.

Baselining is an important reference

Knowing exactly what is running on a computer is paramount to learning what shouldn’t be. Creating a reference baseline is the best way I’ve found to accomplish this. Let’s look at three applications that do just that.

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security, PC Tips  | Tags: , ,  | 23 Comments
Five security news items that should get your attention
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Author: admin

A mix of good and bad news caught Chad Perrin’s eye in the second half of 2009. These are five of the most interesting examples.

  1. Microsoft got the NSA’s help with Win7 security. Many are concerned with the potential for “backdoors” inserted into the code at the NSA’s insistence. Some believe that Microsoft would never knowingly consent to such violations of user privacy, though that does not address the possibility of the NSA just ensuring it gets to harvest whatever data Microsoft already collects through use of functionality like WGA and Windows Updates, or that of the NSA finding a way to ensure a “backdoor” vulnerability is slipped into the code that Microsoft doesn’t even know is there. Given its closed source development, the pool of people in a position to notice such a hypothetical subtle security flaw would be fairly limited. While many might believe that Microsoft is above such behavior, few would argue that the NSA is as well, given the recent illegal wiretapping scandal. more…
Category: Antivirus & Security, PC Tips  | Tags: , ,  | 3 Comments
Five rules for protecting Windows with antivirus software
Tuesday, December 08th, 2009 | Author: admin

The best rules of thumb for virus protection on MS Windows are the same as they have been for years.

Good antivirus software is a critical part of any Microsoft Windows system that communicates with other computers, particularly if it is connected to the Internet and deals with browser, email, or instant messenger traffic. It seems like everybody has his or her favorite antivirus solution and it is different from everyone else’s. For personal desktop systems, however, there are some rules of thumb that seem to be fairly universal among security experts:

  1. Install your AV software before connecting to the Internet. Any MS Windows computer should have antivirus software installed before connecting to the Internet. I have seen malware insinuate itself onto a computer in less time than it took to download antivirus software to use on the computer. If you have not seen that, and you use that as evidence you do not need to worry about antivirus until after you have opened a browser and navigated to a Website where you can download AV software, you are just playing Russian roulette with your computer’s security. more…
Category: Antivirus & Security  | Tags: ,  | 82 Comments
10 antivirus programs for Windows 7
Tuesday, December 08th, 2009 | Author: admin

Windows 7 offers some new security features, but a good antivirus program can provide additional protection. Greg Shultz put together a list of 10 solid Windows 7-compatible choices.

Now that Windows 7 is out, chances are that evildoers the world over are busily scheming and dreaming up new and horrendous malware to target the new operating system in yet an another attempt to bring the computing world to its knees.

Of course, one could say that Windows 7 is probably one of the most secure operating systems ever to come out of Redmond; however, that doesn’t mean that Windows 7 doesn’t need the extra protection provided by an antivirus program. And due to the success of the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program, a lot of programs are vying for the opportunity to protect Windows 7. Here are 10 antivirus programs that have earned the Compatible with Windows 7 logo.

more…

Category: Antivirus & Security, Top Software  | Tags: , ,  | 79 Comments
« Previous Entries
Next Entries »