Watch Out For This Malware

A new kind of malware has been detected as spreading across the internet. Do not fall victim to it.

clipped from www.marketwatch.com Panda Security, a leading provider of IT security solutions, today announced that PandaLabs, Panda Security’s laboratory for detecting and analyzing malware, has noted an increase in cyber-crooks’ use of malware under the guise of fake antivirus products to defraud users. These applications, classified as adware by PandaLabs, pass themselves off as antivirus utilities and often appear on the Internet as free downloads. Alternatively, they can be concealed in other files downloaded by users, including music or video files. Once on a system, they often operate as follows: they tell the user (who is often unaware that the application is on their system) that a virus has been detected. They then invite them to buy the full version of the antivirus to disinfect the computer (you can see an example of these fake antivirus programs here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/2678703471/).

New Software in the Fight Against Spyware

Download the latest in antispyware at Spyware Fix.

clipped from www.cio-today.com Long gone are the days when vital defense, financial and energy systems could be protected simply by locking doors and checking nametags. As cyberspace has spread, governments and institutions have adapted accordingly, relying on vast Internet-based networks to serve as the central nervous system of the country’s most critical infrastructure But security threats have kept pace, ranging from viruses and denial-of-service attacks, to malware, spyware and old-fashioned system instability. Now an Idaho company thinks it has a solution to a wide range of those threats, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense is willing to support it. The biggest difference is in the speed of response: Most antivirus software contains an updating list of virus “signatures” — identifiers that alert the software once the virus has entered the system. Based on that it isolates or deletes the infected file, but if your computer gets a virus that isn’t in the database yet, it can easily slip past the defenses.

1 out of every 1000 websites have deadly spyware and viruses

It seems like the spread of viruses and spyware are getting worse and worse. Make sure you have a firewall and the latest antivirus and antispyware protection.

clipped from www.lemarssentinel.com About one out of every 1,000 web pages has the possibility of infecting a computer with some type of Spyware or virus, the Le Mars business owner said. “It’s into the hundreds of thousands for viruses and Spyware anymore,” Christiansen said. Spyware is used to collect information about the user without his or her notice or consent by, looking into the computer’s hard drive to find personal information like passwords and bank account numbers.

Speed Up Your Computer and Keep It Safe

Some tips everyone can follow to keep their computer running like lightning. Make sure to keep your Antivirus program updated!

clipped from www.lansingstatejournal.com 1. Remove unused programs to boost startup speed. Just because you aren’t using a program doesn’t mean it isn’t consuming resources and affecting your PC’s performance. 2. Update antivirus software. Antivirus software detects and removes viruses, which attach themselves to a program or file in order to spread from computer to computer. 3. Clean up temporary files. Obsolete temporary files can accumulate on your hard disk over time and slow down your PC. 4. Defragment your hard drive. Over time, your hard disk can become “fragmented,” which means that your files are scattered in pieces across the hard disk. With a fragmented drive, your computer must search the entire hard disk to find all pieces related to a file every time the file is accessed, slowing down the computer’s response time.

Next Generation of Antivirus

Cool article about the latest in antivirus

clipped from osysnews.wordpress.com “Antivirus software on your personal computer could become a thing of the past thanks to a new “cloud computing” approach to malicious software detection developed at the University of Michigan. The researchers’ new approach, called CloudAV, moves antivirus functionality into the “network cloud” and off personal computers. CloudAV analyzes suspicious files using multiple antivirus and behavioral detection programs simultaneously. Traditional antivirus software that resides on a personal computer checks documents and programs as they are accessed. Because of performance constraints and program incompatibilities, only one antivirus detector is typically used at a time. The researchers see promising opportunities in applying CloudAV to cell phones and other mobile devices that aren’t robust enough to carry powerful antivirus software.”

Avoid Facebook Spam

Facebook spam that sends out malicious viruses and spyware seem to be all the rage. Read the tips to avoid them below. If infected scan your computer for free at Spyware Fix

clipped from www.download.com I’ll admit to being tricked the first time I read a Facebook Wall spam message, and clicked the link. My surfing path was immediately blocked by Firefox 3 and McAfee Site Advisor (for Firefox and Internet Explorer). While we don’t recommend chasing down viruses to test the efficacy of your antivirus or privacy software, it was heartening to see the security features on these apps work as advertised. Grisoft’s LinkScanner Lite and LinkScanner Pro are also very good at alerting you to perilous Web pages, though Firefox users should know it is not yet compatible with Firefox 3.

How to best secure your computer against all threats

In order to fight the latest threats on the internet you need a multi pronged effort. This includes antivirus, antispyware, firewalls, and website filtering. Don’t leave your computer vulnerable to future attacks. See what program I consider the
best spyware remover

clipped from www.networkworld.com According to NIST, securing a mobile PC includes the following actions: Use a combination of security software, including antivirus (Compare antivirus products) and antispyware software, personal firewalls, spam and Web content filtering, and popup blocking, to stop most attacks, particularly malware. • Restrict who can use the PC by having a separate standard user account for each person, assigning a password to each user account, using the standard user accounts for daily use, and protecting user sessions from unauthorized physical access. • Ensure that updates are regularly applied to the operating system and primary applications, such as Web browsers, e-mail clients, instant messaging clients, and security software. • Disable unneeded networking features on the PC and configure wireless networking securely. • Configure primary applications to filter content and stop other activity that is likely to be malicious.

How To Remove Spyware – That won’t let you remove it!

Many of the newer strains of spyware have built in protections making them extremely hard to remove. Often times they pop up in random directories under random names. They can attach to your startup files and simply regenerate themselves every time you reboot. You can follow the instructions below and remove it manually or scan your computer free with the best spyware remover

clipped from www.pcworld.ca You can also try System Restore: In Windows XP, select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, choose Restore my computer to an earlier time, then click Next. Pick the earliest Restore Point available, and follow the prompts. In Vista, Click Start, type rstrui, press <Enter>, select Choose a different restore point, click Next, and check Show restore points older than 5 days. Click Next. Pick the earliest Restore Point available, and follow the prompts. If that doesn???t work, try running System Restore in Safe Mode: Reboot your PC and press <F8> just before Windows loads (you may need to try a few times to get the timing right). At the resulting menu, select Safe Mode with Command Prompt and pick your operating system. At the command prompt, type _C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui_<code> </code>(just rstrui in Vista), press <Enter>, and try running System Restore from there.

10 quick security fixes you can do right now

Here is a list of some great security fixes you can enact right now. For a free spyware and virus scan please visit Spyware Fix.

clipped from www.computerworld.com Fix 3: Let the latest browsers fight for you The most insidious hijacked Web pages are nearly impossible to spot. Tiny snippets of inserted code that don’t display on the page can nevertheless launch devastating behind-the-scenes attacks. clipped from www.computerworld.com Fix 5: Get the jump on fast-moving malware Traditional, signature-based antivirus software is getting snowed under by a blizzard of malware. Attackers try to evade detection by churning out more variants than security labs can analyze. So besides signatures, any antivirus program worth its salt today uses proactive detection that doesn’t require a full signature to spot sneaky malware. clipped from www.computerworld.com Fix 7: Develop an antiphishing habit The dastardly practice of phishing for personal information is still alive and well, and many fake sites can be hard to distinguish from the real ones. But a few simple practices can ensure you’ll never be snagged by a phishing hook. clipped from www.computerworld.com Fix 9: Make your passwords secure — and easy to remember

Antispyware Bills Being Caught Up in the Senate

As many experts have been able to see for years now the government is way behind in passing proper anti spyware legislation to properly punish those vicious companies that create spyware. But legitimate arguments emerge on what constitutes spyware. The discussions continue.

clipped from computerworld.com The House of Representatives passed two antispyware bills in 2007, but the Senate has failed to act on spyware legislation during this session. “Spyware and harmful adware are a critical threat to our online security and privacy,” said Vincent Weafer, vice president of security response at Symantec. “It is wrong, and it must be stopped.” But Weafer and other witnesses also urged senators to stay away from getting too specific about what constitutes spyware. The bill doesn’t specifically target programs that collect computer users’ Web-surfing histories, but some people may consider that a form of spyware, said Benjamin Edelman, a professor at Harvard Business School who studies spyware. “Practices change quickly, and at our peril do we make a list of practices that ought to be prohibited because, the next day, there will be more practices that we didn’t think of,” Edelman said.