Fighting Off Viruses: Advancements In Antivirus Software Suites

Protecting your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each day. While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you can’t leave your guard down for one second. Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on more than one occasion.

Remember the “good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today’s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage. Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop.

The Internet helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today’s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase.

Protecting Your Computer

Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.

A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:

1. Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.

2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company. Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.

3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.

4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email.

5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.
Recommended Antivirus Software

There are numerous applications available to consumers. With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you. Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities. However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing.

Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.

The Shield Pro 2005™ provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005™ promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan.

BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support.

PC-cillin Internet Security combines antivirus security and a personal firewall—for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability. In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.

How does anti-virus software work?

An anti-virus software program is a computer program that can be used to scan files to identify and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software (malware).

Anti-virus software typically uses two different techniques to accomplish this:

Department of Computer Security? It's a Joke

If you want to make a geek laugh derisively, suggest that responsibility for computer security be turned over to the government. This reaction is guaranteed, regardless of ideology. Everyone knows that this is not possible, but rarely are the implications for political economy noted.

Parallels Mac Desktop

The New Parallels software is out! Parallels is the first virtualization software that allows Intel-based Mac users to run multiple Windows applications without rebooting your Mac Dock!

With the new Parallels 3.0 for Mac, you can enjoy both Windows applications as well as Mac OS X applications concurrently! And, unlike Boot Camp, you won’t have to restart! Parallels also works with OpenGL and DirectX specifications to let you and play your favorite Windows games during any time, even when still working in Mac OS X. Now you can play Half Life, Hitman, Homeworld 2, Live for Speed, Quake1 GL, Quake 2, Quake 3 and more on your Mac! Cliff Joseph from MacWorld UK says, “Parallels Desktop 3.0 is a surprisingly effective method of running Windows software on your Mac.” Try it today; it may just be the coolest software you’ve ever purchased. And, for $80, you can’t beat the price!

Adobe After Effects

After Effects is a very powerful solution for doing titles and visual effects on digital video, including Chroma Keying (e.g. green screen) and masking.

It also manages to make many great looking effects very easy to implement into your videos. After Effects is extremely powerful, and I found it very easy to use, especially because the help file is so robust. If you want to do anything, it’s so easy just to go into the help file, and look for what it is you want to do. It is also very straight forward, so even without using the help, it is obvious that things like titles, will be in the “Titles” menu. The effects, like chroma key, are also very easy to implement, with straight forward things like drag and drop throughout every element. Of course, because it is so powerful it has rather high system requirements, and can only be run on high end systems. Besides that, it is an essential program for anybody who is serious about doing great effects, or editing digital video. It is definitely worth the high price tag.

CounterSpy 2.0

Ever had one of those days when you were on the web one day and the next day your browser refuses to go to the sites you want and jumps from site to site.

Well I’ve had several of those days and I’ve got a program that you need if you want to be on the web each night without worrying what gets on your system. Developed by Sunbelt Software, CounterSpy 2.0has succeeded where other applications such as McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8 and Windows Defender has failed. Not only did it get rid of my browser problem, it alerted me to other security issues on my system (including tracking cookies) filtering out the bad and leaving behind the good.

You can get a free 15-day trial at the Sunbelt Software website and can upgrade to the full version for $19.95. I think it’s totally worth the price since it saved me from viewing webpages I had no interest in seeing. A word of caution though: Active Protection tends to go a bit extreme so try and create a system restore point before your first install and see how it works for you. If it doesn’t work out well the first time, use the restore point and install CounterSpy without enabling Active Protection. Good luck!

Antivirus Developers Team to Set Test Standards

As malware gets more aggressive, security software companies seek to set standards for products and evaluations.

Peter Sayer, IDG News Service
Antivirus software companies and software testers created a new organization Monday with the goal of providing consistent information about the effectiveness of antivirus products.

The distribution of malware -- including viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, and Web sites exploiting weaknesses in Internet browsers -- is now being driven by organized crime for financial gain, and poses an ever more serious threat.

Anti-malware software developers have developed methods to block these threats, but traditional antivirus tests are becoming irrelevant because they don't take such methods into account, according to Stuart Taylor of anti-malware software vendor Sophos.

Last year, developers of antivirus software called into question a batch of antivirus tests conducted by independent organizations when showed their products failing to detect many security threats. At a meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, last May, representatives of F-Secure, Panda Software and Symantec decided to design a new testing plan.

The creation of the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) is one of the fruits of that work. It brings together around 40 developers and testers of anti-malware tools, with the aim of hosting discussions about testing, publicizing testing standards, and providing tools and resources for such testing.

Organizations present at the inaugural meeting included antivirus software testers such as AV-Comparatives and AV-Test.org, and antivirus software developers including BitDefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky Lab, McAfee, Sophos, Symantec, Trend Micro and Panda Software, which hosted the meeting. IBM and Microsoft also attended.

FBI Suspects Chinese Hackers Damaged Darfur Site

The FBI is looking into a China-based hack of servers at the Save Darfur Coalition.

Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a possible China connection in the hack of a nonprofit group created to draw attention to the ongoing genocide in western Sudan's Darfur region.

The Save Darfur Coalition called in the FBI earlier this week after discovering that someone had gained unauthorized access to its e-mail and Web server, according to Allyn Brooks-LaSure, a spokesman with the group.

Brooks-LaSure doesn't know who is behind the attacks, but he said the Internet Protocol addresses of the computers that had hacked his organization were from China. "Someone in Beijing is trying to send us a message," he said.

The hackers seemed to be primarily interested in gathering data on his group, Brooks-LaSure said. Save Darfur has been trying to get China to pressure Sudan's government into stopping the mass killings in Darfur's ongoing civil war. China is one of Sudan's largest trading partners.

Computers in China have been the source of many attacks in recent years, although security experts say that sometimes China-based machines are simply used as jumping-off points for attackers who actually reside in other countries such as the U.S. or Russia.

Groups that work with Save Darfur may have also been hit, Brooks-LaSure said. Some partner organizations have been the subject of very targeted e-mail attacks over the past few weeks that have tried to trick workers into opening malicious documents or visiting malicious Web sites. These are both common ways of installing unauthorized software on a victim's computer.

This type of targeted e-mail attack was recently employed by attackers looking to infect people on a pro-Tibet mailing list. Victims who opened what appeared to be a statement of solidarity for the people of Tibet were secretly hit with attack code that exploited a flaw in Adobe's Acrobat software, said security researchers at F-Secure in a blog posting.

"It looked like it was coming from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO). However, the e-mail headers were forged and the mail was coming from somewhere else altogether," wrote F-Secure.

Many pro-Tibet organizations have been targeted with these types of attacks in recent months, the company added. "This is not an isolated incident. Far from it," the company said. "These e-mails have been sent to mailing lists, private forums and directly to persons working inside pro-Tibet groups. Some individuals have received targeted attacks like this several times a month."

A similar type of attack was used last month to infect computers at a committee working on security at the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, according to security vendor MessageLabs.

Members of that committee were infected by a malicious Microsoft Word document that they then forwarded to other organizations, according to MessageLabs researcher Maksym Schipka. In that case, "the bad guys did not have to hack into the good guy's mail server, all they had to do was persuade them that the document was something interesting so that the good guys themselves would forward it on," he said.

It is not clear that there is any connection between the attack reported by MessageLabs and that reported by Save Darfur.

When contacted Friday regarding the Save Darfur incident, FBI Spokeswoman Debbie Weierman confirmed that the law enforcement agency was "looking into the matter."

Restored Computer Hardware

Author: Carolyn Clayton

Hardware is an aspect of your computer that doesn’t require the need to be changed that often, unlike software. So if your hardware shouldn’t need to be changed that often you want to make sure that when you purchase it you are buying a piece of hardware that will last.

Hardware is an aspect of your computer that doesn’t require the need to be changed that often, unlike software. So if your hardware shouldn’t need to be changed that often you want to make sure that when you purchase it you are buying a piece of hardware that will last.

A lot of people overlook the need and responsibility of PC hardware and instead concentrate primarily on software. Without the correct hardware your PC will fail to function correctly.

The term hardware can be fixed to many aspects of your computer, with the main aspect being your motherboard. The motherboard is classed as the heart of your computer; its main purpose is to provide electrical and logical connections. Without a motherboard your computer will not be able to function. Components such as external storage, controllers for video display and sound are attached to the motherboard via edge connectors and cables.

The central processing unit (CPU) is also found on the motherboard and acts as another important piece of computer hardware. The CPU performs most of the calculations which enables a computer to function. The CPU and the motherboard are found within the tower of your computer as is the computer fan, needed to keep your computer at a safe temperature and your power supply, which is obviously needed to ensure your computer has power to function. Along with all of these you will also find your computers sound card and graphics card within your computer tower. Your graphics card, also known as a video display controller, is important to your computer as it is what enables you to get a good resolution and without one you would not be able to watch videos, play games or even clearly see flash images on websites.

One last hardware feature of importance that is kept within your computer tower is the computers hard drive. The hard drive is the storage area of your computer system. All your programmes and applications as well as images, music, video and all forms of media that is on your computer are stored within your computers hard drive.

All of the previously mentioned hardware is stored in the tower of your computer but there are aspects of computer hardware that are visible on your computer such as removable media in the form of a CD drive, DVD drive, floppy disc and USB ports.

When it comes to buying these pieces of computer hardware most people head straight to the biggest brand store and pay over expensive prices for hardware that you could have got a lot cheaper from another avenue. If you are looking to buy computer hardware there are a number of options open to you rather than just buying new. For example there are computer fairs that are held, which sell all forms of computer hardware at very reasonable prices; if you know what you are looking for you will be able to find a great deal at a computer fair. However if you would prefer buying from a retailer have you considered buying used hardware? Please don’t be put off by the term used what is meant by this is you would be buying new hardware that has been returned by customers and restored by the retailer. Dell is a prime example of a store that frequently sells hardware that has been returned and has been repaired to new standards.

All of the equipment is new and only has minor issues such as a slight dent. Retailers such as Dell sell restored equipment within their store and also do so over the Internet on sites such as eBay. All of this equipment comes at a discounted price with around 10-40% being taken off the original price depending on the level of interest. So next time you require to purchase computer equipment, shop around instead of just settling for a high price.

About Author

Helen is the web master of Article Alley, home of all your Computer Hardware Article needs.Please feel free to republish this article providing this resource box remains intact with a working hyperlink to our site.

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-carolyn-clayton-1268.html

Free Antivirus

Alwil Avast 4 Home Edition: VB100 and ICSA certified, on-access and on-demand scanning, e-mail scanning for Outlook and POP3/SMTP, automatic updates, e-mail technical support, 7.1MB.

Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus System: VB100 and ICSA certified, on-access and on-demand scanning, e-mail scanning for Outlook and Outlook Express, automatic updates, 5.7MB.
H+BEDV Datentechnik AntiVir Personal Edition: ICSA certified, on-access and on-demand scanning but no e-mail scanning, automatic updates (after fairly significant configuration effort), 3.8MB.

Softwin BitDefender Free Edition Version 7: Uses same scanning engine as the VB100- and ICSA-certified Standard Edition, on-access and on-demand scanning but no e-mail scanning, automatic updates, 8.8MB.

Send your questions and tips to nettips@spanbauer.com. We pay $50 for published items. You'll find more Internet Tips here. Scott Spanbauer is a contributing editor for PC Worl

The revolutionary software – Astute

Author: Carolyn Clayton
It has been stated that the software being brought to us by the company Astute is set to revolutionise the way in which enterprise wide systems are utilized throughout the market place. So just what is Astute software?

It has been stated that the software being brought to us by the company Astute is set to revolutionise the way in which enterprise wide systems are utilized throughout the market place. So just what is Astute software?

This software giant started back in 1998 when a core development team brought a 30 year track record with them in the development of financial and supply chain software that was made for thousands of international business users. It was based on this experience that Astute realised that there was an ever growing need and opportunity to develop new and advanced products for the global business market whilst incorporating the latest development and deployment technologies from Microsoft.

The software brought to you from Astute is fully scalable meaning it has the option of being used for low level entry or it can cater for an infinite number of users. Astute software is also service orientated and works exclusively within the electronics industry. It seeks to satisfy customer demands and to maximise capital returns for customers whilst minimising any inconvenience in the process.

Astute software has several advantages over its competitors such as it is a component based piece of software which means that you only have to purchase and use the components that are needed for your business. These components make using this piece of software extremely easy.

One of the components that is available is the Astute Financial component. This component supports a unified ledger philosophy enabling full scalability of an enterprise and a simple solution to the many complex issues that organisations face in this rapidly changing global environment. Astute provides a unique range of features enabling greater efficiency and improved control of cash flow. Some of the features included are:

•A unified ledger design that ensures all accounts are always up to date and in balance
•Multi-dimensional enterprise structure enables flexibility for organisations to develop and grow without being inhibited by their current enterprise hierarchy or system
•Multi-currency features allowing all posting, reporting and analysis by multiple base currencies
•Web deployment ensures lower cost of ownership and enhanced customer satisfaction delivering real business advantages.

Within today’s fast paced, ever growing and competitive market things are changing and in the business world you need to have access to software that will help you to compete within the market as well as keeping all of your data up-to-date and also accurate. This is why the piece of software has been and still is the optimum choice for businesses who wish to gain maximum functionality and future flexibility from using a business application.

The need for a piece of software with this much capability has been realised and the opportunity to built such a software has been reached. This new software is an advanced product for global businesses and uses the latest development technology from Microsoft. What we see before us in this technology is a prime example of how software can be integrated successfully with not only the Internet but with aspects of Microsoft packages; it could be just what your business has been waiting for.

About Author

Helen is the web master of Synergy Technology, home of all your Astute Software needs.

Please feel free to republish this article providing this resource box remains intact with a working hyperlink to our site.

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-carolyn-clayton-1268.html