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Malware (Malious Software) & Viruses
Less then 5% of todays malware infections are actually considered viruses. Most malware is acquired from email, surfing, and downloading files from the Internet. Almost 90% of malware infections target personal information such as credit card, banking, as well as software product serial numbers. Identity theft is becoming one of the most lucrative crimes. Most new Anti Virus products now check for these types of infections including trojans, worms, root kits, spyware, phishing and can block the transfer of personal information to the Internet.
Business Recommendations
In the enterprise a minimum of two different anti virus products are recommended to increase the detection to greater then 98%. One solution on the workstations and the other at an end point such as the, firewall, UTM and or mail server. Intrusion prevention such as NIPS and HIPS are also recommended.
Home Recommendations
Some well known enterprise anti virus products are free for home use, however they do have limitations as compared to the subscription versions. Read the reviews below before deciding on the best product for your needs. Microsoft has a new MSE free antivirus which is basically the same as the ForeFront Enterprise version but calls home without your permission. To prevent MSE from calling home download Maximum Risk Solutions Win7LogX or ErrorLogX.
Home users who surf a lot, use IM, and or P2P should get an all in one protection solution which detects viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, root kits, phishing, web and email content; as well as a firewall or intrusion prevention. Most new Anti Virus software packages contain all of these extra features at premium price (but well worth the expense).
Home users who do not download, use IM or P2P, or get a lot of spam, and do not want to pay yearly subscription fees AVG, Avast, Antivir and Microsoft have free anti virus programs. Used in conjunction with the [Must Have] software below, a reasonable amount of protection will be achieved. The free Comodo firewall will increase your protection as well. Remember do not install more then one anti virus package on the same PC unless you research which ones will co-exist together.
Is Your PC infected ?
85% of of all home PC’s are infected with some form of malware. Malware that steals keystrokes, makes online shopping and banking a risky business. If your computer is running slower then normal or starts acting strangely you should boot into safe mode and do a full anti virus scan. Install the [Must Have] software below and run full scans as well. There is no guarantee you will get rid of the malware once you have been infected. Most major anti virus companies also have virus removal tools (see the Free Virus Removal Tools Section). Most anti virus programs do not provide removal tools built in..
Malware Removal Hint: To remove the malware, you must first disable System Restore, boot into safe mode, then scan the system with up-to-date anti virus software. After the system has been disinfected, restart then re-enable System Restore.
Recommendation: Disable System Restore and leave it disabled on all drives. Your PC will be faster and less prone to reoccurring infections. Use 3rd party software such as Acronis or Ghost to backup and restore your PC to a USB external hard drive.
Proactive Protection Hints: Get the free ERUNT and backup your registry daily. This software is very fast and easy to use. If you get infected you can revert back to a clean system (Do a full virus scan as well when a restore is done) . Install the [Must Have] software below. Consider using FireFox as your primary browser, with Adblock , NoScript and Ghostery add-ons.
Note: For your anti virus to be effective it must be up-to-date at all times, as well as your Windows updates.
Nine of out 10 critical bugs reported by Microsoft last year could have been made moot, or at least made less dangerous, running Windows without administrative rights. (See XP user accounts , Vista user accounts and Windows 7 user accounts)
Can My MAC Even Get Infected ?
The simple answer is yes, however rare. Little Snitch will monitor and block abnormal, call home traffic. MAC OS X Lepord is a UNIX compliant operating system (Similar to Linux)
Paranoid, Tired of Malware, MAC Too Expensive ?
Use an old PC or laptop and install Linux. A good free Linux is UBUNTU. It comes with all the software you need to surf the net, play music, get email and a lot more. To transfer your Bookmarks (Favorites) to any computer, use the FireFox add-on XMarks. You can synchronize your Bookmarks, from the Internet to any PC. If you want to run Linux in Windows, get the free VWMARE Player and this virtual image. This will run a virtual UBUNTU Linux inside Windows. Information on Linux malware is here. A Linux anti virus is mostly for peace of mind. Clamav is bundled with UBUNTU. BitDefender is also free for Linux home use.
Anti Virus Software Reviews
In Depth Anti Virus Reports by AV-Comaparitives.org is Here
Enterprise Infections
79 % of enterprise PCs in the U.S. are infected with some form of spyware at any given time. (U.S. FBI Cyber Crime Survey)
Malware Reaches 1.6 Million in 2008
McAfee(R) Labs identified a record 1.6 million pieces of malware in 2008, a 450 percent increase over the prior year. An average of 5,500 new pieces of malware every day.
On-line test for the Conflicker Worm. Click here.
(For All Users)
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Free [Must Have] Home or Traveling Office Laptop Extra Protection
Windows Anti Virus Products
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Free Online Anti Virus
Linux Anti Virus Products
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Malware & Viruses
" Broken Promises " Copyright Apple Computers
Will Windows 8 be willingly adopted by corporations ?
What's New with Microsoft's Anti-Malware Products ?
With close to 2 million pieces of malware in the wild, PC security has become a cash cow. Over the years Microsoft has attempted to gain market share in PC security protection software, as well. They have bought a number of obscure companies to use their technologies, resulting in products such as Windows Defender, Live OneCare (discontinued), MSE and ForeFront. MSE is free (for now). ForeFront is the Enterprise version and at less then 1/2 the price of its competitors, Microsoft may be facing yet another Anti Trust Lawsuit. Vista tried to mimic the Mac OSX look and feel and security but became one of the least liked Microsoft OS's to date. Windows 7 is much improved and may be adopted by corporations in the near future. Windows 7 is basically an updated Vista, with a simpler look and feel. Vista's annoying UAC features are still there but not as agressive on a default install, reducing security. The new Internet Explorer 8 is more secure however Microsoft has lost more than 70% of the browser market share as compared to almost complete domination a few years ago, due to lack of public trust. Unless Microsoft fixes its security issues in its next OS, rather then profiting from quick fixes and killing more competitors, corporations will look elsewhere for alternative operating systems.
Copyright 2011 MaximumRisk.com
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