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[Chart] What Makes AVG Panic? is a post from: The Inquisitr

There’s a number of free anti-virus programs out there but one of the better known ones is Avast. Well, it seems that the company is taking their product name to heart and in conjunction of the upcoming Speak Like A Pirate day they have redone the UI of their to play on the pirate theme.

As an Internet meme this Pirate Speak Day thing might be getting a little worn out but it is kind of fun to see a company willing to go to this length just to have a little bit of fun with their customers.

These screenshots are courtesy of CNET Download

Going all pirate speak in your anti-virus program is a post from: The Inquisitr

While I try and fight off my yearly bout with the flu I thought that this post would be kind of apropos – virus, flu, ya okay bad attempt at humor.

Anyway AV Test has released their results for their 2010 list of best anti-virus programs for Windows 7.

During the 2nd quarter of 2010 we have tested 19 security products in the areas protection, repair and usability. The “Protection” covers static and dynamic malware detection, including real-world 0-Day attack testing. In case of “Repair”, we check the system disinfection and rootkit removal in detail. The “Usability” testing includes the system slow-down caused by the tools and the number of false positives. A product has to reach at least 12 points total in order to receive a certification. 13 products have fulfilled our requirements and received an AV-Test certificate. The test reports can be found here:

The list of those that have received certification is rated from best to worst with the top four getting high marks for both anti-virus and malware protection.

1. AVG : Internet Security 9
2. G Data : Internet Security 2010/2011
3. Panda : Internet Security 2010
4. Symantec : Norton Internet Security 2010
5. F-Secure : Internet Security 2010
6. Kaspersky : Internet Security 2010
7. PC Tools : Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 7.0
8. BitDefender : Internet Security Suite 2010
9. Avira : Premium Security Suite 10.0
10. Microsoft : Security Essentials 1.0
11. Avast : Internet Security 5.0
12. Eset : Smart Security 4.0
13. Webroot : Internet Security Essentials 6.1

My personal favorite is Microsoft Security Essentials in large part due to its small resource footprint and its ability to do its job without constantly bugging me with notifications.

The best anti-virus applications for 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a move that maybe should have been done years ago Comcast is testing out a new automated service in Denver called Comcast Constant Guard. The idea being that as the IPS they will be able to detect much easier unusual spikes in activities from particular IPs they can warn their customers of possible infections.

The alerts are triggered when computers on their networks are found to be doing activities that are commonly associated with botnet style activity. As well customers will be notified if their IP address is identified as the source of spam on an industry span list.

Customers in Denver are set to begin receiving notifications that their system may be infected with a virus or other malware via a pop-up message in the browser, as part of the new free service, called Comcast Constant Guard. The "Service Notice" will include a link to a Comcast security Web site where customers can follow a set of instructions to remove the malware from their computer.

If customers don’t have antivirus software, they can download McAfee Internet Security Suite for free. Comcast also offers a Comcast Toolbar that includes spyware detection and removal, a pop-up ad blocker, antiphishing software, and antispam protection for e-mail.

The company first started notifying customers about the security issues about a year ago, with support representatives calling customers on the phone, Opperman said.

"We learned that customers love it," he said. "We wanted to reach more people and to automate the process."

Source: cnet News – Comcast pop-ups alert customers to PC infections

The new service will eventually be rolled out to the ret of the country and replace the current practice of contacting the user by phone.

Image: cnet News

Comcast going proactive against PC infections is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to Steven Musil at cnet Security The New York Times is in the midst of a battle to get rid of a what they are terming “an unauthorized advertisement”.

In typical fashion the ad warns readers that their computer could be infected with some sort of virus and then redirects the reader to a site offering “antivirus software”. The site readers are being redirected to is best-virus03.com and is a hijacking site that takes over your browser and will attempt to install software.

As one cnet reader told Musil

One CNET reader described how the pop-up ad essentially hijacked his browser, preventing him from navigating away from the site.

"They took me to an ‘antivirus site,’ which kept attempting to scan my computer and install software. Using the back button kept reloading the virus page," the reader said. "It was not possible to close the page, necessitating a force quit."

At this point other than a short blurb in the newspaper’s Media & Advertising section NYT isn’t saying a whole hellva lot.

Rogue ad battle at New York Times is a post from: The Inquisitr

The other day I wrote about an upcoming free anti-virus program from Microsoft called Morro. It is supposed to be the replacement for their OneCare security package which they are withdrawing from the market. At that time there was scant information other than some out-dated screen shots and some supposition about the how’s and why’s of Morro.

Well today Mary Jo Foley was able to provide a little more pertinent information about the program, including when the public beta will be available but not when the final product would hit the web. Here’s a few of the points that Mary Jo was able to get from Alan Packer the General Manager of Microsoft’s Anti-Malware team

That last part – the Genuine Windows authentication could prove to problematic for the company though according to some. However the idea for me of a native MS anti-virus and anti-malware package that is free is a big bonus and hopefully will encourage at least a modicum of security for those who don’t seem to care.

Updated info on Microsoft’s free anti-virus program – Morro is a post from: The Inquisitr

Word has been leaking like a sieve around the web that Microsoft is going to be soon releasing its own free anti-virus software codenamed, for now, Morro. The software is apparently being tested extensively in-house and is expected to be released soon as a “trial release”. The company has though qualified that it will be available by the end of 2009 – at the very latest.

The folks over at Neowin though have been lucky enough to have some screen shots of the program in action and wasted no time in posting them, one of which I have posted below.

As you can see it’s a pretty simple front-end for what is supposed to be based off of their Forefront Anti-Virus engine which is used in enterprise environments.

According to the post at Neowin the folks at Symantec aren’t overly concerned about Microsoft’s entry as they look at it as a stripped down AV program that will have no effect on full blown security program. They go on to say

According to Janice Chaffin, president of Symantec’s Consumer Division, "Microsoft’s free product is basically a stripped down version of the OneCare product Microsoft pulled from the shelves. A full Internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected."

Now this is where I have to step up and point out just how full of shit this kind of talk is. Simply put, in the 20 plus years I have been using computers I can count on one hand with a couple of fingers missing exactly how many times I’ve gotten hit by a virus. It’s called being smart, rather than a sucker for expensive Internet Security programs that for the most part do a lousy job. think not then just check the certified AV testing sites to see for yourself

Granted the computing landscape has gotten more dangerous and where I once might have said just being smart about what you were doing was enough I will now say you need some protection. However much of the protection you are being offered today is expensive subscription based software that does more to bog down your machines than save them from your own stupidity.

I’ve lost count of the number of machines I worked on back when I was doing more technical based stuff that had out of date AV software running, or had the AV software turned off. It wouldn’t have mattered if these people had been using the most expensive software on the market or the free editions, they would still have gotten infected because of their own stupidity.

As well you can run the best free or pay AV software you want but none of it beats common sense. If you don’t surf, deal with emails or download files knowing that there are dangers and using your head about it all then you deserve exactly what you get.

Microsoft Morro: free Anti-Virus coming soon and a bit of a rant is a post from: The Inquisitr

Microsoft recently shut down their previous attempt at providing a security software application, OneCare, due to a big *YAWN* in the marketplace. That experience though hasn’t deterred then from trying once more but this time they’ll be going with a simple free anti-virus application.

Currently in private testing under the codename of Morro the software giant has announced it will be providing a trial version, product beta, in the near future; or to use their terminology – “soon”. The reaction from competitors in the field range from Symantec and McAfee saying they don’t see this new product from Microsoft as a threat through to “no comment” from the other security software companies.

Analysts consider Morro to be more of a long tern threat (if it can get any traction) rather than having any near term impact.

Symantec shares fell 1.6 percent in afternoon trading and McAfee fell 1.8 percent, while Microsoft was up 1.1 percent. The Nasdaq composite index was down 1.2 percent.

Investors are closely monitoring the free service, code-named Morro after Brazil’s Morro de Sao Paolo beach, amid concern it could hurt sales of products from Symantec and McAfee, which generate billions of dollars of revenue a year protecting Windows PCs from attacks by hackers.

Source: Yahoo! Tech

I sure hope whatever they come out with is better than the OneCare program about which I am not surprised they closed it down.

Microsoft readies free anti-virus software – Let the jokes commence in 1..2…3…. is a post from: The Inquisitr

If there is one thing that people have always been slamming Microsoft for is its habit of bundling things with the operating system that other companies charge for, or have built a solid business around. The biggest of these that until Windows 7 has constantly gotten the company in hot water is its browser: Internet Explorer. There have been run ins with the EU over its bundled media player which saw the company having to release of version of Windows in Europe that had Windows Media Player removed.

While that has proven to be a total waste of time as no one would buy the release it hasn’t stopped countries, and companies, crying foul every time Microsoft talks about releasing a free product that competes against already established companies. It is this kind of background that makes the news that they are working on a new – free – security product currently codenamed Morro.

Microsoft is creating a new PC security product for consumers that will be available at no cost to licensed Windows users. This new product:

• Provides high-quality protection against viruses, spyware and other malicious software;
• Is fast and functional, providing continuous protection with minimal impact on system performance;
• Is easy to download and install directly from Microsoft, with no subscriptions, renewals or credit cards required to keep your protection up-to-date.

Source: LiveSide

This new product is based on Microsoft’s Forefront technology and is meant to replace their previous security suite; OneCare, which they have announced that they are ending support of.

Now given that the computer security business is very lucrative one has to wonder how the many competitors in this area will react to Microsoft’s free offering when it comes to market. Could the company be setting itself up for another round of being made out to being the bad guy?

Should we start picking out dates on the calendar for when we’ll start hearing companies crying foul and filing complaints against Microsoft as the EU loves to do at the drop of a hat?

What do you think?

Is Microsoft setting itself up for an uproar? is a post from: The Inquisitr