background preloader

Computer Security, Malware and Antivirus

Facebook Twitter

7 Simple Steps to Secure Your Online Presence | DailyHostNews. In this day and age so many aspects of our lives have moved online and whole new industries have been built due to the rise of the digital space. We shop differently, network differently, communicate electronically and share our life events much more publicly. In this regard we need to be mindful of information – what we share, how we share, who we share it with, how the information is used and most importantly how we PROTECT the information we share.

Hackers are a big threat to all of us – they do not have to physically steal something now to impact your personal security, they can find out your password to your online banking, use software to get your full personal information allowing them to clone your profile online and use it to their advantage. In this post we will cover off the best ways to secure your online presence so that you are no longer at risk from people looking to use your information for their own purposes. Firewall: Learn about your firewall and use it. Stretching Your Computer to Top Speed » Stephens Technology Solutions. IBM Gifts Computer Security Expo Attendees With Virus-Filled USB Sticks. Small Business Computer Security Checklist.

Small business computer security is essential to protecting your company from viruses, spyware, hackers, and other threats. To ensure you’re fully protected, you should begin by matching your current and future security needs to the required security technologies. Here’s a small business computer security checklist to get you started. Start with an inventory of the small business computer security technologies already in place. Are all of your computers protected by antivirus software? Find out how Cisco SMB solutions can help protect your assets. Other articles you may be interested in: Five Best Malware Removal Tools. @gapo: I disagree. Many infections are pretty minor and can be easily removed with these tools with no damage afterwards. I mean, yeah, for some, that is the best option, but no need to just do that all the time. Extra work for nothing. @gapo: Or you could make an image with norton ghost or a similar program, and then no reinstall's needed, you can reset your system in 5 minutes.

@CameoMyles: I've gotta go with Combofix too. I haven't used Spybot, but SAS is slower than frozen shit. I don't know enough about registry keys to use HJT (although it makes it easy to remove DNS hijackers) and although MBAM is friggin awesome, paying for it does not unlock real time protection; only scheduled updates and scans.

Side note: Avira Antivir has the best free real-time protection. @ga @SmitaPidgeot: Good analogy. Typical Linux, Unix, BSD, and even Mac OSX distributions are quite hostile to most malware threats. What are viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Computer virus. Computer viruses currently cause billions of dollars worth of economic damage each year,[14] due to causing systems failure, wasting computer resources, corrupting data, increasing maintenance costs, etc. In response, free, open-source antivirus tools have been developed, and a multi-billion dollar industry of antivirus software vendors has cropped up, selling virus protection to users of various operating systems of which Windows is often the most victimized, partially due to its extreme popularity.

[citation needed] No currently existing antivirus software is able to catch all computer viruses (especially new ones); computer security researchers are actively searching for new ways to enable antivirus solutions to more effectively detect emerging viruses, before they have already become widely distributed.[15] Vulnerabilities and infection vectors[edit] Software bugs[edit] Social engineering and poor security practices[edit] Vulnerability of different operating systems to viruses[edit] Secure Your Network for Free - Eric Seagren.

Security Essentials Fails Antivirus Test. Security Advisor Security Essentials Fails Antivirus Test In a three-part test that looked at accuracy, protection and false positive rates, Microsoft's free antivirus program finished at the bottom. Researchers at the London-based Dennis Technology Labs threw Microsoft's free antivirus program, Microsoft Security Essentials (along with eight additional programs), in the testing gauntlet -- and the results were poor. The tests were done on Windows XP machines and used current real-world malware threats to measure the effectiveness of some of the most popular antivirus programs. On an accuracy scale developed by the security lab and based on both the ability to detect and block incoming malware, Microsoft's software scored a 227 and was only successful in blocking 57 percent of attacks -- solidifying its last-place position against eight competing paid and free alternatives.

Next up, the lab tested each software on its protection capabilities. What's your take? Adoption of antivirus software on mobile devices remains low. Posted on 12 August 2013. Consumer adoption and willingness to pay for antivirus software on mobile devices is low, according to Gartner. Gartner believes that high consumer use of personal mobile devices for work purposes means security providers have an opportunity to assist enterprise BYOD initiatives. "The use of personal devices at work matches high-enterprise demand for solutions to the BYOD security problem," said Ruggero Contu, research director at Gartner.

"This presents providers of both consumer and enterprise endpoint security products with an opportunity to enforce security to private devices and potentially expand their footprint into the consumer space. Gartner predicts that 30 percent of consumer product selection criteria will be based on requirements to secure new mobile computing platforms by 2015. Particular attention should be paid to pricing and product go-to-market models, as consumers' propensity to pay is much lower than for traditional desktops and laptops. 5 Free antivirus apps to keep your Android smartphone malware-free. Recently, while on a conference call, Google CEO Larry Page revealed that over 1.5 million Android devices are being activated each day. While those numbers are really huge and impressive, there is another, unimpressive side to this too.

A recent Kaspersky Lab report found that 99.9 percent of all the new malware detected in the first quarter of 2013 has been designed to prey on Android phones. In total, 22,750 new modifications of malicious programs targeting mobile devices were detected this past quarter. The vulnerability of this popular platform is exactly why Android users must invest in some research and pick a good anti-virus application for their devices. The Google Play store is full of such options. Below is a list of 5 popular anti-virus apps: TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security app by TrustGo Inc.

Screenshot of the TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security app This application also comes with “Find My Phone” features, which include remote location, lock and alarm. Security Intelligence Operations - Cisco Systems. If you have a network security emergency, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at the following phone numbers: Inside the United States or Canada: 800 553-2447 Outside the United States: Worldwide Contacts Cisco responds quickly to attacks in progress and works with your staff to develop an incident response plan that minimizes the effect of current and future attacks.

For more information on Cisco's response to security vulnerabilities in our products or services, please view the Cisco Security Vulnerability Policy. Cisco Emergency Response Expertise Cisco has a team of experts who help ensure timely and accurate incident resolution. Cisco offers a wide range of incident response, preparedness, and management capabilities, including: Cisco SMARTnet Service for Rapid Problem Resolution Cisco SMARTnet Service is a technical support service that offers direct, anytime access to Cisco engineers and an extensive range of technical resources.

Cisco CSIRT RFC 2350 Profile. Free Malware Removal Tool | Anti-Malware Scan Software. Computer Security Tools and Software. Network Security Tools | Computer Security Software. Dell SecureWorks' Security Research Group has developed several security tools that are publicly available. All tools are released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and are provided "as-is", with no warranty and no support. Endpoint Log This script will read the Symantec Endpoint Protection log (AVMan.log) and produce a more readable formatted report.

AMI Exposed AMI Exposed is a Ruby framework for testing Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) for common security weaknesses and credential exposures. Fess Fess is a Perl-based exploit scanner for email that uses a signature language similar to Snort IDS. Foregone Foregone is a forensic file recovery tool written in Perl. Mumsie Mumsie is the Malicious URL Monitor and Snort Injection Engine, a program used to log HTTP client request headers when Snort alerts on malicious content from a webserver. Truman Wind Pill Wind Pill is a tool that assists in automating the tasks involved in debugging the Windows kernel. Caffeine Monkey Untorpig. Computers: Security: Products and Tools. Free Antivirus-Get 100% Free Antivirus Download Safely.