Posts Tagged ‘Anti Virus Software’
Kaspersky Launches Their Latest Anti-Virus For Macs
Kaspersky has launched their version of antivirus for Macs. Kaspersky’s latest product Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac will now protect the Mac OS against malware, viruses, trojans, worms and similar problems existing on operating systems such as Windows and Linux.
The malware attacks on Macs have begun, although they are nowhere as dangerous as their Windows counterparts. It is only a matter of time, that the frequency of these attacks increase to that against Windows.
Features:
•A global anti-virus database of over 20 million malicious programs for a range of platforms.
•Hourly updates to ensure that users protected against these malicious programs which appear on a day to day basis.
•Kaspersky anti-virus engine makes use of dual and quad core processors to dramatically increase scanning speed.
•It enables better use of system resources by increasing the performance of user applications when the priority of the anti-virus decreases.
•It has an automatic mode where it wont bother the user with unnecessary requests, enabling the anti-virus program to take decisions automatically.
•Fast and non-intrusive with only 1% CPU impact on your Mac performance
•It’s user-friendly interface is easy to understand for both novice and advanced users. Familiar Mac-style appearance and operation
•Kaspersky anti-virus is compatible from Mac OS version 10.4.11.
It seems like the the days of the popular opinion that Macs are safe from virus and Trojan attacks are getting over. Even otherwise that would be wrong to assume that any operating system is ideally safe from attacks from malicious programs. Macs have good security features to prevent malicious code from damaging the OS but even Macs are not bulletproof.
Macs are gaining popularity and with the user base increasing they will certainly be more prone to attacks in the near future. Therefore it would be wise to keep your operating systems safe from any possible threat.
Cybersecurity Starts at Home and in the Office
Mon-Oct 05, 2009
Washington / Associated Press
When swine flu broke out, the government revved up a massive information campaign centered on three words: Wash your hands.
The Obama administration now wants to convey similarly clear and concise guidance about one of the biggest national security threats in your home and office – the computer.
Think before you click. Know who’s on the other side of that instant message. What you say or do in cyberspace stays in cyberspace – for many to see, steal and use against you or your government.
The Internet, said former national intelligence director Michael McConnell, “is the soft underbelly” of the US today. Speaking at a new cybersecurity exhibit at the International Spy Museum in Washington, McConnell said the Internet has “introduced a level of vulnerability that is unprecedented.”
The Pentagon’s computer systems are probed 360 million times a day, and one prominent power company has acknowledged that its networks see up to 70,000 scans a day, according to cybersecurity expert James Lewis.
For the most part, those probes of government and critical infrastructure networks are benign. Many, said McConnell, are a nuisance and some are crimes. But the most dangerous are probes aimed at espionage or tampering with or destroying data.
The attackers could be terrorists aiming at the US culture and economy, or nation-states looking to insert malicious computer code into the electrical grid that could be activated weeks or years from now.
“We are the fat kid in the race,” said Lewis. “We are the biggest target, we have the most to steal, and everybody wants to get us.”
And if, for example, the US gets into a conflict with China over Taiwan, “expect the lights to go out,” he said. The exhibit at the Spy Museum – “Weapons of Mass Disruption” – tries to bring that threat to life.
A network of neon lights zigzags across the ceiling. Along the walls computer screens light up with harrowing headlines outlining the country’s digital dependence.
Drinking water, sewer systems, phone lines, banks, air traffic, government systems, all depend on the electric grid, and losing them for weeks would plunge the country into the 1800s.
Suddenly, the lights go out and the room is plunged into silent darkness. Seconds later as the sound system crackles, a video ticks off a pretend crisis: no food, no water, system shutdown.
That faux threat has become a prime concern for the government, but fully protecting the grid and other critical computer systems are problems still waiting a solution.
Federal agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, are pouring more money into hiring computer experts and protecting their networks.
But there are persistent questions about how to ensure that Internet traffic is safe without violating personal privacy.
One answer, experts said last week, is to begin a broader public dialogue about cybersecurity, making people more aware of the risks and how individuals can do their part at home and at work.
Some will find it easier than others.
Much of the younger generation has grown up online and are more likely to know about secure passwords, antivirus software and dangerous spam e-mails that look to steal identities, bank accounts and government secrets.
Older people moved into the digital universe as it began to evolve and most have not grown up thinking about how to protect themselves online.
“Detection and prevention are fast, but crime is still faster,” said Phil Reitinger, director of the National Cybersecurity Center. The key, he said, “is to make sure that we’re all getting the word out about not only the seriousness of the threat, but the fairly simple steps that people can take to help secure their systems and their lives and families from the threats that are out there.”
In the computer world, “wash your hands” is less about tossing your keyboard into the dishwasher – although some have tried – and more about exercising caution.
Those steps include:
* Using antivirus software, spam filters, parental controls and firewalls.
* Regularly backing up important files to external computer drives.
* Thinking twice before sending information over the Internet, particularly when using wireless or unsecured public networks.
10 Obscure Antivirus Tools worth a Look
You know about the big players in the AV field — but a number of lesser-known tools may serve your needs as well (or even better).
Viruses come and go. Some of them are simply annoyances, but others are nasty little bits of malicious single-minded code that want to take down your machine or take away your data. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools out there that can help you deal with the problem. Some of those tools are well known: Symantec, McAfee, Norton. But you can also find tools that will serve you at a fraction of the cost or a fraction of the CPU processes.
I’m going to introduce you to some of these lesser-known antivirus tools. In the end, you will have more tools for your toolkit than you ever though you would have… all of which are ready to immunize you from machine-crushing code.
1: BitDefender
BitDefender is one of my favorites on the list. Why? Because it has one of the best graphical virus tools available for the Linux operating system. Of course it doesn’t offer just a Linux solution. BitDefender offers antivirus for both Linux and Windows, as well as for various server installations. In fact, BitDefender has solutions for mail servers, Samba servers, desktops, and much more.
2: Avira Antivir
Avira Antivir has, in many cases, found viruses where others have not. One of my favorite uses for this solution is to slap it on a Linux machine (the Linux version is command-line based, but does have a GUI if you prefer), attach an infected Windows drive externally, and run Avira on that drive. Much like BitDefender, Avira will find viruses many other solutions won’t find. And because it is mostly command line, it is also quite a bit faster than other tools.
3: ClamAV
ClamAV is mostly a mail server antivirus for Linux, but it does a bang-up job. If you’re hosting a Linux-based mail server, you will want to include ClamAV on it; otherwise, you risk winding up spreading the love of viruses around the globe.
4: Avast
Avast is not as much a wallflower as the other tools, but it certainly has never been crowned Prom Queen. It’s an outstanding tool that offers a lot of options many other tools over look. One of my favorite aspects of Avast is the built-in rootkit check. You can’t go wrong when you know your antivirus is keeping you safe from rootkits.
5: rkhunter
rkhunter is not so much an antivirus tool as it is an anti-rootkit tool. If you’ve never come across a rootkit on a machine, consider yourself lucky. Very lucky. Rootkits are the Mac Daddy of viruses. And if your current antivirus solution doesn’t protect you from rootkits, either add a rootkit protection tool on your system or uninstall and install one that does!
6: Dr.Web CureIt!
Dr.Web CureIt! is an interesting tool in that it requires no installation. It’s a simple binary file that, when double-clicked, will execute and scan your machine. The only drawback is that to get the latest definitions, you have to re-download the tool and use the newest version. But how easy would this tool be to use as a portable virus scanner?
7: ESET Smart Security
ESET Smart Security is from the makers of the NOD32 Antivirus tool that has been around for quite some time. ESET sets itself apart by being an antivirus and a firewall in one. But the firewall isn’t just a standard firewall. It’s a “learning firewall,” in that it observes how its users use the network and, theoretically, adapts to that usage. ESET also protects you from removable data and from viruses that attempt to disable your antivirus protection.
8: ZoneAlarm
ZoneAlarm is an antivirus tool that offers something others do not — DataLock. The DataLock portion of ZoneAlarm uses encryption on your hard drive so that it is readable only by those with the encryption key. DataLock also offers pre-boot authentication so that unauthorized users can’t even boot your machine. Yes, these features can be added from the BIOS or from other tools, but with ZoneAlarm, you have antivirus, encryption, and boot authentication all in one.
9: iAntiVirus
iAntiVirus is for — you guessed it — Mac. Like Linux, nothing is immune (no matter how much the media and the PR say it is). And that beautiful new Mac you bought can use protection as well as that new quad-core Windows 7 machine. iAntiVirus is as inherently Mac as you will ever find in an antivirus tool. Not only is it user-friendly, it has that same Mac interface that everyone has grown to love (or hate). And what’s best, iAntiVirus works like any other antivirus software you have ever used — only it does so on a Mac. So it must be better.
10: Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Security Essentials has to be on this list. After all, it wouldn’t be fair of me to highlight inherently Linux and Mac tools without offering the Windows equivalent. What is really surprising about this antivirus protection is that it is free AND produced by Microsoft. Those two don’t usually go hand in hand. If you want free virus protection, and you want something that will seamlessly integrate with Windows, Security Essentials is your best bet.