Update 911

Avira AntiVir Personal 10.0.0.567

2010-08-20T22:02:00.001+08:00

Avira AntiVir Personal FREE Antivirus was developed to be a reliable free antivirus solution, that constantly and rapidly scans your computer for malicious programs such as viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers etc. Monitors every action executed by the user or the operating system and reacts promptly when a malicious program is detected.

Avira AntiVir Personal is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users, for personal use only, and is not for business or commercial use.

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Free Antivirus Detection vs Paid Antivirus Detection

2010-08-20T11:39:00.000+08:00

Taking care of your system these days seems to be a less complicated task than it used to be a few years back. Now, protection against malware begins the moment you install your operating system. Windows 7 offers some basic security through Windows Defender and also provides a better solution under the shape of Microsoft Security Essentials, which is free of charge and can be installed on systems passing genuine validation. So, going with Windows 7 may be the winning hand after all.

But let’s not forget that more often than not, paid security software is the way out for most users. The reason behind this choice is given by the extended set of options such solutions come with, but also by the myth that paid antivirus comes with better detection and elimination capabilities. Although the engine is the same, there are some differences between the paid and free versions of security software of the same company with regards to the protection components offered.

In other words, the engine components available in the products are what you are paying for. Thus, free apps may have antivirus or anti-spyware capabilities, but a paying customer definitely receives increased protection for the system through a bunch of components (such as email scanner, web shield, behavioral analysis, etc.) not included in the free edition of the product. Moreover, there are currently no freebies with a EULA that extends their use to corporate environment. So, you are bound to run them for personal use only.

To blast the misconception that freeware antivirus is not equally talented at recognizing malware as paid products, we grabbed five antivirus solutions for comparison and threw them in the ring with 16,704 malware samples (trojans, backdoors, exploits, spyware, worms, etc.). The purpose of the test was not to reveal detection differences between the free and paid product from the same company, but compare a free product from one company with a paid product of another.

In the freeware corner, there was Microsoft’s Security Essentials and Avira’s AntiVir Personal (version 9, as the test was conducted before version 10 came out). Paid products included Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 and ESET’s NOD 32 at first. The fifth product included has a little of both worlds: avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0 brings script shield and sandbox capabilities to the table on top of the features included in the free version. However, none of the two features were relevant for our experiment, which consisted in simply feeding the malware database to each of them and checking up the amount of threats left behind.

The malware database used during the tests was formed by both new and older threats, collected throughout a period of 2 years (2008 and 2009) and included vicious items like Waledac or Downadup. Prior to the experiment, all products were updated to the latest definitions available on March 1, 2010. A second test was carried out on March 22 in order to notice detection improvements with a new set of signatures.

All products benefited from the same treatment and scanned the database offline. To ease their job and quicken the entire process, we eliminated all archives, giving the threats full exposure. So, it all boiled down to the level of detection and elimination each product could offer.

With signatures updated on 3/1/2010, the first antivirus thrown in the malware cage was Microsoft Security Essentials. We have to mention from the beginning that MSE proved to be by far the most problematic of all tested products. Despite its intuitive interface, scanning and elimination of the threats took much longer than we expected. Scan results, however, were pretty good, as MSE managed to kick out more than 14,000 samples, leaving a total of 2,662 threats available on the test system.

After the first round of experimenting, the percents recorded were as follows: Avira AntiVir Personal 9 leads with 94% detection and elimination rate, followed by avast! Pro Antivirus with 91.6% and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 with 91%. Falling on the last spot is Microsoft Security Essentials, with 84% detection and elimination rate. It looks like paid products stick close together, while the two freebies are a 10% gap apart.

Running the second test (on March 22) on the set of malware that had not been eliminated the first time made absolutely no change in the statistics. MSE managed to nab another nine samples; Avira reduced the remaining threats by five items, leaving 992 threats behind. Kaspersky had the greatest improvement in the second test because it succeeded in eliminating another 78 items from the test database, thus increasing detection/elimination rate to 91.3%. avast! Pro Antivirus registered the smallest improvement, as it eliminated only three samples after the update.

Judging strictly by the detection/elimination rate on a locally stored malware database, it looks like the freebies are in control. However, paid products, despite less powerful efficiency, provide protection against threats that come your way through various distribution means, such as drive-by downloads, email, scripts, etc.

Additionally, some of them (such as Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010) feature behavioral detection of threats, which increases its efficiency as it can bust malware not yet signed. In other words, security software developers will integrate extra tools in different versions of the same application to convince you to open your wallet.

Security products under freeware license are not without flaws either. Some of them may come with nagging pop up screens, such as Avira AntiVir Personal’s notifier, or simply do not count in protection modules designed to increase security and improve detection. In the end, choosing between a paid or free of charge antivirus depends entirely on your needs and computer usage knowledge.

Firefox Beta 4

2010-08-20T09:27:00.001+08:00

Mozilla is currently gearing up to release the fourth Beta development milestone of Firefox 4.0, and the browser vendor has planned additional Beta releases.

In fact, as Mozilla’s Director of Firefox noted earlier this year, multiple Betas of Firefox 4.0 will be delivered, at a rate of once every couple of week or so.

According to Laura Mesa, Firefox Product Marketing Manager, Mozilla wants to change the way in which it is referring to upcoming Firefox 4.0 Beta Builds, in order to influence the public’s perception of the development process.

“Publicly, we think it’s best to start moving away from associating a number to a particular release. As of now, we have 7 scheduled Betas, and there is a possibility that we may need to have more,” Mesa noted.

“Potentially having to call out Firefox 4 Beta 9 in tweets, blogs, videos or social media could start to make it look like we've had an inefficient development cycle, and that--as well all know--couldn't be farther from the truth,” she added.

Essentially, the change would have Mozilla no longer keeping track of Firefox 4.0 Beta releases by associating a number with each Build.

This means, that at a level of public perception, there should be no difference between Firefox 4.0 Beta 4 and Firefox 4.0 Beta 7, as they would both be referred to as Beta.

“From now on, it would be great to refer to Firefox 4 Beta without the release number, referring instead to release as the "latest beta update" or the "newest beta release”,” Mesa said.

“Doing so would go a long way to make sure we prevent negative news stories about the length of the development cycle as we prepare for RCs and finally, GA.

“To be clear, we aren't going to be super strict on this or monitor how people are referring to the beta--far from it!

“We just wanted to send a general note out so that everyone is aware of what we're trying to do and why, hopefully ensuring that we have the most effective messaging in the market that we can,” she explained.

The Candidate Builds of Firefox 4.0 Beta 4 are currently available for download from Mozilla’s FTP servers.

If all goes according to plan early adopters will be able to download and start test driving the fully-fledged Firefox 4.0 Beta 4 come August 23rd, 2010.

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Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 2010 9.0.0.722

2010-06-28T15:39:00.000+08:00

25.06.2010 update.

Another virus scanner and detection software from Kaspersky.
The Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool application was designed to be another virus scanner and detection software from Kaspersky. The produst will scan the specified locations for any virus threats and remove them or send to Quarantine folder.

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AVG Antivirus Professional 9.0 Build 837a2944

2010-06-22T16:07:00.000+08:00

22.06.2010 update.

If you use your computer every day, you need protection that’s always there, constantly keeping you safe. With AVG Anti-Virus, you get hassle-free protection against today’s most sophisticated threats, online and offline. AVG Anti-Virus includes our unique LinkScanner to prevent you from accidentally visiting harmful sites.

It’s faster, smarter security that won’t slow you down.
- Enjoy consistently high speed scanning performance with our NEW enhanced virus scanner
- Surf, and search with confidence, with LinkScanner checking web pages at the only time that matters – right before you click that link

Here are some key features of "AVG Antivirus Professional":

· Surfing and searching the web, social networking
LinkScanner Active Surf-Shield:
· Ensures every web page you visit is safe – even before you go there
LinkScanner Search-Shield:
· Applies safety ratings to your Google, Bing/MSN and Yahoo search results
Superior Phishing Protection:
· Checks to make sure web pages really are what they appear to be
· Emailing, chatting, and downloading
Web Shield :
· Lets you download and exchange files without risking virus infections
E-mail Scanner:
· Keeps you safe from dangerous attachments and links in your e-mail
· Whether you’re online or offline
Anti-Virus:
· Makes sure you can’t get or spread a virus, worm, or Trojan horse
Anti-Spyware:
· Prevents unauthorized information access by spyware and adware
Anti-Rootkit:
· Ensures even the toughest and most sophisticated threats are kept off your PC
Game Mode:
· Keeps you safe without interrupting your game-play
Update Manager:
· Makes sure you’re always protected against the latest threats automatically

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Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 01.01.01

2010-06-10T15:52:00.000+08:00

First free cloud antivirus to protect your PC

Download Panda Cloud Antivirus, the first free cloud-based antivirus thin-client. It consists of a lightweight antivirus agent that is connected in real-time to PandaLabs' online Collective Intelligence servers to protect faster against the newest malware variants while barely impacting PC performance.

Thanks to Panda Security's Collective Intelligence malware and goodware online database, Panda Cloud Antivirus detects more malware than traditional signature-based solutions which take longer to detect the most recent, and therefore most dangerous, variants. Panda Cloud Antivirus protects you while you browse, play or work and you won't even notice it.

It is extremely light as all the work is done online in the cloud. Panda Cloud Antivirus provides you with the fastest protection against the newest viruses thanks to its cloud-scanning from PandaLabs' servers. Panda Cloud Antivirus is truly install and forget. Don't worry about updates, configuration or complicated decisions ever again.

Panda Cloud Antivirus will protect you while you browse, play or even work and you won’t even notice it running on your computer.

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Norton Internet Security 2011 18.0.0.128 Beta

2010-06-03T16:19:00.000+08:00

June 3rd, 2010 update.

Norton Internet Security delivers the fastest and lightest online threat protection available. It guards your PC, network, online activities and your identity with innovative detection technologies optimised to combat today’s aggressive, rapid-fire attacks. The improved Norton Protection System features multi-layered security technologies that work together to provide comprehensive protection that helps detect and remove identified threats before they can harm your PC.

It stops online identity theft, identified viruses, hackers, bots, spyware, Trojans, and more while minimising performance impact and without getting in your way. Improved Norton Safe Web technology blocks online attacks before they can infect your PC, so you can browse, buy and bank online with confidence.

It helps prevent threats from sneaking in through vulnerabilities in your operating system, applications and browsers. It analyses downloads before you install and run them. It even warns you of unsafe web sites right in your search results. New Norton System Insight ensures strong protection that’s light on CPU and memory resources. It offers the fastest install time, the fastest boot time, the fastest scan speeds and the lowest memory requirements of any Internet security suite.

It provides easy-to-understand threat and performance information to help you prevent future infections and keep your PC running fast. With Norton Internet Security you get more than just software. You get Symantec’s global network of security response, support and service resources and expertise working together to help keep you safe from today's complex threats.

Norton Internet Security guards your PC, network, and your identity with innovative detection technologies optimised to combat today’s aggressive, rapid-fire attacks. All in all, Norton Internet Security will provide the fastest and the lightest protection level against all known online threats.

NOTE:
· In order to test the new Norton Internet Security you need to register an account here.
· The BETA product comes with a 14 day-trial period.

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Norton AntiVirus 2011 18.0.0.128 Beta

2010-06-03T16:17:00.000+08:00

June 3rd, 2010 update.

Norton AntiVirus defends your PC against detected viruses, spyware, bots, worms, and more while minimising the performance impact or getting in your way. The improved Norton Protection System features multi-layered protection technologies that work together to proactively block attacks and detect and remove threats before they can harm your PC.

Pulse Updates every 5 to 15 minutes and real-time online security checks help ensure continuous, up-to-the-minute protection against the latest threats. New SONAR 2 (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) technology monitors your PC for suspicious behavior to help detect and eliminate the latest breaking threats.

Intrusion Protection defends your PC from web-based attacks so you can surf with confidence. And new Vulnerability Protection blocks security holes in your PC’s operating system, applications, browsers, and browser plug-ins to prevent hackers from exploiting them.

The new Norton Performance System ensures strong protection that won’t swallow up system resources and will minimise performance impact. Norton AntiVirus offers the fastest install time, the fastest boot time and the lowest memory requirements of any antivirus and antispyware solution. Norton Insight technology identifies and targets only files at risk, for less frequent, shorter scans and the fastest scan speeds in the industry.

In addition to usual anti-virus protection, Norton AntiVirus provides easy-to-understand threat and performance information to help you prevent future infections and keep your PC running fast. Plus, only Norton AntiVirus is backed by Symantec Security Response, which provides comprehensive, global, Internet security expertise to guard against today's complex threats.

The Norton AntiVirus application scans faster and uses less memory than any other antivirus product on the market.

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AVIRA Removal Tool 3.0.1.17

2010-05-28T16:12:00.000+08:00

Avira AntiVir Removal Tool detects and eliminates Worm/Sober.J, Worm/Sober.P, Worm/Sober.Y and Worm/Stanit.A worms

Avira offers frequent virus definitions updates in order to keep its users safe from new malware outbreaks. However, there are computer users who do not perform such updates as often as required, while many others do not use antivirus protection at all.

For all those experiencing the damaging effects of a virus infection, Avira's researchers have prepared a free removal tool, which can be used to eliminate major distinct threats.

The AVIRA antivirus solutions are mainly focusing on four areas: desktop, mail servers, file servers and proxy-dedicated solutions.

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Avira AntiVir Personal 10.0.0.567

2010-04-22T16:10:00.000+08:00

Latest April 22nd, 2010 update.

Freeware antivirus that provides effective protection against computer viruses

Avira AntiVir Personal FREE Antivirus was developed to be a reliable free antivirus solution, that constantly and rapidly scans your computer for malicious programs such as viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers etc. Monitors every action executed by the user or the operating system and reacts promptly when a malicious program is detected.

Avira AntiVir Personal is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users, for personal use only, and is not for business or commercial use.

Avira AntiVir Personal gives you the following functions:
· Control Center for monitoring, administering and controlling the entire program
· Central configuration with user-friendly standard and advanced options and context-sensitive help
· Scanner (On-Demand Scan) with profile-controlled and configurable search for all known types of virus and malware
· Integration into the Windows Vista User Account Control allows you to carry out tasks requiring administrator rights
· Guard (On-Access Scan) for continuous monitoring of all file access attempts
· Integrated quarantine management to isolate and process suspicious files
· Rootkit protection for detecting hidden malware installed in your computer system (rootkits) (Only for 32-bit systems)
· Direct access to detailed information on the detected viruses and malware via the Internet
· Simple and quick updates to the program, virus definitions, and search engine through Single File Update and incremental VDF updates via a webserver on the Internet
· Integrated Scheduler to plan one-off or recurring tasks, such as updates or test runs
· Very high rates of virus and malware detection using innovative search technologies (search engines) and heuristic search processes
· Detection of all common archive types, including detection of nested archives and smart extensions
· High-performance multithreading function (simultaneous high-speed scanning of multiple files)

NOTE:
Avira AntiVir Personal is free for personal use only.

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Norton 360 4.0.0.127

2010-03-11T16:20:00.000+08:00

March 11th, 2010 update.

Norton 360 is today’s fastest and lightest all-in-one solution for protecting your PC and all your online activities. Automated and easy to use, Norton 360 works quietly in the background without impacting PC performance—and with virtually no action required on your part. A comprehensive security, tune-up, and backup solution, it provides award-winning protection against viruses, spyware, hackers, botnets, and more.

Norton 360 detects phishing and hacked or virus-infected websites to protect you from exploits. Identity protection and anti-fraud technologies identify unsafe websites and suspicious sellers in your search results so you can shop and surf with confidence.

Norton 360 automates PC tune-ups to help make your computer run faster, while an improved Smart Startup Manager provides recommendations to help keep your PC running at peak performance. Backup and restore capabilities protect your irreplaceable photos, movies, music, and other important files from loss. You will have the possibility to easily recover them from Symantec’s online storage service which is provided at no extra charge.

The latest upgrade of Norton 360 offers superior performance, improved protection, and easier and faster backups. It incorporates a new model of security, codenamed Quorum, that improves detection of new malware and advances far beyond traditional signature and behavior-based detection.

Norton 360 also offers an enhanced Norton Safe Web, a very effective new antispam engine, and new SONAR 2 technology to stop new and unknown threats. Backing up and restoring files is easier and more efficient in Norton 360. New web-based access to backup files enables anytime, anywhere file downloads, while new keyword search capabilities let users quickly locate the files they want to restore.

Testing Windows 7? Norton 360 v4.0 will protect your Windows 7 system from all types of malicious software. Test drive tomorrow’s Norton 360, today.

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