viruses

Security researchers have recently claimed the leading antivirus products demonstrate just a 1-in-20 chance of detecting new malicious software. However, high-profile figures in the security industry have questioned the validity of this new ... research. The research was conducted by Imperva, a digital security firm based in California. It intentionally set out to collect samples of virus code. To make sure it was collecting new samples of brand new viruses, Imperva searched discussion forums for hackers offering tips on how to breach security defenses. After gathering 82 examples of malicious ... (view more)

NOTE: Be sure to grab the our supplemental reports 'Top 8 Freeware Antivirus Reviewed' and 'Top 10 PC Security Essentials' at the end of this article to learn how to better protect your PC online -- or click here to go to our Top 10 Reports now! If ... you're a fan of Jessica Biel, you may want to take care when searching for her name online. She's the celebrity whose name is most likely to produce spyware infected search results. The news was revealed by security firm McAfee, which has carried out a survey of the most dangerous search terms based on individuals for the past three years. Paris ... (view more)

Google made quite the controversial statement recently after attempting to shed some light concerning their new Chrome operating system . Google has raised eyebrows after promising that their customers will no longer have to worry about viruses, ... malware and security updates. In a recent blog entry, Google announced that the company was prepared to "go back to the basics" and redesign the essential security foundations of the OS in such a way so that users would never again have to deal with viruses, malware and the need for constant updates. It didn't take long for a number of security ... (view more)

Malware (a portmanteau of "malicious software") is any software program developed for the purpose of causing harm to a computer system, similar to a virus or Trojan horse. Malware can be classified based on how it is executed, how it spreads, and/or ... what it does. The classification is not perfect, however, in the sense that the groups often overlap and the difference is not always obvious, giving rise to frequent flame wars. Overuse of the term 'Virus' Because viruses were historically the first to appear, the term "virus" is often applied, especially in the popular media, to all sorts of ... (view more)

If you're lucky, spyware will slow down your computer and make your daily use a frustrating experience. That is *NOT* a typo. If you are lucky, that's what will happen ... but if you are unlucky, spyware will leave your computer as good as useless, ... steal your personal data, banking information, credit card numbers, and passwords -- and make your life a living hell. What is the Difference between Spyware, Malware, and a Virus? There are distinct classifications for rogue software: all of which cause harm to your PC in some way or another. The terms spyware and malware generally refer to ... (view more)

Independent security tests performed by CRN.com suggests that Windows Vista is only marginally more secure than Windows XP. CRN spent a week testing both operating systems against various Trojans, viruses and various exploits. The tests were ... performed with Windows Vista Business on an HP Compaq 6515b notebook with Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and an HP Compaq nc6400 with Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), both using the default security features and settings. Finjan's RUSafe sniffer tool (a security tool that sniffs live traffic and generates logs that can be analyzed to help protect you ... (view more)

Malware Malware , or "malicious software" is a generic term used to describe various types of malevolent programs. Below are some of the most common forms of malware. Virus Viruses have used many sorts of hosts. When computer viruses first ... originated, common targets were executable files that are part of application programs and the boot sectors of floppy disks. More recently, most viruses have embedded themselves in e-mail as Email attachments, depending on a curious user opening the viral attachment. In the case of executable files, the infection routine of the virus arranges that ... (view more)

Port Monster Worried about Hackers? Viruses? Port Probes? Trojan Horses? Well, now you don't have to worry anymore. With Port Monster, you can not only be protected from Internet offenses and attacks, but also, you can know for sure if anyone is ... trying to connect to your computer. Port Monster is designed to not only manually control connections to your computer through a powerful firewall, but Port Monster will also detect and proactively respond to unwanted connection attempts and port scans against your computer in real time. Port Monster is not just for home computers, it is made for any ... (view more)

Is your computer safe from the dangers of file-sharing? I know mine isn't. Just this past Monday, I received a message stating that the file I received (through Kazaa) was infected with malicious code that could harm my computer. I was lucky that my ... anti-virus program caught the malevolent program from infecting my machine, otherwise I would have launched the file completely blind that my actions may have corrupted my entire hard drive. Indeed, a scary thought. At this point, I paused for a moment and thought to myself, "Could there be other nasty software lurking on my computer that may ... (view more)