The first sighting of next year's security suites is something we still associate with the autumn, along with cooler weather, shorter daylight hours and the uncomfortable realization that Christmas isn't so very far away. Symantec seems determined to change that, though, and even though it's only a few months since Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security 2011 were released, the 2012 product range has released to public beta today. These are clearly very early versions, then, but if wasn't for the word "BETA" on their consoles then you'd find it difficult to tell, at least initially. Installation is as quick and easy as ever: you don't even have to reboot once the process is over[......]
Just three short years ago, the announcement of a new Norton product would have been met with a "big whoop" from the enthusiast community. Some of you might still feel that way, but take it from us, Symantec seriously stepped up its game starting with the 2009 releases, and Norton has been faring well in our annual antivirus roundups ever since, including a 9 verdict awarded to Norton Internet Security 2011 [......]
Security firm AVG has come out with a new product called "AVG Family Safety" designed to "protect today's tech-savvy but increasingly vulnerable children online." That reads a lot like 'parental controls' to us, and from what we gather, that's basically what it is. In addition, AVG claims this wonder tool can filter unwanted communication from online predators and cyber-bullying from over 80 different social network sites, while also allowing you to monitor chats and network threads[......]
I’m not really sure what to make of this. [......]
Google found itself fending off criticisms from competitor Microsoft on Monday over whether or not its Google Apps product truly had an important government security clearance. Called the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) standard, the Mountain View, Calif. company claimed on its webpage that the Government version of Apps had it[......]
Rootkits are the ultimate in stealthy malware, burying themselves so deep into your system that they're often very hard to spot. If you're unlucky enough to encounter one then your antivirus package might detect it, but there are no guarantees, and so it may be wise to equip your PC with a second line of defence in Kaspersky's TDSSKiller . As the name suggests, TDSSKiller is designed to target a few, specific threats (TDSS, Sinowal, Whistler, Phanta, Trup, Stoned). [......]
In war, sometimes the best defence is a good offence. [......]
The list of victims in last week's security breach at email marketing firm Epsilon Interactive continues to grow, expanding to as many as 50 companies and exposing thousands -perhaps even millions- of customers' names and email addresses to potential spammers and phishing scammers. Email marketing expert and CEO of Zeta Interactive, Al DiGuido served as CEO for Epsilon Interactive from 2001-2007 . On Friday, he gave us his insight into what possibly went wrong at Epsilon and what could have been done to prevent the breach[......]
It's getting to be that time of month again. Microsoft's 'Patch Tuesday' is just around the corner for April 2011, and saying it's a big one doesn't do justice to the enormity of the upcoming update[......]
Security specialist Emsisoft has released Online Armor 5.0 , the latest version of their do-everything firewall package. If you've tried the program before then the most immediately obvious change will be its revamped interface, which makes it easier to locate the features you need and to understand the various alerts that you'll see. Online Armor has now also extended its program trust level settings, which allow it to define exactly how much access your installed applications have to key files, folders and Registry keys. A new Guard module looks out for common malware tricks, like double extensions (file.txt.exe), Unicode paths (characters that appear similar) or items that have the names of common system files but are stored in the wrong folder[......]
Antivirus software maker Symantec said Tuesday that attacks increased some 93 percent from 2009 to 2010, with a staggering 286 million new threats reported last year alone. An increase in the number of attacks on enterprise systems was noted, as well as the use of social networks as an attack vector. The firm also noted that there was an increase in attacks using vulnerabilities within the Java framework, as well as the beginning of a shift towards exploits aimed at mobile devices. [......]
Troubling news here. AVG, the anti-malware company, says that the majority of smartphone users are unaware of the security risks they face when, um, using smartphones. What[......]
This is… potentially disturbing. Mohamed Hassan recently purchased a brand-new Samsung laptop, an R525. As part of his normal setup procedure, he ran a complete scan with security software and found a keylogger installed in the Windows directory[......]
When Microsoft's Major Nelson announced a public preview of an "updated Xbox 360 disc format," the Internet was immediately abuzz with speculation that Blu-ray was finally coming to Redmond's flagship console. We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but that isn't the case. [......]
Credit card company American Express on Monday launched Serve, a payment system that allows customers to make person-to-person payments online, via mobile phones, or at merchants who accept American Express credit cards. Serve launched just two weeks after Visa Inc[......]
