malware

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)

Online Malware Scan This great online tool scans a selected file with numerous antivirus programs in order to maximize your computer's security. It's like hiring fifteen big, burly bodyguards to protect you and your PC instead of just one! ... http://virusscan.jotti.org Kiwi Application Monitor Kiwi application monitor is a small program that lets you monitor your apps, processes, Windows and User activity. All you need to do is select an application or process from the built-in process viewer or enter an application name. The program can be set to start with Windows and run in the background. ... (view more)

Despite the efforts of the computer security industry, malicious software is reportedly spreading faster than ever and security researchers have acknowledged that they cannot seem to get ahead of the onslaught. Internet security is broken and it ... appears that nobody knows quite how to fix it. This so-called malware surreptitiously takes over a PC then uses it to spread more malware to other machines exponentially. (Source: informationweek.com ) A conservative estimate by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says that as more businesses and people move onto the Web, criminals ... (view more)

Today's fresh software picks were provided courtesy of Bob Helmer at Shell Extension City. Please note that the below software descriptions are provided solely from the developer and are absent from any guarantee or warranty. You are encouraged to ... review the Shell Extension Software Policy for more details. Malware City Learn the current internet threat level or use the online virus scanner, or learn about newly discovered malware. All in all, Malware City is meant to keep your computer from becoming a citizen of such a miserable metropolis. http://www.appscout.com Registry Auditor Registry ... (view more)

Though it has struggled to gain the attention of many computer users set in their XP ways, Windows Vista is considered to be relatively safer from malware than its predecessor. Unfortunately, according to one prominent security company, that's about ... to change. In a recent report by well-known software developer McAfee Inc., Vista is labeled as a targeted system for calendar 2008. That will certainly change the current state of affairs, where hackers have bypassed the new Vista in continuing to attack old XP users. "Most of the current malware has ignored Vista," admitted McAfee researcher ... (view more)

Tucked away behind that Iron Curtain, for a long time we didn't hear much from Eastern Europe. With the fall of the Soviet Union less than twenty years ago, travelers began to uncover more than just the area's brooding discontent. Unfortunately for ... the web's security companies Russia remains a bit wild; in fact, some might consider it a hacker haven. That's certainly the impression after the discovery of a new website that uses an impressive botnet to infect vulnerable PCs -- on demand. Although the website itself hasn't been bookmarked for immediately filling a visitor's system with malware ... (view more)

The past few weeks, I started following a news story that raises my ire! No, it isn't about Microsoft and Vista -- it's about a substitute school teacher that has been caught in what is termed a ... well, we'll call it an adult-oriented Pop-up Trap ... (if you know what I mean). To begin with, a 'Pop-up' Trap (or a 'Mouse' Trap) is when an Internet surfer clicks on a web site and is treated to a cascade of pop-ups, usually advertising offensive material geared toward twisted individuals. These ads come in at such a high rate of speed, the user cannot keep up with them. The content is also rather ... (view more)

The past few weeks, I started following a news story that raises my ire! No, it isn't about Microsoft and Vista -- it's about a substitute school teacher that has been caught in what is termed a ... well, we'll call it an adult-oriented Pop-up Trap ... (if you know what I mean). To begin with, a 'Pop-up' Trap (or a 'Mouse' Trap) is when an Internet surfer clicks on a web site and is treated to a cascade of pop-ups, usually advertising offensive material geared toward twisted individuals. These ads come in at such a high rate of speed, the user cannot keep up with them. The content is also rather ... (view more)

One of my old Internet friends, Steven Burn , wrote me about finding malware in a program called Kiwi Alpha, which is a peer to peer file sharing client. He found it at Download.com. He also knows I've had bad experiences at Download.com in the ... past. Steven sent me a link to a thread at SpywareWarrior's forums where he had posted his analysis of Kiwi Alpha. It looked bad, but naturally I had to try it for myself. Preparation I created a clean Windows 98 virtual machine using Microsoft's free Virtual PC program. Then I googled for the page at Download.com. I found Kiwi Alpha and installed it ... (view more)

You might hear security experts say that a good defense against malware is to add multiple layers of defense, keep them updated, and use them often. If you'd like an additional way to scan your PC for malware like Trojans, dialers, worms, and ... Spyware, you might want to give "a-squared Free" a try. Currently, a-squared has more than 200,000 malware signatures that it scans for. My wife and I have been using this program as an extra layer of defense for nearly two years now. It is often updated and rock solid stable. The a-squared Free scanner may not be the very best scanner ... (view more)