Cure Virus- 7 Things You Should Look For in Antivirus Software

I often see people choosing wrong or outdated antivirus virus support canada softwares and worse, spending a good amount of money on them. You don't need to settle for ineffective antivirus programs, because you can easily buy effective antivirus softwares for the same price. In this article I will tell you about 7 things that you should look for when purchasing an anti virus software.

1. Does your anti virus software provide you with two levels of protection? Most antivirus softwares can detect viruses in real time as well as clean viruses from your PC when you run the scanner. See if the antivirus software you are going to buy offers such dual level of protection or not.

2. How effective is the software in cleaning up the infected files from your computer? Does your antivirus software effectively clean, quarantine or remove the infected files as well as the virus from your PC? This is an important consideration you should make while buying an antivirus program.

3. How easy it is to use the antivirus software? Let's face it, not all of us are IT graduates. Most of the PC users around the world are completely novice and barely know how to operate computers. If an antivirus program is complicated to use, it would not be much effective. I would recommend that you buy an antivirus program which is very easy to use and understand.

4. Do you get free updates with your purchase? Most antivirus programs provide you with at least one year of free upgrade with your purchase. Also, most good antivirus programs release frequent updates. Do not buy an antivirus program that doesn't offer you such facilities.

5. What type of support is provided to the end user by the software developer? Ideally you should buy antivirus software from a company which offers you fast and responsive software support. They should have at least a phone number, email address as well as a snail mail address through which you can contact them easily.

6. Does a help documentation comes with your anti virus program? Are they easy to understand? See, if you cannot understand the help instructions, you won't be able to make much use of the software. That is why it is imperative that the help documentation should be one which is easy to understand and free from technical jargon.

7. Check the system requirements that the antivirus program needs in order to run. Some antivirus programs require you to download and install additional softwares. Ideally you should choose one antivirus program which is easy to use and has minimal system requirements.

source:-ezinearticles.com

The Purpose of Anti-Virus Software

Anti-virus software is software that you install on your computer so that you can be alerted when you have a virus. Anti-virus support canada software will help to keep your computer safe against worms, viruses, Trojan horses, and other uninvited programs.

The software can also help you clean your computer if you should happen to have a virus. The important thing to remember about anti-virus software is that you make sure to update it often so that you get the latest computer virus definitions installed into the software program. There is no point in having the anti-virus software if you’re not going to update it. You’ll be able to get updates from the vendor that sold you the anti-virus software, such as Norton.

Many times you may already have anti-virus software on your computer in which case you be sure to uninstall it before installing your new software. To find out if you have virus software check under your Start menu to see if you one listed, such as McAfee or Norton. Keep in mind that just because you have anti-virus software already installed on your computer that it (1) might not be working, and (2) hasn’t been updated for a long time.

Once you’ve installed anti-virus software on your computer you’re going to want to make sure that you use it correctly. Make sure that the settings in your computer automatically turn the anti-virus software on when you boot up your computer. You always want to be protected. If you’re downloading something off the Internet your anti-virus software will let you know if there is a problem.

You can also use the anti-virus software to specifically scan any downloads, or files, that that have been sent to you via e-mail. If you are alerted that you have a virus your software will guide you with the right steps to removing it. Make sure that you don’t continue to use your computer until the virus, or worm that you have, is removed. You don’t want to send e-mail to friends and help in the spreading of the virus.

source:ezinearticles.com

Google's Chrome Browser Not Yet Secure

Google Chrome browser is only a day old, but security researchers already have found vulnerabilities that can be exploited. According to a report published by ZDNet, security researcher Aviv Raff has found that he can combine a flaw in the open source WebKit engine with a Java bug to dupe Google Chrome users into downloading executable files.

Apple, which uses WebKit in its Safari browser, fixed this flaw with its Safari 3.1.2 browser patch. Chrome uses an older version of WebKit that has not been repaired. Another security researcher, Rishi Narang, claimed to have found a way to crash Google Chrome with a malicious link.

"An issue exists in how chrome behaves with undefined-handlers in chrome.dll version 0.2.149.27," Narang explained on the Evil Fingers Web site. "A crash can result without user interaction. When a user is made to visit a malicious link, which has an undefined handler followed by a 'special' character, the Chrome crashes with a Google Chrome message window 'Whoa! Google Chrome has crashed. Restart now?' "

And someone identified as "Nerex" has posted proof-of-concept JavaScript code on Milw0rm.com that supposedly "allows files (e.g., executables) to be automatically downloaded to the user's computer without any user prompt."

This exploit appears to be similar to the one identified by Raff.

In theory, Google Chrome should be more secure than other browsers because, rather than being a single-threaded application, each tab is handled by its own sandboxed process with its own memory space. Like a multiengine plane, Chrome is designed not to crash following the loss of a single engine.

"[Chrome] utilizes technology that has historically been associated with operating systems to create isolation between different browser tabs with the aim of improved crash-resistance and security," IDC analyst Al Hilwa said in a research note. "The security capabilities also ensue from a new sandbox model that strengthens what is typically available today from other browsers."But Chrome is beta software and remains a work in progress.

Hilwa observes that while Google's security architecture isolates the browser's kernel from attacks on rendering-engine vulnerabilities, it doesn't extend this same protection to plug-ins like Java, Flash, and Silverlight.

Mozilla software engineer Robert O'Callahan in a blog post said that while Chrome looks promising, Google's coders still have challenges to overcome. "There are some interesting architectural problems they haven't solved yet, especially with the process separation model, especially with regard to windowless plugins, and also Mac," he said. "These are problems that will be encountered by anyone doing process separation so it will be interesting to see how that goes."

Take a spin through our Google Chrome image gallery and have a look at the browser that's being touted as a game-changer.

Spam Is Growing And Getting More Sophisticated

We're all familiar with e-mail spam offering prescription drugs, cut-rate software and herbal potions.

But spammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in delivering ploys intended to dupe people into divulging personal information. Some of their most recent innovations are traps for people who might be seeking help with drug or alcohol addiction.

A recent report from Symantec Corp., the Cupertino, Calif.-based developer of Norton AntiVirus Support Canada software and other programs, says that unsolicited e-mails offering information about alcohol or drug rehabilitation services could very well be spam.

Appearing new this summer was e-mail with the subject lines "Get help today with Drug Rehab Info" or "Overcome Alcoholism Today" illustrated with photographs of people who seem depressed, the Symantec report said.

"It's one of their more sinister attacks," said Dermot Harnett, the report's editor. "If you open it, it will bring you to a sign-up page asking for your name, address and e-mail information. It's the first step in trying to get credit card information."

Besides the innovations, the overall volume of spam is up, too. In July 2007, about 66 percent of all e-mail messages were spam, the report said. This year, the figure rose to 78 percent.
You may think it's all coming from overseas, but according to Symantec, Americans are the biggest offenders. In July, the largest amount of spam — 27 percent — originated in the U.S., followed by Turkey and Russia, which tied at 7 percent, the report said.

The bulk of that e-mail contained phony offers or nasty computer viruses, Harnett said.
In an attempt to spread Trojan viruses, which can delete files or turn your computer into a spam-spewing zombie or snatch your e-mail addresses, spammers resort to both old and new ploys.

source:crime-research.org