Posts Tagged ‘antivirus’

ZoneAlarm’s 2010 suites include encryption

Best known for its ZoneAlarm firewall, Check Point Software has announced updates for ZoneAlarm’s more full-featured security suites. Available in two versions, ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2010 gives users a robust firewall, antivirus and antispyware, and parental control package for $50, while ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010 adds Web browsing protection, system tune-up tools, backup options, and anti-phishing technology for $70.

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ZoneAlarm is still best known for its firewall, but it currently offers users much more than that. See what’s available in ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010, which is similar to but has more features than ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2010.

ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2010 in pictures
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)
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Trend Micro’s 2010 suite is sharp at the top

Trend Micro released its 2010 security products earlier this week, with three programs offering varying levels of security and service. The comparatively barebones Trend Micro Antivirus + AntiSpyware clocks in at $40, with the basic suite Trend Micro Internet Security available for $10 more and $70 for the premium Trend Micro Internet Security Pro. They all come with a full-feature 30-day trial.

There’s a lot that’s new in the Pro version and some of that filters down to the other editions. Users can expect to get full Windows 7 support, auto-run disabling for USB keys, gaming, and video-watching awareness so that scans don’t begin while you’re relaxing, and notably a behavioral detection engine that Trend Micro calls the Smart Protection Network.

Like its competitors Symantec and Kaspersky, Trend Micro’s engine utilizes anonymous data from its client base to determine when a program is behaving suspiciously. From there, it will either automatically kill the process or ask for user input. As malware and virus makers get smarter and find new ways to avoid detection, the need for behavioral monitoring will only increase.

There are a series of performance enhancements, too, at least according to Trend Micro. Trend Micro is claiming that boot times are 20 percent faster, that the programs use 40 percent less RAM, that the download itself is 25 percent smaller, and that the quick scan on Windows Vista and Windows XP is 20 percent faster.

Many of the other feature changes amount to tweaks. However, for the price it’s undeniable that you’re getting your money’s worth in the Pro version. Smartphone security support for Windows Mobile and Symbian, customizable data protection to keep names, phones numbers, and credit card numbers from leaving your computer, and a dynamic firewall make it a must-consider if you’re in the market for a robust suite. Full reviews for each product are available here: Trend Micro Antivirus + AntiSpyware, Trend Micro Internet Security, Trend Micro Internet Security Pro.

Do you use a security suite? Which one? Let me know in the comments below.

Source :

http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10319963-12.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Report: Antivirus feature for Snow Leopard?

The next version of Apple’s OS X, which is due out Friday, may bundle antivirus capabilities.

Mac security firm Intego said that the latest version of the operating system, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, could have an antimalware feature, according to reports, in a blog post Tuesday.

The company published a screenshot which it said was of the security feature detecting a Trojan in a download, made via Apple’s Safari Web browser.

Intego pointed out that the most recent Mac adverts compare Mac security favorably to PCs. However, security experts have historically been divided over the relative security of Microsoft and Apple code, while some point out that any comparison is further complicated by the differing market penetration of Macs and PCs.

Source :

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10318201-37.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

New virus infects programs built with Delphi

Researchers said on Tuesday that they are seeing something unusual in the malware world–a virus that targets a development environment.

The virus, dubbed Win32.Induc, was written to infect applications built with Delphi, according to Nick Bilogorskiy, manager of antivirus researcher at Sonicwall. Delphi is used to write Windows programs, including database applications.

When an infected program is run on a machine running Delphi, the virus infects any software that gets compiled on that machine. The virus spreads the executable file of itself as well as the source code. It looks for a compiler on the infected system and re-compiles the source code, inserting its code into any programs compiled on the system.

“This malware just spreads; it doesn’t delete files or do anything malicious,” he said. “But if you create software and you have this code in it, the software will be blocked by antivirus (technology).”

Developers whose systems are infected will pass the infection on to the programs they are creating, Bilogorskiy said.

Already, two free tools that are included in certain magazine CDs and are among the top 100 downloads on some portals–Any TV Free 2.41 and Tidy Favorites 4.1–have been infected, he said. “As many as 30 percent of developers who use Delphi have this,” he added.

Sonicwall and a number of antivirus vendors have updated their software to block the virus.

Sophos has more details on its SophosLabs blog.

Source :

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10312628-245.html

New alliance aims to unite malware fight

A new alliance has been created to formalize information sharing on security protection and develop industry standards.

The Industry Connections Security Group (ICSG) is parked under the IEEE Standards Association and includes mostly security heavyweights and antivirus players. The founding members are AVG Technologies, McAfee, Microsoft, Sophos, Symantec, and Trend Micro.

Announcing the group in a blog post on Monday, Mark Harris, vice president of SophosLabs, said security researchers have had a tradition of sharing virus samples but that the sharing arrangements “are still based on individual relationships rather than formal agreements.”

The formation of the group makes for a “more organized” security industry, he added, in the current landscape where attacks are increasingly structured and malware samples grow at “astonishing rates.”

The ICSG currently has a malware working group, but intends to add other working groups over time.

According to a July 20 presentation document (PDF), the group aims to improve the efficiency of the collection and processing of the millions of malware file samples handled by security vendors each month by focusing on an XML-based metadata sharing standard. The standard is expected to undergo ratification by the end of this month.

Graham Titterington, principal analyst at Ovum, said the announcement of the group was both interesting and confusing. The rationale for the new alliance was the need for a more comprehensive approach to countering malware writers, he said, but the focus of the group appears to be limited.

The group addresses “all aspects of malware and its membership includes most of the main antimalware vendors–Kaspersky being the most notable absentee–and so the ICSG represents progress on countering the so-called ‘blended threats,'” he told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail. “However, it does not seem to be taking the battle to the criminals or probing the criminals’ business networks. The focus is on setting up the infrastructure and protocols to allow rapid information sharing on threats and making the day-to-day operation of the members more efficient.

Titterington added: “I would have expected a body affiliated with the IEEE to be putting more emphasis on the development of improved methods for disrupting criminal activity and on new ways of protecting users.”

Vivian Yeo of ZDNet Asia reported from London.

Source :

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10313027-83.html

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