Fake Antispyware Software - Tips to Identify and Avoid

The Internet has made our lives easier but it comes with a few curses too. While the Internet has changed the way we do business and share things, it has also led to online frauds and crimes. When you download or purchase a product online, you can never be 100% percent certain of its authenticity until you actually use the product or service yourself. This is because the Internet has become the new frontier for criminals who find it easier to cheat people and cause damage to them due to its sheer reach to millions of users. One unique way of gaining illegal access to your computer that is used by cyber criminals is to create fake antispyware or antivirus programs that are actually malicious software.

To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of these rogue antispyware tools, it is essential for you to learn how to differentiate between a fake antispyware and a real antispyware program. Here are some useful tips to help you identify a fake antispyware program.

Uses Scare Tactics

A fake antispyware software displays fake spyware alerts on your computer and frightens you into purchasing its full version. These alerts claim that the only way to get rid of spyware from your system is to perform a full system scan using a paid version of the recommended fake spyware tool. Such rogue tools, also known as scareware, never provide any protection against spyware. What they actually do is scam you out of money and install additional spyware onto your computer.

Uses Pressure Marketing

If scaring you is not enough, the promoters of these fake antispyware programs also bombard you with aggressive marketing campaigns to force you into buying their protection software. The most aggressive rogue antispyware programs will hijack your web browser and force you to their associated websites and make it impossible for you to access any other websites.

Looks Similar to Genuine Antispyware Programs

To make it difficult for an innocent computer user to identify them, fake antispyware programs have an interface that looks quite similar to popular, legitimate, and well-known antispyware programs. In addition, these fake antispyware programs illegally use official Windows logos to make themselves look more legit. If you don't know how to distinguish between the two, you can easily fall into the rogue antispyware's malicious trap and cause damage to your computer.

Performs Extremely Poor Scanning and Reporting

If you fall prey to the tactics used by these tools and end up buying a fake antispyware software, you can immediately identify it to be a fake when it automatically scans your PC and displays the final results. First, a legitimate antispyware tool will never scan your system without your permission. Next, you will notice that the displayed results are quite general and do not give out any specific information related to the detected infections. Finally, you may notice that the software conveniently skips several essential files and folders from the scanning process.

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Beware Of Free Antispyware Download

Though internet is a revolution in the present world, it has its own disadvantages. The security and privacy are at stake. The Internet is a dangerous place full of privacy invaders, scammers, and hackers availaing full advantage of your internet activities. You need to take certain preventive measures to avoid these threats. Spyware may get installed via certain shareware programs offered for download. Downloading programs only from reputable sources can provide some protection from this source of attack.

There are are plenty of things you can do to keep yourself safe. Antispyware, antivirus, firewalls or internet security suites are some of the software applications that can ensure your privacy. There are a number of good antispyware programs in the market today. At the same time, dozens of fake and rogue antispyware softwares are also prevailing in the market. They leave the traces of spyware and adware on your PC when scanned, thus creating a fear of threat and making yourself to buy that antispyware software. These rogue antispyware softwares are heavily marketed through e-mail campaigns and sometimes through some words like FREE ANTISPYWARE DOWNLOAD. Beware of them. Never run any free scan or free antispyware download unless you are aware of the software publishers.

If you find time, just go through the independent product reviews that are published by renowned computer magazines like PCWorld, PCMag, CNET. Spending some extra time on researching antispyware softwares can save you a lot of hassles in the long run. There are certainly some companies that specialize in delivering just good antispyware software programs and nothing else.

As a customer, everyone of us would be interested in evaluating the antispyware program. The four basic parameters which we look at the best antispyware software are price, features, ease of use, and performance. A growing number of antispyware tools are taking a new approach to fight the spyware. Rather than blocking each spyware and adware, they aim to limit malware's power to cause harm even if it gets in.

Research analysts test the products' ability to provide real-time defense on contact with threats, as well as their propensity to falsely identify harmless files. A real-time protection against rootkits and phishing sites is also one of the feature to test the accuracy of the antispyware software. Other user-friendly features like the ability to choose between a fast system scan and a slow system scan is a notable thing if you are run out of time.

Anti-phishing protection guards prevents access to known bad sites. Detecting malware is one thing; cleaning it thoroughly from your system is another. Some antispyware softwares claim that they have detected even the unnoticeable spyware and adware. But in reality one needs to have a thorough cleaning antispyware software application.

Article Source: http://goo.gl/YUObd

Anti-Spyware Software In 2011- Top 5

Stopping spyware (“malware”) is more than a one-time inoculation, folks. This is about a weekly habit of cleaning "nasty dust bunnies" from your personal computer. In much the same way you clean your home with your favorite broom and your favorite cleaning solvents, you will also need good tools to clean spyware out of your PC.

Accessing the Internet without having proper protection poses a great threat to your information and data security. Of late, it has been noticed that spyware is the most serious threat to the online identity of the user. This tiny program is downloaded often without the knowledge of the user and they collect information about sites the user visits.

1. Being the popular and venerable antispyware program from the house of Lavasoft, Ad-aware SE 1.06 is an ideal choice for keeping spyware and adware under control on your computer. This program has been intended to safeguard your computer from known Data-mining, selected traditional Trojans, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, Dialers as well as Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components. This new programs comes with all new Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology that not only protects your computer from known content, but also safeguard the system against many of their unknown variants.

2. ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware 6 is another excellent choice. Released by Zone Labs, renowned free firewall software ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware 6 offers a deep level of protection to the PC users. Installation and setup of this program is very straightforward. Apart from monitoring network traffic for spyware, this anti-spyware program also quarantines suspicious e-mail attachments as well as block outbound messages that may have potential malware.

3. PC tools Spyware Doctor 2011 is one of the most popular choice in 2011. Featuring a unique user interface this program is very easy to use. Typically, it is a must to have an active internet connection to update the programs for the best performance. But Spware Doctor doesn't depend upon the definition database. So those who dint have an internet connection they also won't face any difficulties with this program. There should be 2GB RAM to run the smoothly.

4. Webroot SpySweeper 2011 performs excellently to detect of spywares. The latest version comes with some new features such as online backup. This allows the users to access their files from anywhere. The scanning speed might be a bit on the slower side than its counterparts but the detection techniques of this program is the best. To run the program, there should be 1 GHz processor and minimum 1GB RAM.

5. Ad-Aware Pro 8.3 is notable anti-spyware software. The program might be simple and lightweight but it is very much effective to protect your computer against spyware.

Get Rid of XP Antispyware

XP Antispyware (aka XP Antispyware 2009) is a malicious program that is dangerous contrary to the legitimate security image it projects. It secretly installs on your computer through Trojans such as Zlob and makes its way to system folders and the registry. It downloads additional parasites that hijack your web browser and bombard you with false notifications of threats it claims are on your computer. Remove this fake program and protect your computer from malicious activity.

Instructions


Print these directions before proceeding because you will later need to restart your computer. Close all running programs.


Click the Windows "Start" button and select "All Programs." Scroll up and select "Accessories." Select "System Tools" and click "System Restore." The backup utility launches.


Click "Create a new restore point" on the utility. Type a name for the backup and click "Create" to back up your computer system.


Press "Ctrl," "Alt," and "Delete" together to open the task manager. Click the "Processes" tab. Scroll down and click "XPAntispyware2009.exe." Click "End Process." Perform the same procedure to the following remaining processes:
as2008xp.exe, setup_100527_3_.exe, setup.exe, antispyware-2009.exe, XP_AntiSpyware.exe, antispyware-2009.exe. Exit the task manager.


Restart your computer and press "F8" repeatedly to launch the Windows Advanced Options Menu. Select "Safe Mode" and press "Enter" to log into Windows Safe Mode.


Click the Windows "Start" button and click "Run." Type "cmd" (without quotes) and press "Enter" to open the command prompt.


Type "regsvr32 /u + dll file" and press "Enter." A message pops up saying the dll file has been unregistered. For example, to unregister mall.dll, type "regsvr32 /u mall.dll" and press "Enter." Unregister the following dll files: ntdll64.dll, pthreadvc2.dll, msvcr80.dll, msvcp80.dll, htmlayout.dll, msvcm80.dll and avengn.dll. Close the command prompt.


Click the Windows "Start" button and click "Run." Type "regedit" (without quotes) and press "OK" to open the registry.


Read more: http://goo.gl/XECtm

Fake Antispyware Software - Tips to Identify and Avoid

The Internet has made our lives easier but it comes with a few curses too. While the Internet has changed the way we do business and share things, it has also led to online frauds and crimes. When you download or purchase a product online, you can never be 100% percent certain of its authenticity until you actually use the product or service yourself. This is because the Internet has become the new frontier for criminals who find it easier to cheat people and cause damage to them due to its sheer reach to millions of users. One unique way of gaining illegal access to your computer that is used by cyber criminals is to create fake antispyware or antivirus programs that are actually malicious software.

To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of these rogue antispyware tools, it is essential for you to learn how to differentiate between a fake antispyware and a real antispyware program. Here are some useful tips to help you identify a fake antispyware program.

Uses Scare Tactics

A fake antispyware software displays fake spyware alerts on your computer and frightens you into purchasing its full version. These alerts claim that the only way to get rid of spyware from your system is to perform a full system scan using a paid version of the recommended fake spyware tool. Such rogue tools, also known as scareware, never provide any protection against spyware. What they actually do is scam you out of money and install additional spyware onto your computer.

Uses Pressure Marketing

If scaring you is not enough, the promoters of these fake antispyware programs also bombard you with aggressive marketing campaigns to force you into buying their protection software. The most aggressive rogue antispyware programs will hijack your web browser and force you to their associated websites and make it impossible for you to access any other websites.

Looks Similar to Genuine Antispyware Programs

To make it difficult for an innocent computer user to identify them, fake antispyware programs have an interface that looks quite similar to popular, legitimate, and well-known antispyware programs. In addition, these fake antispyware programs illegally use official Windows logos to make themselves look more legit. If you don't know how to distinguish between the two, you can easily fall into the rogue antispyware's malicious trap and cause damage to your computer.

Performs Extremely Poor Scanning and Reporting

If you fall prey to the tactics used by these tools and end up buying a fake antispyware software, you can immediately identify it to be a fake when it automatically scans your PC and displays the final results. First, a legitimate antispyware tool will never scan your system without your permission. Next, you will notice that the displayed results are quite general and do not give out any specific information related to the detected infections. Finally, you may notice that the software conveniently skips several essential files and folders from the scanning process.

Inspired by article http://goo.gl/NuWiQ

Top Anti Spyware Programs and Software

While many users seek out of free anti-spyware online, most people prefer the accountability inherent with paid security software. The belief that money spent equates to performance and support is not always proven true, so software reviews often influence the eventual purchase. PC Magazine, TopTenREVIEWS and CNET Reviews are trusted sources of product reviews and as such routinely offer their picks for the top retail security software.

Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus

The editors of PCMag.com rated Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 4.5 out of 5 with the website's readership rating the software 4 out of 5. The software underwent a battery of tests during review and was declared excellent in identifying and removing spyware, rootkits and scareware. The software's weak area was in detecting keylogger programs where it only found 90 percent during testing. There was an issue where the software upset the computer's network settings, but the problem was easily fixed. In the end, the software earned a "very good" rating from editors and readers.

Spy Sweeper

Spy Sweeper by publisher Webroot was ranked in first place among the anti-spyware reviewed by TopTenREVIEWS. The software was praised for its thorough definitions database, frequent updates and free technical support. However, the software was found to conflict with other security software installed on the computer. Overall, TopTenREVIEWS declared that the scanning software and extensive database were more than enough to put Spy Sweeper at number one.

Inspired by: http://goo.gl/yuTYx

The Best Way to Get Rid of Adware and Spyware

Adware" and "spyware" are terms that refer to programs that can cause damage to your computer. These programs can download and install on your computer without your knowledge, and make changes to your web browser's homepage, cause advertisement pop-ups to appear and spy on your computer activities. It's important to use an effective way of getting rid of these programs every so often, or they can seriously slow down and corrupt your computer's health.

1.Download Antispyware Software

2.The best way to get rid of adware and spyware is to first download and install antispyware programs that can deal with these problems (see Resources). This is the best option not only for those who don't have a lot of computer savvy, but also in general, since some of the best antispyware programs are free and are generally effective. Buying such a program from an online ad can be dangerous, as a lot of these are scams. The ones you can download for free, such as Spybot and Ad-Aware, are oftentimes just as good as store-bought programs.

3. Updating.

The first thing to do after installing is make sure your antispyware program has the most recent updates. There is usually a button marked "Update" that will let you download what you need. It's a good idea to stay away from programs that don't offer frequent updates, because spyware and adware are constantly changing and becoming more numerous. If your antispyware program doesn't have information on the latest spyware and adware, it could miss something on your computer.

4. Scan and Delete

After you've updated, it's a good idea to scan for spyware immediately. Turn off other programs while the scan is completing to make it more effective. Also, if you have a particularly hard-to-get-rid-of spyware program, it's a good idea to restart your computer in safe mode before doing a scan. After the scan completes, the threats should be listed, and there should be a button for removal. It's a good idea to do scans frequently, as you never know when a malicious program may install itself on your computer.

Anti Spyware Software - What is it and How Does it Work?

There are some excellent products available to detect spyware, stop spyware, and remove spyware from your computer. Anti spyware software is designed to do all this plus immunize your computer against the reinstallation of the spyware it destroys - spyware blocking. Although spyware and adware are not considered computer viruses (mainly because spyware and adware don't replicate themselves), anti spyware software works much like anti virus software works.

Anti spyware software scans and/or monitors your computer for known spyware and adware file characteristics and patterns. It compares its database of spyware definitions to the files on your PC, sending a trigger when it detects a match. Normally, anti spyware software alerts you whenever it finds spyware or other malicious software, and lets you know what it has found. Most good spyware removers provide you with some detailed information about the spyware that has been found, such as its name, origin, and what it is designed to do. You then have a choice to destroy the spyware or to keep it (rarely would you want to keep it - unless it has accidentally detected a known good program that it thinks is spyware - an extremely rare occurence).

The key to effective and efficient spyware detection and removal is in the spyware file definitions database that is provided by the software developer. As with anti virus software (which also requires updated definitions), if the anti spyware definitions data is not kept up to date, it cannot detect the newest spyware and adware. Most good anti spyware software includes an auto update feature, which will automatically retrieve and install new spyware characteristics on a regular basis. This makes the process of staying well protected extremely easy.

Most anti spyware software is purchased as a one year license, which assures you will get regular spyware file updates as well as product upgrades and enhancements. Normally the initial price of the software includes one year of updates. You can renew each year for a lesser price. Spyware removal software is relatively inexpensive, especially when you consider the amount of privacy protection you are getting. Since spyware can easily steal your personal information and send it to an unscrupulous thief on the other side of the world, investing $30 or so for protection against spyware is a small price to pay to stay safe.

Anti Spyware software will not protect you against computer viruses, and anti virus software will not protect you against spyware. You need both an antivirus and anti spyware product to protect yourself against both types of threats - which are very commonplace. Spyware poses a huge security threat to everyday internet users today, as the possibility of identity theft is so great.

"Everyone who uses the internet today should have anti spyware software installed on their computer - it's not worth the risk to not use it."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/197375

Top 10 AntiSpyware of 2011

Couple of days ago,we reviewed the top ten antivirus softwares for 2011.Today we are going to review the best antispyware solutions for 2011.While reviewing the softwares we took many tests regarding scan performance,detection effectiveness,system performance while using the software,technical support,compatibility issues,user interface etc.Generally spyware and malware are used to track user behavior online and record keystrokes for obtaining your passwords or important information from your confidential files rather than deleting or modifying your data like viruses.While most antivirus solutions are capable of detecting spyware ,an additional antispyware software would make your computer safer.

1.Webroot SpySweeper 2011:

The number 1 recommendation is always easy for the past couple of years.Webroot’s popular Spysweeper software continues its brilliant detection of spywares in its 2011 version too.Undoubtedly it is the best anti-spyware solution available today.In its 2011 version Webroot came up with some new features like online backup so you can access your files anywhere.The scanning speed of spysweeper is slower when compared to other products but it has the best detection techniques that made us rank it higher than others.Spysweeper has a clean and simple user interface providing options like game mode etc so that it doesn’t slow down your pc while you are gaming.Webroot provides free customer support to you over telephone,email, Facebook and twitter which is quite good.Coming to system performance while using the software,it definitely slows down your system if it has below 1Ghz processor and less than 1GB ram.Systems having above these specifications doesn’t notice any lag and spysweeper works smoothly.A complete scanning on our system having 3Ghz processor,2GB ram,500Gb hardisk running Windows 7 took about 25-30 minutes which is reasonable.Spysweeper has 3 scanning modes namely quick scan,full scan and custom scan.Webroot Spysweeper comes with many features like detecting ad-ware,malware, key-loggers, root kits,spyware,tracking cookies, Trojans etc. Spysweeper also supports anti-phishing, anti-spam,auto updates,email scanning,restoring mode,scheduling scan.Spysweeper costs $29.95 for 1 PC.All in all we rate webroot antispyware no.1 in the top 10 antispyware count down.

2.Sunbelt CounterSpy 4.0.3904:

Sunbelt Software’s Counterspy came second in our list of top ten antispyware.CounterSpy did a fair job in detecting spywares.The main area where Counterspy scores more over Webroot spysweeper and other antispyware products is its user interface.Sunbelt software did a fantastic job with its user interface where other products failed.Customisation of the software is one of the areas where Sunbelt achieved most.It has modes like Kernel-level 24/7 Active Protection with default settings for novice users however and an expert user can easily tell the software what to detect and what to clean.Another area where counterspy is better than spysweeper is resource usage,Counterspy can run smoothly even if your system has less than 1GB of Ram.So for users who are having older systems,we will definitely recommend Counterspy than spysweeper.Though counterspy has these advantages over other products ,the detection of spyware is not as good as spysweeper which made us rank it no.2 in the top 10 antispyware list.The scanning time is less than spysweeper (about 20 minutes for a pc with above mentioned specs) .Like all other products counterspy protects you from adware,malware,spyware,trojans etc.The only missing feature we found in spysweeper is anti-spam support.Overall Counterspy is a very great product at a very reasonable price of $19.95 for 1 PC.

3.PC tools Spyware Doctor 2011:

PC tools is a major player in providing anti-spyware software over the past few years.Spyware Doctor 2011 keeps up with its reputation and is ranked number 3 in our Top 10 antispyware list. Talking about user interface,Spyware doctor has a unique UI.There are no sub menus,dialog boxes entirely.It is a simple tab design and whatever you want to do ,it is just a click away which is very pleasing for beginners .Generally we need an active internet connection for our security products to keep our data safe.Spware doctor doesn’t actually rely on definiton database but can actually have the technology to make on-the-fly choices.We found it very effective even when it’s not updated.So for users who don’t have an internet connection everyday,spyware doctor is the best bet. Intelliscan is one of the important features that spyware doctor possess which can stop spyware from entering your PC that were previously detected.So once it detects a spyware on your pc ,there is no chance that it comes back again.Spyware doctor is very heavy on using pc resources and you need a decent system with 2GB ram to run it smoothly which is the main disadvantage and made us rank no. 3 among the top 10 antivirus.PC tools provide good technical support over telephone,email and live chat. It comes at a price of $29.99 for 1 PC.

4.Ad-Aware Pro 8.3

Lavasoft’s Ad-aware is another brilliant anti-spyware software.It is simple,effective and lightweight.The userinterface is good and has two modes for basic users and advanced ones.Ad-Watch Live! Expert technology gives realtime protection to your computer.Lavasoft’s Genocode detection technology another important feature which is Ad-Aware’s advanced heuristic detection, which will proactively scan files and analyses if a file is malicious by nature, even if it is not on the virus definitions yet.Adware is very effective against spyware when compared to other anitvirus products but not good as those which are specifically designed for spyware like spysweeper,counterspy, etc .It does not use many resources and works just fine even on a PC with 512MB ram.There are some missing features like antispam and email scanner that restricts it becoming the best,but it does the job very well with its limited features.It comes at a price of $29.95 for 1 PC and makes its space at no.4 on top 10 antispyware softwares.

5.SUPER AntiSpyware Professional 4.46:

SUPER Antispyware professional is a very nice product which doesn’t use much space on your harddisk and has powerful and effective scanning and detection engines.The user interface is very straight forward. It doesn’t use much resources and doesn’t slow down your PC on most occasions.The scanning time is fast than other products and completes in 18-22 minutes .It detects most of the spyware,malware,trojans effectively and removes them completely.It has frequent updates which requires an always-on internet connection.This new version has protection against keyloggers which is impressive.SUPER antispyware has improved a lot over the years and we expect some great features in future too.It comes at a price of $29.95 for 1 PC.A deserving one to be included in the top 10 antispywares.

6.STOPzilla 5:

When we first looked at the feature set of this product we were impressed and expected it to be in top 3.But we are disappointed with the test results as they are not strong enough to detect some keyloggers and trojans though it was effective with spyware and malware.The user interface is good and simple but nothing exceptional to talk about.It is a very good product for detecting spyware but we don’t recommend it to be a must have because others are providing better detection and removal.Scanning is neither too fast nor too slow.A full scan happened over for 20 minutes.It still hasn’t became a complete spyware software as it has some missing features like antispam,email scanning.It comes at a price of $39.95 which is a bit overrated.

7.Malwarebytes Antimalware 1.5:

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is a nice lightweight program.It doesnt take much of your hard disk space ,the user interface is good with 2 scan modes – quick and full .The navigation of interface is not at all complicated.It has a tool called File Assassin which can unlock those files which are locked by some malicious programs.It does very effective job against malware and a mediocre job against spyware.We recommend using a spyware software ranked higher along with this to get top-notch protection against both malware and spyware.It is priced at $24.95 which is quite decent and stands still at no.7 in out countdown of top antispyware softwares.

8.SpyZooka 2.5 :

BluePenguins Spyzooka is another spyware software which looks good but still requires some areas to be strengthened . Spyzooka offers complete browser support which is very important.It supports IE,Firefox,Opera and Netscape. Their techincal support is also very good.Apart from this browser advantage it doesn’t actually impress us in its detection and removal techniques.It comes at a price of $29.95.It looks good enuf for no.8 spot in the top 10 antispyware count down.

9.Spy Hunter 4:

Enigma Software Group’s Spyhunter is very good product except for the updates support.It has very infrequent update definition list.Getting frequent updates for the latest spywares and trojans across the internet is very important and enigma failed in providing it.The UI has some confusing elements regarding customization,but for all basic tools it remained fine.Enigma needs to take care about its definition list to compete with its rivals.It comes at a price of $39.99 .

10 . ZeroSpyware 3.4:

FBM software’s ZeroSpyware makes last into our list of top 10 antispywares.Seeing its name we assumed after a scan we would be left with zero spyware but unfortunately we had about 20 spyware left undetected which were detected by others.Zerospyware does a good job in detecting malware,trojans and worms but isn’t upto the mark when it comes to keyloggers and spyware.ZeroSpyware has a 24/7 live technical support for which it scores an extra point but It misses important features like antiphising,antispam and email scanning and also does not detect adware which restricts it to become a fully featured software.We expect FBM software overcome these limitations in future releases.It comes at a price of $29.95.

Source :- gadgetdust.com

Choosing the right anti-spyware scanner is a task that requires considering several different factors. In most cases, there is a need to consider the attributes of your system, particularly the operating system and the amount of random access memory or RAM available on the hard drive. Along with these basics, it’s a good idea to consider what other types of security features are included with the scanner, particularly the ability of the product to block new spyware and wipe out any malware or spyware that the scanner does find on your system.

The process of evaluating any anti-spyware scanner begins with finding software that is compatible with your operating system. For people using the latest versions of different operating systems, this is a relatively easy task. Just about every type of anti-spyware software on the market today will work with operating systems released over the last four to five years. If your system is older than that, it may take some searching to find software that is right for your system and offers the ability to update the detection feature of the software from time to time. Keep in mind that older computers have limited memory, making it necessary to determine how much RAM is needed to run the anti-spyware scanner you have in mind before actually installing the software.
Once you identify several different anti-spyware scanner packages that are right for your system, look closely at the features each one offers. Ideally, you want a computer Security product that will work well with any existing anti-virus program you currently use. At the same time, get some idea of how the computer cleanup works. Go for scanners that not only locate spyware, but also isolate suspected bugs so you can review them before actually removing them from your system. This prevents any issues of accidentally removing something that is vital to the operation of one or more programs on the hard drive.

Before actually downloading and installing any anti-spyware scanner, take the time to research what others think of the software. Look for reviews on consumer sites and forums where people gather to discuss different types of security protection. Take note of any issues that others have had with the software, especially if the product does not seem to block much in the way of malware or spyware. With a little research, you can find the right anti-spyware scanner for your system, and protect the integrity of the computer from these bugs that slow down the system’s operation, while preventing tracking of your movements around the Internet.

Source:-wisegeek.com

Fake Antispyware Software - Tips to Identify and Avoid

The Internet has made our lives easier but it comes with a few curses too. While the Internet has changed the way we do business and share things, it has also led to online frauds and crimes. When you download or purchase a product online, you can never be 100% percent certain of its authenticity until you actually use the product or service yourself. This is because the Internet has become the new frontier for criminals who find it easier to cheat people and cause damage to them due to its sheer reach to millions of users. One unique way of gaining illegal access to your computer that is used by cyber criminals is to create fake antispyware or antivirus programs that are actually malicious software.

To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of these rogue antispyware tools, it is essential for you to learn how to differentiate between a fake antispyware and a real antispyware program. Here are some useful tips to help you identify a fake antispyware program.

Uses Scare Tactics

A fake antispyware software displays fake spyware alerts on your computer and frightens you into purchasing its full version. These alerts claim that the only way to get rid of spyware from your system is to perform a full system scan using a paid version of the recommended fake spyware tool. Such rogue tools, also known as scareware, never provide any protection against spyware. What they actually do is scam you out of money and install additional spyware onto your computer.

Uses Pressure Marketing

If scaring you is not enough, the promoters of these fake antispyware programs also bombard you with aggressive marketing campaigns to force you into buying their protection software. The most aggressive rogue antispyware programs will hijack your web browser and force you to their associated websites and make it impossible for you to access any other websites.

Looks Similar to Genuine Antispyware Programs

To make it difficult for an innocent computer user to identify them, fake antispyware programs have an interface that looks quite similar to popular, legitimate, and well-known antispyware programs. In addition, these fake antispyware programs illegally use official Windows logos to make themselves look more legit. If you don't know how to distinguish between the two, you can easily fall into the rogue antispyware's malicious trap and cause damage to your computer.

Performs Extremely Poor Scanning and Reporting

If you fall prey to the tactics used by these tools and end up buying a fake antispyware software, you can immediately identify it to be a fake when it automatically scans your PC and displays the final results. First, a legitimate antispyware tool will never scan your system without your permission. Next, you will notice that the displayed results are quite general and do not give out any specific information related to the detected infections. Finally, you may notice that the software conveniently skips several essential files and folders from the scanning process.

Causes More Problems on your Computer

Instead of cleaning spyware from your computer, a rogue software further infects your PC by downloading and installing additional malicious programs onto your computer. The additional malicious programs will further slow down your computer and make it unstable.

Now that you know how to identify a fake antispyware program, it is essential for you to know how to choose the best antispyware for your computer. One of the best ways to identify a genuine antispyware software is to have a look at various user and expert reviews on the Internet. In general, a simple Internet search will tell you whether a particular software is genuine or not. A good antispyware tool will perform a thorough scanning of your computer with your permission only and will categorize the results on the basis of their severity levels.

As a vigilant user, it is essential for you to identify the difference between a fake antispyware and a genuine antispyware program. Whereas a fake tool will scare and force you into buying it, a genuine tool gains its popularity through positive user reviews, genuine scanning, and reporting features.

Such a genuine antispyware tool can be found here.

Peter Herme is a computer system administrator with over 20 years of experience. After his very own PC was infected with spyware and losing years worth of personal files, he has vowed never to let something like that happen to him or other computer users again. As a result, he tried out various antispyware programs and learned how to properly secure his computer from spyware, malware, adware, viruses, and other computer attacks. His website details his research and is constantly updated with tips on preventing and removing spyware.

Source: http://goo.gl/bKpcl

Super AntiSpyware - Stop Spyware Infecting Your PC

Need to protect your PC? Then you should consider Super AntiSpyware. This is a product that searches for and removes spyware, adware, keyloggers and trojans that maybe present on your computer. And best of all there is a free version of the program for home users.

The amount of spyware is increasing on a daily basis. The threat to your computer is very real. These programs can achieve a multitude of tasks from just being plain annoying to downright criminal.

At the less severe end of the scale spyware can present annoying pop up adverts on your PC, as well as change things such as your Internet home page. Have you noticed your computer going slow recently? This can be one of the first signs that you machine is infected with spyware.

More importantly spyware can record information from your machine without your knowledge. This could include the keys that you press on the keyboard. This could give information to criminals about your passwords. Some programs can retrieve information such as bank account details and credit card information. In a time with the increasing threat of identity theft, many people are turning to software that reduces the threat of this type of spyware.

Super AntiSpyware is one such piece of software. Although it has not been around as long as products such as the well-known Spybot, it has quickly built up a good name and has a loyal group of users.

The company behind the product claim that it picks up threats that are missed by other anti-spyware products. This is not unusual in this field. Some people choose to install two spyware products on their PC so that one product catches programs missed by the other and vice-versa. Super AntiSpyware has been designed so that it is compatible with other anti-virus and anti-spyware products, so you should be OK if you want to do this.

Source: http://goo.gl/2Qwjm

5 Key Features You Should Look For When Choosing Best Antispyware

Well, first we should make a list of free antispyware products that are available. Surprisingly, the choice is quite limited. If we omit security bundles that include antivirus engines and trial editions of software (which expire usually after 30 days of use), there we have pretty small number of programs.

SpyBot Search & Destroy comes first as most well-known free application. Then, we have Ewido Anti-spyware which ceased to provide support or licensing options, but still provides definition updates to users of the free edition. Then, a-squared anti-malware offers a free version which deals with spyware infections as well. SUPERAntiSpyware has a free version as well. Malwarebyte's anti-malware finishes this short list.

However, there are important points to be considered. So, most of the above named antispyware products lack real-time protection which is crucial to complete PC security. Second, the majority of the allegedly "free antispyware" programs do not allow the removal of detected infections. They either work as demos or require fully licensed versions. Third, do not forget about the latest threat spreading on the Web like forest fire: fake antispyware or rogue security programs. There are literally tons of them released by cyber-criminals to suck the cash out of your bank account. I will not name a single example here, but you can easily find plenty of names if you do a bit of research yourself.

With all that said, here's a short list of features that you want your antispyware to have by all means. If you have a program already installed and you like the way it protects your computer then you can skip the beneath part or consult it as a basic reference. Those of you who don't have yet antispyware installed or still worse have no clue about what it is, can copy-paste these obligatory features for future reference. You'll find them helpful when making a choice.

1. Updating definitions. Yes, best antispyware provides frequent updates, preferably daily or even several times a day. Signature updates should be incremental meaning that only tiny portion of bytes is downloaded to keep your copy of antispyware up-to-date. Those programs that download big files are eating up your bandwidth. Also, if you happen to use your computer in a non-networked environment without web connection, it's wise to choose an antispyware which offers offline updates. This is when you can download a separate file from the manufacturer's website and apply it to the program when convenient.
2. Usage of system resources. Nowadays that's a common pitfall of many software programs. I guess modern programmers believe that computer owners have a bunch of spare gigs of memory to waste. Well, I do care about every CPU percent and megabyte of RAM taken by running applications. If antispyware in idle mode pikes to 100% CPU usage then I'd stay away from it. Nobody wants to have a protected PC that is all busy with its protection.
3. Detection rates. This is important, sure, but please don't get paranoid about it when looking at various comparison charts. If antispyware A spots a 99.5% detection rate against 99.6% shown by program B, this does not mean that A is worse than B. It's just a result of one particular testing environment. Keep in mind that many antispyware programs actually overlap with antivirus software when it comes to detecting infections. Those comparative tests usually serve for informative purpose only. Don't allow figures really make up your mind.
4. Certification. This is arguable but it's always good if the antispyware of your choice has ICSA certificate. Don't bother though if a program doesn't have it. Uncertified antispyware may actually perform better than a certified one. The thing is that certification process takes a lot of time and newer software hasn't yet managed to pass it.
5. Report no false positives. This is a tough requirement actually, and dubious, too. High detection rate sometimes goes side-by-side with an overwhelming number of false positives. This makes the task of choosing a best antispyware even harder.

Source: http://goo.gl/5cyFJ

Anti Spyware Software - What is it and How Does it Work

There are some excellent products available to detect spyware, stop spyware, and remove spyware from your computer. Anti spyware software is designed to do all this plus immunize your computer against the reinstallation of the spyware it destroys - spyware blocking. Although spyware and adware are not considered computer viruses (mainly because spyware and adware don't replicate themselves), anti spyware software works much like anti virus software works.

Anti spyware software scans and/or monitors your computer for known spyware and adware file characteristics and patterns. It compares its database of spyware definitions to the files on your PC, sending a trigger when it detects a match. Normally, anti spyware software alerts you whenever it finds spyware or other malicious software, and lets you know what it has found. Most good spyware removers provide you with some detailed information about the spyware that has been found, such as its name, origin, and what it is designed to do. You then have a choice to destroy the spyware or to keep it (rarely would you want to keep it - unless it has accidentally detected a known good program that it thinks is spyware - an extremely rare occurence).

The key to effective and efficient spyware detection and removal is in the spyware file definitions database that is provided by the software developer. As with anti virus software (which also requires updated definitions), if the anti spyware definitions data is not kept up to date, it cannot detect the newest spyware and adware. Most good anti spyware software includes an auto update feature, which will automatically retrieve and install new spyware characteristics on a regular basis. This makes the process of staying well protected extremely easy.

Most anti spyware software is purchased as a one year license, which assures you will get regular spyware file updates as well as product upgrades and enhancements. Normally the initial price of the software includes one year of updates. You can renew each year for a lesser price. Spyware removal software is relatively inexpensive, especially when you consider the amount of privacy protection you are getting. Since spyware can easily steal your personal information and send it to an unscrupulous thief on the other side of the world, investing $30 or so for protection against spyware is a small price to pay to stay safe.

Source: http://goo.gl/xIOjB

Why Update Antivirus?

In today's world, man and machines are complementary to each other. A man's routine is directly or indirectly dependent on computers. So, it is very essential to have a healthy and fast running computer system to maintain consistency in work. Absence of security program creates lots of technical disabilities. To have an efficient and fast running system, it is necessary to install and update antivirus security software. Antivirus is a security application program that safeguards our system against malicious activities of rouge application codes, such as virus and malware. It is very essential to perform time to time updates of antivirus security software to avoid technical disorders.

Features

Different antivirus software, such as Kaspersky, Norton, AVG etc. have different update procedures. You must be aware of all the policies and procedures to select best antivirus security software for your system. Update of antivirus can be done in two ways. One of the ways is automatic update using Internet connectivity and other way is manual update. In case of automatic update, antivirus is updated automatically as you connect your computer to the Internet. It will prompt you to update particular antivirus security program that is installed at your system. The other method of antivirus update are-

* Antivirus updates using option: Antivirus software provides an option to update antivirus security when subscription is about to end. Antivirus software asks you to update your security program through the options available in it. This method of antivirus update is used when auto update of antivirus is disabled.
* Antivirus updates using authorized website: Antivirus software can be updated using company site. For example, if you are using AVG or Avira antivirus security software then, visit to website of that company and look for download options. Download and install the updated version of antivirus security software from there and remove the previously installed antivirus using control panel.

If you really want to update antivirus software manually for example, Avira antivirus, then you need to consider the steps mentioned below-

STEP 1- Download and install latest version of Avira antivirus security software and save it to desktop.

STEP 2- Copy the downloaded setup and paste it to potable storage device such as USB.

STEP 3-Insert the USB drive to your PC without using internet connection

STEP 4-Run the Antivirus setup and got to update option and select manual update.

STEP 5-Select the downloaded antivirus file from the USB and click on "open".

Usability: Update your antivirus software using internet connection.

Source: http://goo.gl/etYxw

How To Install AVG Antivirus To Secure Your PC

You may face several technical issues when any malicious program gets entry in your system. Some of the technical issues are applications taking more than usual time in responding, some of the programs are not working properly, etc. If you want to save your system from any error, then you should install an updated antivirus on your system. A range of antivirus programs is available in the market like, AVG, Norton, etc. In this article, light will be shed on AVG antivirus installation.

Features

AVG antivirus is integrated with many new and enhanced features. It consists of LinkScanner active surf-shield, which makes sure that the page you are going to visit is safe. This antivirus contains search-shield in order to apply safety ratings to the search result of Google, MSN, and Yahoo.

AVG antivirus protects you from phishing attack, in order to secure your confidential information. It offers you the facility to download and exchange files without any risk of virus infection. This antivirus contains an e-mail scanner, which keeps you safe from dangerous attachments and links in your e-mail. AVG antivirus makes sure that most complicated threats remains away from your PC.

Usability
AVG antivirus has the facility to update itself in order to protect you against latest threats. Follow these steps to download and install AVG antivirus 9.0 on your system:

STEP 1: You can download AVG antivirus from its official website by clicking on the "Download AVG now" button.
STEP 2: Click on "Save" button, when you are prompted, and select location where installation file should be stored.
STEP 3: Reboot your computer.
STEP 4: Close all running applications, and locate the downloaded AVG installation file. Then double click on its installation file in order to launch.
STEP 5: Choose your setup language and click on "Next".
STEP 6: Check the "I have read the license agreement" checkbox and click on the Accept button.
STEP 7: In this step, the AVG installation wizard will check for any incompatible software on your computer. If any incompatible application is found, the AVG installation wizard will inform you about it.
STEP 8: Click on the "Uninstall Software button" to open the Windows Add or Remove programs dialog, and then remove that application from your system.
STEP 9: Click on "Custom Installation", on the Select Installation Type page.
STEP 10: Click on "Add or remove components" option, and click on Next.
STEP 11: Enter your "AVG license number", click on the Next button.
STEP 12: Select those components, which you want to install, and click the "Next" button to proceed with the installation.
STEP 13: Click on "Next", select schedule for scanning and updating the software, and click on "Next".
STEP 14: Click on "Next", "Next", and "Finish".

After installation of AVG antivirus 9.0 on your system, you can protect it from malicious programs.

Limitations

After installation of AVG antivirus on your system, you might face issues while uninstallation of this software. This program can corrupt iTunes installation after removing its DLL files.

Recommendation

It is suggested that you should install a genuine copy of AVG antivirus 9.0 on your system in order to protect it from malicious programs.

Source : http://goo.gl/D8f3T

New Computer Virus List

OPRAH WINFREY VIRUS: Your 200MB hard drive suddenly shrinks to 80MB, and then slowly expands back to 200MB.

AT&T VIRUS: Every three minutes it tells you what great service you are getting.

MCI VIRUS: Every three minutes it reminds you that you're paying too much for the AT&T virus.

PAUL REVERE VIRUS: This revolutionary virus does not horse around. It warns you of impending hard disk attack---once if by LAN, twice if by C:>.

POLITICALLY CORRECT VIRUS: Never calls itself a "virus", but instead refers to itself as an "electronic microorganism."

RIGHT TO LIFE VIRUS: Won't allow you to delete a file, regardless of how old it is. If you attempt to erase a file, it requires you to first see a counselor about possible alternatives.
ROSS PEROT VIRUS: Activates every component in your system, just before the whole darn thing quits.

MARIO CUOMO VIRUS: It would be a great virus, but it refuses to run.

TED TURNER VIRUS: Colorizes your monochrome monitor.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER VIRUS: Terminates and stays resident. It'll be back.

DAN QUAYLE VIRUS #2: Their is sumthing rong wit your komputer, ewe jsut cant figyour out watt!

GOVERNMENT ECONOMIST VIRUS: Nothing works, but all your diagnostic software says everything is fine.

NEW WORLD ORDER VIRUS: Probably harmless, but it makes a lot of people really mad just thinking about it.

FEDERAL BUREAUCRAT VIRUS: Divides your hard disk into hundreds of little units, each of which does practically nothing, but all of which claim to be the most important part of your computer.

GALLUP VIRUS: Sixty percent of the PCs infected will lose 38 percent of their data 14 percent of the time. (plus or minus a 3.5 percent margin of error.)

TERRY RANDALL VIRUS: Prints "Oh no you don't" whenever you choose "Abort" from the "Abort" "Retry" "Fail" message.
TEXAS VIRUS: Makes sure that it's bigger than any other file.

ADAM AND EVE VIRUS: Takes a couple of bytes out of your Apple.

CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS: The computer locks up, screen splits erratically with a message appearing on each half blaming the other side for the problem.

AIRLINE VIRUS: You're in Dallas, but your data is in Singapore.

FREUDIAN VIRUS: Your computer becomes obsessed with marrying its own motherboard.

PBS VIRUS: Your programs stop every few minutes to ask for money.

ELVIS VIRUS: Your computer gets fat, slow and lazy, then self destructs; only to resurface at shopping malls and service stations across rural America.

OLLIE NORTH VIRUS: Causes your printer to become a paper shredder.

NIKE VIRUS: Just does it.
SEARS VIRUS: Your data won't appear unless you buy new cables, power supply and a set of shocks.

JIMMY HOFFA VIRUS: Your programs can never be found again.

CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS #2: Runs every program on the hard drive simultaneously, but doesn't allow the user to accomplish anything.

KEVORKIAN VIRUS: Helps your computer shut down as an act of mercy.

IMELDA MARCOS VIRUS: Sings you a song (slightly off key) on boot up, then subtracts money from your Quicken account and spends it all on expensive shoes it purchases through Prodigy.

STAR TREK VIRUS: Invades your system in places where no virus has gone before.

HEALTH CARE VIRUS: Tests your system for a day, finds nothing wrong, and sends you a bill for $4,500.

GEORGE BUSH VIRUS: It starts by boldly stating, "Read my docs....No new files!" on the screen. It proceeds to fill up all the free space on your hard drive with new files, then blames it on the Congressional Virus.

CLEVELAND INDIANS VIRUS: Makes your 486/50 machine perform like a 286/AT.

LAPD VIRUS: It claims it feels threatened by the other files on your PC and erases them in "self defense".

CHICAGO CUBS VIRUS: Your PC makes frequent mistakes and comes in last in the reviews, but you still love it.
ORAL ROBERTS VIRUS: Claims that if you don't send it a million dollars, it's programmer will take it back. >>

Top 10 Virus threats

Virus, Trojan, Worm – the very words conjure up crossbones and skulls, the symbol of danger. These malicious programs are the scourge of the Internet, the proof that every innovative and useful technology has an equivalent downside – one that has the most adverse consequences at times. They steal your passwords, corrupt your files memory and OS, open backdoors to your systems, install quirky programs that replicate and spread, and generally cause your computer to behave abnormally.

But there was a time not so long ago when viruses were written just for the fun of it – not to create any real harm, but rather to see if they worked. The creators were usually extremely clever young programmers who spent most of their time in front of their computers. Though the files spread rapidly from one system to another, all they did was produce some funny faces or a cascade of raindrops on your screen. But then, these form just a drop in the ocean of malware that roams through the Internet.

While the consequences of these deadly programs are certainly no laughing matter, there are a few of them that bring an inadvertent smile to your face by virtue of their names, by the graphics they display on execution, or just by the sheer newsworthiness of their exploits. Here are the 10 viruses, Trojans, and worms that caused a little anxiety, some humorous moments, and a lot of confusion.

Did it tickle your funny bone or go straight to your heart? Mum's the word!

1. The "Very Funny" or "I Love You" Virus: This one hit the Internet in the year 2000 and corrupted image and music files on user systems. Identified initially by the words "I love you" or "Joke: Very Funny" in the subject line of an email, the virus was later passed around as newer, more malicious versions that overwrote important files needed to boot the computer. These masqueraded as Mother's Day messages or Lithuanian flirting techniques – some email came with the tag "Let's meet for a cup of coffee," in Lithuanian, of course. Bolder versions took advantage of the scare created by their predecessors, and pretended to be representatives from anti-virus software providers. They asked users to execute the attachment to eradicate all viruses from their computers!


Rats! And I used to love Saturdays!

2. The HPS Virus: The first of its kind written for the Windows 98 OS, this virus took its name from a dreaded disease transmitted by rats. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is known to cause acute respiratory distress in the human body, but its digital namesake was nowhere near as harmful. If present on your system, the HPS virus went into action on Saturdays and flipped over uncompressed bitmaps horizontally. In plain English, it produced a mirror image of your screen. An interesting snippet about this virus: HPS hit the Web in early 1998,even before the Windows 98 operating system was available for commercial use.



Is this why you say NO to drugs?

3. The Stoned or Marijuana Virus: A virus belonging to the stone age of the computer era, this one infected the early DOS systems through floppy disks. First seen in New Zealand in 1988, the original version did not cause any real damage; it simply displayed the message, "Your computer is stoned. Legalize Marijuana" on your screen. However the 90 odd variants of the stoned virus (with names as random as Donald Duck, Hawaii, Rostov, Smithsonian, StonedMutation and more) did do considerable damage to the Master Boot Record and File Allocation Table in your hard disk.

Where were the privacy laws when you needed them?

4. The PolyPoster Virus: Remember how your talking parrot could embarrass you no end if you had any secrets to hide? Well, this virus took on where Polly left off. Known as a macro virus, the PolyPoster not only infected your MS Word files, it posted them to public Usenet newsgroups without your knowledge, under the tempting title "Important Monica Lewinsky Info." The virus strayed into the computers of all those who read these documents, which explains the Lewinsky connection – the virus writer obviously hoped to capitalize on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal that dominated headlines in 1998. Popular discussion groups that played host to your most confidential and personal documents (thanks to the PolyPoster virus) were alt.sex.stories, alt.hacker, alt.binaries.pictures.erotica, alt.fan.hanson, alt.windows95 and alt.skinheads.

Caricature? Cartoon? No, Clinton.

5. The Caric-A Worm: Former US president Bill Clinton provided a lot of fodder for the gossip mills during his tenor at the White House, and as late as 2002 as this famous worm proved. Also known as the Bill Clinton and the MyLife-B worm, this malicious program was activated after opening an email's attachment and displayed a cartoon of Clinton playing the saxophone equipped with a bra popping out of the sax's mouth. The writers of this worm tried to be clever by adding a line to the end of the email, supposedly from anti-virus vendor McAfee, which claimed the email contained no viruses.

Hidden agenda behind the hilarity.

6. The Wurmark Worm: Appearing on the Internet in 2005, the Wurmark-F worm was disguised as a picture of a funny looking old man. Once inside your computer, the worm installed a Trojan, which in turn allowed remote hackers to take control of your infected system. Your computer was then at their beck and call and used to propagate the worm further along the Web. The worm also deleted files randomly from your system, and mailed itself to all your Outlook contacts, using your mail id.

The brain behind it all.

7. The Brain Virus: The brainchild of two Pakistani brothers in 1986, this virus was not meant to be a virus at all. The siblings had written it with the intent to protect their medical software from being pirated. It ended up being the first ever virus to infect the PC. Known by various names, including Lahore, Pakistani, Pakistani Brain, Brain-A, UIUC, Ashar, and Pakistani flu, this pretty-large virus affected the boot sector, changed the disk label to (c)Brain, and displayed the text:

Welcome to the Dungeon (c) 1986 Brain & Amjads (pvt) Ltd VIRUS_SHOE RECORD V9.0 Dedicated to the dynamic memories of millions of viruses who are no longer with us today - Thanks GOODNESS!! BEWARE OF THE er..VIRUS : this program is catching program follows after these messages....$#@%$@!!

in affected boot sectors. It also ate up 7 KB of storage space and slowed down the floppy drive. Perhaps the duo were telling the truth when they said they meant no harm, because they gave out their names, address, and phone numbers in another similar message, asking those affected to contact them for a vaccine. Following a spate of irate calls from the United States and other western countries, they had to resort to a change in number!

How safe is your phone?

8. The Skulls Trojan horse: The rapid advances in the field of mobile technology meant that the malware guys were not far behind. The year 2004 saw this Trojan horse unleashed on Nokia smartphones that ran the Symbian operating system. Users infected with Skulls A found their screen icons replaced with ominous skulls and crossbones, and their handsets being reduced to mere telephones. They could only make and receive calls, other smart functions were disabled. Skulls or Skulls A spawned a series of alphabetical versions, like B, C and L each affecting the phones in a different manner. Version B rendered the phone almost useless just like A, but did not display skulls; C tried to disable the F-Secure anti-virus software; L was probably the most dangerous version – it pretended to be the F-Secure mobile anti-virus solution. All versions of the Trojan snuck the Cabir worm into the phones. This proof-of-concept malware for mobile phones spread through Bluetooth connections and used up the handset's battery power by constantly searching for other devices with open Bluetooth connections to infect.


Bet you didn't know - Mosquito bites cause more than Malaria.

9. The Mosquito Trojan horse: The Symbian OS was the target of another bug in 2004 – this time, the Mosquito Trojan. In another instance of an anti-piracy measure, the software infected phones when they downloaded illegal copies of Mosquito, a game designed for mobile smartphones. Once resident on the handsets, the Trojan sent out text messages at exorbitant costs to premium numbers in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, without the knowledge of its users. Vaccinating this one was easy – all those infected had to do was uninstall the game, which I'm sure they would have done once they saw their sky-high phone bills.

Are open Windows the cue for hackers entry?

10. The Cuebot-K Worm: Microsoft and controversy seem to go hand in hand. The software giant came in for some harsh criticism for its anti-piracy software, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). Users not only claimed that it was a form of spyware, they also alleged that it opened up their systems to malware via the Internet. The company issued an update to appease irate users, but to add to Microsoft's troubles, virus writers took advantage of this, and came up with the Cuebot-K worm. This 2006 program spread through the Web pretending to be the said update, and landed up in mailboxes supposedly from known AOL contacts. It launched itself when the system booted, and horror of horrors, displayed a message that removal or stoppage of the service would result in system instability. Hiding behind the "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Notification" name, the worm opens up a backdoor to allow in hackers who then take control of user systems.

In this day and age, malware is no longer harmless. Hackers are at it with a vengeance - they want money more than fame. With more at stake, it is imperative that you protect your computer from the huge volume of malicious software that is unleashed on the Internet every day. Installing the best anti-virus program and keeping up to date with your security patches are not going be enough though – you have to be savvy enough to dodge the bugs that do get past your security software. As this list would have taught you, no attachments are perfectly safe and links embedded in emails are always risky propositions. Keep your wits about you, and use them when it really matters to keep your system free from infection.

Top 10 Antispyware

Spyware has always been a threat to the privacy and data security. Companies each year spend millions on best antispyware to recover the losses because of these dangerous pieces of codes. Where viruses can ruin installations and damage sensitive operating system files, even worse can happen if a spyware infiltrates a computer system. The term spyware (spy ware) says it all and explains what it could do to your sensitive data on your computer system. The term spyware defines a malicious code which is programmed to spy on a computer user’s activities and silently forward your usage statistics to someone who can use your personal information for their own benefits. This article elaborates some of the interesting facts and figures about best antispyware and will also suggest the top ten antispyware of 2010 that can keep your computer safe against dangerous spyware software.

Spyware Definition
Spyware is anything that is programmed to spy on a user’s activities. In computer language, spyware can be defined as a software code which is programmed to steal user’s sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card information, browsing habits, usage statistics and more. Some spyware software and keyloggers can also take screenshots of your computer screen and send it to the intended person through email. Also, when a spyware infiltrates a computer system, it can open ports without your permission and allow more harmful software to be downloaded on your computer. Only the best antispyware programs have the ability to detect and remove high risk spyware.

Spyware History
The first recorded use of the term spyware occurred on October 16, 1995 in a Usenet post that poked fun at Microsoft’s business model. Spyware at first denoted software meant for espionage purposes. However, in early 2000 the founder of Zone Labs, Gregor Freund, used the term in a press release for the ZoneAlarm Personal Firewall. Since then, “spyware” has taken on its present sense. Interesting? Definitely, it is amazing to know how the term spyware evolved.

Spyware Types
Spyware is generally classified into three major categories based on the nature of spyware code:

Severe Threat: 15% of spyware threats send private information gathered from the end user logged on to the infected system Only the top level best antispyware can protect against such severe threat spyware.

Moderate Threat: 25% percent of spyware sends information gathered from the victim’s operating system, including the computer name, domain name, logs of all processes running in memory, installed programs, security applications and more.

Minor Threat: 60% of spyware transmits gathered commercial-value information about the end user’s browsing habits.
Spyware Infection Symptoms

So, how would you know if your computer is infected with a spyware? It is a very good question and the answer may be simple. Ask yourself, is your computer doing any of the following?

* Computer running slow
* Increase in network activity
* Pop-ups or advertisements showing up
* System hanging or crashing
* Programs taking more time to load
* New dial up connections showing up
* Homepage changed or website re-direction
* Suspicious activity on browser, new toolbars, changed search engine, etc.
* New buttons or icons in taskbar
* Anything fishy or suspicious

All of these are signs of spyware or virus infection. If it is a virus infection, you can perhaps clean it out with a deep scan. If you don’t have an antivirus software, you could find a good antivirus software in our top ten antivirus article published a couple of months ago. However, if your antivirus does not find anything, it is recommended to scan your computer with the best antispyware software. Below is a list of the the best top ten antispyware of 2010.

As the spyware threat has worsened, a number of techniques have emerged to counteract it. These include programs designed to remove or to block spyware, as well as various user practices which reduce the chance of getting spyware on a system. Here are the best antispyware software that can provide maximum safety to your computer system.


1. Noadware Spyware Remover – Noadware is constantly updated to identify the latest threats to your privacy. The software will scan your PC for different Spyware, Adware, Dialers, and Web Bug traces. These items not only create nuisances in the form of popups, system slowdowns and crashes, but many items actually record personal information about you, such as credit cards, social security numbers, or other sensitive information. Noadware is the BEST Antispyware of 2010 according to our research.


2. Malware Removal Bot – MalwareRemovalBOT doesn’t just remove Adware and Spyware from your computer, but also it seeks out subsidiary registry entries and duplicate files in order to destroy them, leaving nothing behind that can threaten your system.


3. Adware Alert – AdWareAlert scans your computer for hidden parasites and removes them permanently. Advanced system cleaner works to repair and correct errors caused by ad and spyware and tweaks your PC for optimal performance. Annoying pop-up ads are blocked before they have a chance to bother you again.


4. AntiSpyware – AntiSpyware uses cutting-edge anti-spyware advancements to detect as many spyware threats as possible and destroy each infection on the spot. AntiSpyware updates itself automatically, ensuring that you are protected from the most recent spyware developments. Just like the Noadware and MalwareRemovalBot, this is among the best antispyware software of all times.


5. AntispywareBot – AntiSpyware BOT 1.4 was created by the industry’s top professionals to protect your privacy and to ensure optimal system performance. By locating, eradicating and preventing malicious spyware infestations such as spybot parasites, spyware, adware, botnet’s, and other forms of malware.


6. Spyware Nuker – Spyware Nuker XT, the fourth generation of anti-spyware software produced by Trek Blue offers the latest features and anti-spyware protection available. It includes a streamlined and easy-to-use interface with easy to manage scan results and easy-to-read html scan reports. Constantly updated, Spyware Nuker is a state of the art antispyware software.


7. STOPZilla Antispyware – STOPzilla successfully scans, removes and blocks Spyware, Adware, Pop-up ads, Phishing attacks, hijackers, rootkits, Trojans, bots, drive-by downloads, rogue programs, messenger service ads, keyloggers, malicious BHOs, dialers, and much more. Their anti-spyware software has won numerous awards and recognition from a wide variety of publications and software testing organizations around the world and Spyware labs mentioned it the best antispyware.


8. SpyZooka Anti-spyware – SpyZooka antispyware is recommended by computer experts worldwide. It detects, removes, and blocks all types of spyware and adware threats. Their proprietary spyware destroying robot hits at least 100 million web pages a day to find new spyware threats. All this data is gathered to strengthen the SpyZooka antispyware and update the software frequently whenever a new spyware is discovered.


9. SpywareRemover Antispyware – SPYwareRemover uses the latest in cutting-edge anti-spyware technology to protect you from the latest spyware threats. No other program can provide you with this level of Adware/Spyware protection while preventing time-wasting pop-up advertisements.


10. Spyware Cease – Spyware Cease offers a suite of solutions to determine the configuration of every system service, and then compares the data found to thousands of vulnerabilities in its exiting database. If any potential vulnerability is identified, Spyware Cease will repair it with the latest patch to greatly enhance the security of your computer system.

We all know, prevention is better than cure. So, be extremely selective of what you download from the internet, what you install on your computer system, which websites you visit, etc. The best way to stay safe against spyware is to stay extremely cautious. DO NOT click even simple links sent by your friends without making sure they are safe. Avoid downloading any software off the internet without making sure that the concerned website is fully trusted or not. In any case, if you have a tiny bit of doubt that your computer may be infected with a spyware, NEVER delay, download the best antispyware from the list of top ten antispyware given above. Either purchase a good anti-spyware software or backup your data and reinstall windows. Remember, spyware software is designed to spy on your personal information. So it is in your best interest that you get rid of spyware as soon as possible.

The Best Anti-Spyware Programs in 2010

Stopping spyware (“malware”) is more than a one-time inoculation, folks. This is about a weekly habit of cleaning "nasty dust bunnies" from your personal computer. In much the same way you clean your home with your favorite broom and your favorite cleaning solvents, you will also need good tools to clean spyware out of your PC.


* Number 5: Spybot Search & Destroy
Cost: Free
About.com Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Editor’s comment: While Spybot is known for catching less than 95% of common infections, there are two big reasons why you want to use this product. Firstly: the SDHelper and TeaTimer functions do help significantly in keeping downloaded spyware from actually rooting itself onto your drive. Secondly: the price is perfect. If you install Spybot as part of a multi-program defense, then definitely try this product.

* Number 4: Microsoft Windows Defender
Cost: Free
About.com Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Editor’s comment: Somewhat more thorough than Spybot, this new free offering from Microsoft is worth trying. Included in Windows Vista or downloadable from the link above, Microsoft Defender will work well as part of a combination defense, perhaps with Spybot.

# Number 3: Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware SE, Personal Edition
Cost: Free
About.com Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Editor’s comment: Lavasoft has been the benchmark spyware-defense tool for years. Their Ad-Aware product has won the trust of millions of users. Although it doesn’t have the nifty shredding and email opt-out lists of Spybot, Ad-Aware does perform realtime protection, and it auto updates its definition lists to remain current. Up until 2006, combining Spybot and Ad-Aware was the smartest (and the cheapest) way to defend your compute against spyware. Things are different now, because Number 1 below has set the high bar even higher for 2007.

# Number 2: Navarre Webroot Spy Sweeper
Cost: Free to try, approximately $39 to buy
About.com Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Editor’s comment: Achieving 100% detection of spyware toolbars in recent About tests, Spy Sweeper was also effective in shutting down nearly 85% of active malware processes. This would go well as a three-way combination with Spybot and Lavasoft.

# Number 1: Macafee Virus Scan and Anti Spyware
Cost: Approximately $39.99 for antivirus and anti-spyware combined
About.com Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

About Fake Antivirus Software

Watch out for fake virus alerts

Rogue security software, also known as "scareware," is software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure users into participating in fraudulent transactions.
How does rogue security software get on my computer?

Rogue security software designers create legitimate looking pop-up windows that advertise security update software. These windows might appear on your screen while you surf the web.

The "updates" or "alerts" in the pop-up windows call for you to take some sort of action, such as clicking to install the software, accept recommended updates, or remove unwanted viruses or spyware. When you click, the rogue security software downloads to your computer.

Rogue security software might also appear in the list of search results when you are searching for trustworthy antispyware software, so it is important to protect your computer.
What does rogue security software do?

Rogue security software might report a virus, even though your computer is actually clean. The software might also fail to report viruses when your computer is infected. Inversely, sometimes, when you download rogue security software, it will install a virus or other malicious software on your computer so that the software has something to detect.

Some rogue security software might also:

*Lure you into a fraudulent transaction (for example, upgrading to a non-existent paid version of a program).
*Use social engineering to steal your personal information.
*Install malware that can go undetected as it steals your data.
*Launch pop-up windows with false or misleading alerts.
*Slow your computer or corrupt files.
*Disable Windows updates or disable updates to legitimate antivirus software.
*Prevent you from visiting antivirus vendor websites.

Rogue security software might also attempt to spoof the Microsoft security update process. Here's an example of rogue security software that's disguised as a Microsoft alert but that doesn't come from Microsoft.

Best Antivirus Software

Top Ten Antivirus 2011 Testing

To rate the top ten antivirus 2011 a strong criteria is used. The antivirus software are measured on various factors like technology, stealth, speed, price, support, configuration, ease of use and more. As we move on with time, speed keeps becoming even more important factor. Also, pricing is another major factor that we included while ranking the top ten antivirus 011 software. The list of best antivirus software 2011 is quite long. We considered the following antivirus software list to come up with the top ten antivirus 2011.

• BitDefender Antivirus 2011


• Norton Antivirus 2011


• F-Secure Antivirus 2011


• ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4


• Kaspersky Antivirus 2011


• TrendMicro Titanium Security


• Panda Antivirus 2011


• AVG Antivirus 2011


• G Data Antivirus 2011


• ZoneAlarm Antivirus 2011


• Vipre Antivirus 2011


• McAfee Antivirus Plus 2011


• CA Antivirus 2011


• Avanquest SystemSuite 11 Professional


• Avira Antivir Premium 2011


• Sophos Endpoint Security 2011


• Comodo Antivirus 2011


• PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 2011


• Quick Heal Antivirus 2011


• Microsoft Security Essentials 2011

These are some of the best-of-the-best antivirus software and we have selected the top ten antivirus 2011 out of these antivirus programs. These security software were tested on various factors. Some of the factors we considered to judge these antivirus software are:

• Speed – Antivirus software should be fast. Only the fastest antivirus will make for the top ten list.


• Price – Antivirus software should be cheaper. The last thing we want is an expensive piece of software.


• Stealth – Antivirus software should be able to detect and remove all virus, spyware and malicious codes.


• Configuration – Antivirus software should be easy to configure and easy to run scans.


• Updates – Updates should be regular and should not interrupt a user.


• Real-time – Antivirus programs should provide real-time scanning options to detect and block real-time threats.


• Support – Antivirus Companies should provide adequate after-sale support, related to the product.

These are just a few factors that have been considered while ranking the top ten antivirus 2011 software. Based on these factors, we have provided our lab test results. What do you think about this list of top 10 antivirus 2011? Are you using any of these antivirus software? Would you like to share your views and reviews with our users? Please share your experience by leaving a review below.