TechieQuest » Security

Threatsaurus – The A-Z of Computer and Data Security Threats

Naomi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:10:29 +0000

Threatsaurus: The A-Z of Computer and Data Security Threats is a book that tells you the facts about the threats to your computers and to your data in simple, easy-to-understand language. Whether you are an IT professional, use a computer at work, or just browse the internet, this is a must read book.

It contains four main areas: A-Z of threats, Security Software, Safety Tips, and Virus Timeline. The A to Z of threats section contains A to Z of threats such as Adware, Autorun worms, Backdoor Trojan, Cookie, until Zombies. The section on Security Software explains the kinds of software and hardware used to secure computers. The Safety Tips section has a rundown of some steps you can take on your own, with sections on avoiding viruses, trojans, worms and spyware, avoiding hoaxes, choosing secure passwords, using removable media safely and more. The Virus Timeline section explains a brief history of the development of virus.

Get a free copy of Threatsaurus: The A-Z of Computer and Data Security Threats.

Threatsaurus – The A-Z of Computer and Data Security Threats is a post from: TechieQuest

MalAware – Ultra Fast Cloud Based Malware Scanner

Naomi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:38:25 +0000

Here comes another free cloud-based security service named MalAware by Emsi Software (a-squared Anti-Malware) to scan and inform you of possible malware threat on your computer timely . MalAware claims to be the smallest (1 mb) and the fastest malware scanner (scan <1 min) that will only provide an indication of whether a PC is infected with malware or not.

If it detects that your PC is infected, the second step is to download the big a-squared Anti-Malware package, to remove the malware and protect the PC against new infections.

MalAware features:

Detects active Malware
Scans in less than 1 minute
Cloud and signature based
Only 1 mb download

MalAware combines the basic known malware signature files with a cloud based scan of all active processes (required active internet connection) and has the similar accuracy as a-squared Anti-Malware.

MalAware runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7 as well as on 2003/2008 Servers in all 32 bit and 64 bit editions. Simply double click to run it, no installation required.

Download MalAware

MalAware – Ultra Fast Cloud Based Malware Scanner is a post from: TechieQuest

Free Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Update Utility

Naomi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:35:06 +0000

Microsoft released top-rated free anti virus named Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) few months back. Microsoft Security Essentials is using Windows Update to update the virus definition files, therefore you are not able to update your Security Essentials definition pack automatically if the Windows Update service is disabled via Group Policy Editor.

Since MSE virus definitions are updated almost daily, the manual route was quite tiresome. To solve this situation, Addictive Tips has created a small application called MSE Update Utility which can be used to update Microsoft Security Essentials even if Windows Update is disabled.

MSE Update Utility has 4 update intervals – Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Startup. It is recommend to choose either Daily or let it remain the default (Startup).

Updating the virus definitions during startup is the best way to keep the system secure. It will automatically update the definitions and notify you when they are complete.

By default it is checked to run on startup, you can always uncheck this option later. MSE Update Utility is not for everyone, but if you fall in any one of the category below then it will come surely handy:

Users in corporate office environment where the network administrators have disabled the Windows Update.
Those having difficulty updating MSE using Windows Update due to some problem.
When Windows Update is disabled by a virus.

You can download the MSE Update Utility from AddictiveTips.com. Requires .net framework 3.x to be installed in your computer to run.

Free Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Update Utility is a post from: TechieQuest

Online Armor Free – Free Personal Firewall Protection

Naomi — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:37:35 +0000

Online Armor Free is a free personal firewall that provides great protection from inbound threats and complete control of data leaving your computer for the internet. Online Armor’s Program Guard guards not only itself against tampering, but protection other programs from malicious code. It prevents spyware gets into your computer by controlling which programs are allowed to run on your computer; and remove spyware detected in your computer by blocking unwanted programs or removing them completely.

Online Armor also provides hosts check similar to the DNS Check to check your HOSTS file and alerts you if anything changes. The hosts file can also be used to make your web browser visit sites other than the one you intended. It also protects your passwords and private information from being stolen by blocking the keylogger as it tries to activate. Online Armor’s behavior detection ensures that even specially created or new keyloggers are detected and prevented.

Online Armor Free features:

Stops Hackers
Stops Malicious Programs
Protect you when Banking and Transacting Online
Protects your Identity
Kernel Mode Security
Manual Updates
Execution Protection
Termination Protection
Limited Autostart Protection
Standard Mode Firewall
Standard Mode
Keylogger Detection
Tamper Protection
Script/Worm protection
Program Guard

Online Armor is easy to use and does not slow down your PC. You can download the free version of Online Armor to protect you from hackers, malicious programs and identity theft.

Download Online Armour Free

Online Armor Free – Free Personal Firewall Protection is a post from: TechieQuest

Panda Cloud Antivirus – The First Free Antivirus From The Cloud

Naomi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:39:13 +0000

Cloud computing is on the rise in IT industry. The release of Panda Cloud Antivirus introduces a new protection model based on a thin-client agent & server architecture which services malware protection as opposed to locally installed products. Panda Cloud Antivirus is the first free antivirus from cloud using an ultra-lightweight thin-client agent to detect malwares and provide remedy in real-time and reduces your system resources.

Traditional antivirus programs need frequent update of the virus protection “signatures” on each PC at least once a day. Cloud Antivirus does not need that, it connects to Collective Intelligence servers to detect and neutralize all threats in real time without consuming any memory on the users’ PC. You can see the new viruses that are being analyzed in real-time by Collective Intelligence as well as the viruses that Panda Cloud Antivirus is most frequently detecting on users’ computers.

With the cloud-based scanning from PandaLabs’ servers, it has shorten the scanning time to 6 minutes, thus becoming the lightest and fastest antivirus service. It supports Windows 7, Vista and XP (32bit) operating systems.

Download Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus – The First Free Antivirus From The Cloud is a post from: TechieQuest

Free Online Virus Scanners

Naomi — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:56:29 +0000

Online Virus Scanners run inside the web browser to scan and detect threats that are active on your hard drive at the moment you scan it. They are designed to detect and eliminate any malicious code that has got into your computer. However, it does not permanently protect your computer. After running Online Scanner, you should make sure that you have an up-to-date security solution keeping your computer free of problems in the future.

Free Online Virus Scanner List:

Panda Nanoscan – a light-weight virus scanner that scans your computer for viruses, spyware, trojans and other threats in a minute only. It also allows you to scan your PC right from your personalized homepages such as NetVibes , iGoogle or PageFlakes. NanoScan is a tool for detecting malware, but not for removing.

Updates: NanoScan services discontinued

Panda ActiveScan 2.0 – A combination of ActiveScan 1.0, NanoScan & TotalScan into a one-stop cleanup tool that not just detecting and disinfecting all types of malware in your computer hard drive, but also seeks out these threats in e-mail and compressed files.

Trend Micro HouseCall – An online virus scanner that’s absolutely free and scans your PC hard drive for a wide range of Internet security threats including viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware. HouseCall allows you to remove detected infections and fixes vulnerabilities to help prevent re-infection. Works with Firefox and IE. Requires Java.

McAfee Freescan – A free virus scanner from McAfee , based on the McAfee VirusScan engine that helps you detect thousands of viruses on your computer. Should viruses be found, FreeScan prepares a list of infected files and links to information about the viruses on your computer and what you can do to clean your system. Requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later with ActiveX to scan your computer.

ESET Online Scanner – A free Web-based service that allows users to scan and disinfect malware, such as viruses, worms, Trojans, phishing and spyware from your systems, hard disks, compressed files and email. ESET Online Scanner uses the same ThreatSense technology and signatures as ESET Smart Security/ESET NOD32 Antivirus. The current release adds the same anti-stealth technology used in ESET Smart Security and ESET NOD32 Antivirus to protect against threats such as rootkits.

Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner – A free Web-based antivirus online scanner service that gives you PC health and security scans to help you diagnose and solve problems, but it does not proactively protect your PC against new virus infections. It is part of Windows OneCare.

Symantec Security Scan – An online virus scanner from the developers of Norton Antivirus 2007 can detect most virus threat but there is no option to delete the virus infected file or repair it. Does not examine compressed files. Requires IE with ActiveX.

BitDefender Online Scanner – An on-demand antivirus and antispyware tool based on BitDefender scanning engines. BitDefender Online Scanner will scan and automatically clean your system’s memory, all files, folders and drives’ boot sectors. Requires QuickScan add ons download and install on your computer.

If your computer is acting up and you suspect foul play, visit to one of the free online virus scanner above to confirm your suspicions. ActiveX controls are programs based on Microsoft’s architecture for running applications through the Internet Explorer web browser.You must download and install a plug-in or ActiveX control for them to work.

If you know other online virus scanner should included on the above list, let us know your suggestion on comment sections.

Free Online Virus Scanners is a post from: TechieQuest

BitDefender Online Scanner – Free Online Virus Scanner

Naomi — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:51:29 +0000

BitDefender Online Scanner is an on-demand antivirus and antispyware tool based on BitDefender scanning engines. BitDefender Online Scanner will scan and automatically clean the system memory, all files and drives’ boot sectors. It also provides you with the option to automatically clean the infected files.

BitDefender Online Scanner features:

Superior proactive detection – BitDefender is well known for its ability to detect new and unknown viruses for which signatures have not been released yet.
Virus and spyware cleaning – Powerful scan engines detect and remove all viruses and spyware.
Always up-to-date – The virus signatures are updated automatically each time the product is launched.
Effective right away – The scanner is configured to automatically clean all infected files.
Convenient – Double checks the security status of your PC even if you already have an Antivirus program installed.

BitDefender Online Scanner requires QuickScan add ons download before it can scan your computer. It is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher under Windows XP or Vista and provides not only detection but also disinfection from viruses and spyware.

BitDefender Online Scanner – Free Online Virus Scanner is a post from: TechieQuest

A-Squared Free – Free Security Software for Your PC

Naomi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:17:55 +0000

A-Squared Free is a free internet security software by Emsi Software to protect you from the newest threats. A-Squared Free scans your hard drive for infections of Trojans,Viruses, Backdoors, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Keyloggers, Bots and Dialers, removes all infections and restores your PC to maximum performance. It is a combination of two world class products – the A-Squared Anti-Spyware, and the Ikarus Anti-Virus engine. Latest tests approve that both are cutting edge in malware detection.

You can download A-Squared Free from here. It is designed to run parallel with other antivirus and firewall software without troubles.

A-Squared Free – Free Security Software for Your PC is a post from: TechieQuest

Microsoft Security Essentials Scores High in Malware Removal Tests

Naomi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:35:54 +0000

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), Microsoft’s free Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware software for Windows operating system scores good in malware removal tests conducted by AV-Comparitives on the malware removal/cleaning capabilities.

In the most recent report on malware removal test, Microsoft Security Essentials achieved 98% detection rate for 545k malware samples including viruses, bots, trojan horses, backdoors and Internet worms, also achieving 90.95% detection rate for 14,222 adware/spyware samples it was tested against. It is the only free antivirus rated Advanced+, alongside with eScan, Symantec, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and F-Secure. Microsoft Security Essentials scored good in removal of malware and removal of leftovers, beat out other free competitors like AVG, Avira, and Avast.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials

It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

Microsoft Security Essentials Scores High in Malware Removal Tests is a post from: TechieQuest

CopyWipe – Copy and Securely Wipe Entire Hard Drives

Naomi — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:13:57 +0000

CopyWipe is a free hard drive copy and secure wipe utility. CopyWipe can ease and expedite the transition to a new hard drive by copying the entire contents of one drive to another. CopyWipe can also help prevent confidential or private data from being recovered, by securely wiping the contents of a drive. A number of options are provided for wiping, most of which exceed governmental standards (such as DoD 5220.22-M, NAVSO P-5239-26, etc.), this allows the user to choose an optimal balance between security and duration of the wiping operation.

CopyWipe duplicates the entire contents of the source hard drive to the target hard drive with options for sizing the partitions on the target hard drive, but regardless of which copy options are selected, the actual content of the target drive will be identical to that of the source drive.

CopyWipe securely wipes hard drive by overwrites the entire contents of the hard drive, with the sole intent of making the original data unrecoverable by any practical means. The Random – 1 Pass wipe option should be sufficient for making the overwritten contents of the hard drive unrecoverable by software, while the Random– 4 Pass and Random – 8 Pass options may provide a higher level of security.

A USB 2.0-to-IDE adapter, along with CopyWipe provides a convenient method to create and maintain a complete hard drive mirrored backup.

Two versions of CopyWipe are available: CopyWipe for DOS, and CopyWipe for Windows. As the names imply, each version is designed for use in a different operating system environment. Except as noted, both versions of CopyWipe appear and function identically. To download the latest version of CopyWipe, visit https://terabyteunlimited.com/copywipe.php.

CopyWipe – Copy and Securely Wipe Entire Hard Drives is a post from: TechieQuest