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Limewire Hooks Up with AVG, Promises Virus Free P2P

Ryan Whitwam — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:49:09 -0600

Surely you are aware the p2p networks are crawling with nasty malware. It’s almost enough to make you go elsewhere for your ~~copyrighted~~ public domain content. The MPAA and RIAA are of the opinion that people running torrents are a bunch of pirates that deserve what’s coming to them. The makers of Limewire, however, feel differently and have licensed the AVG antivirus engine to provide real-time scanning of downloaded files.

Limewire accesses both the Gnutella and BitTorrent protocols. The pro version of the software will be the one getting the security upgrades. Users of the free edition will still be on their own. Files scanned with the integrated scanner will be labeled as “Protected by AVG”. The software will make no distinction between legal and illegal files.

Look, we’re all for fewer people having malware and getting caught up in botnets, but is paying for a p2p app with integrated virus scanning the way to do it? Maybe suggest your p2p loving friends use a free security solution like Microsoft Security Essentials instead.

Kneber Botnet Follows in Conficker's Footsteps

Paul Lilly — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:24:46 -0600

There's a new botnet in town, and this one has the potential to trump Conficker, says security firm Netwitness, which discovered the botnet. According to Netwitness, the Kneber botnet has already infected more than 74,000 macnines worldwide.

Netwitness describes Kneber as a ZeuS Trojan botnet, and more than half of the systems infected also have the Waledac Trojan, the same worm that was used to create email spam botnets assoicated with Conficker. But unlike Conficker, whose dastardly deeds have yet to be revealed, Netwitness says Kneber has been designed to target and steal login credentials and other private information.

Kneber has been found in 196 countries so far, but is most prominent in Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the U.S. It targets Windows machines, most of which include Windows XP Professional SP2, and most of which reside in corporate and government infrastructures.

According to Netwitness, Kneber has nabbed some 68,000 login credentials in the past 4 weeks.

Image Credit: gosublogger.com

Kaspersky Awarded Patent for Hardware-based Antivirus Solution

Paul Lilly — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:04:29 -0600

Kaspersky on Monday announced it has been successful in patenting a hardware-based antivirus system designed primarily for fighting rootkits.

Patent No. 7,657,941 was registered earlier this month and describes a technology developed by Oleg Zaitsev, senior technology expert at Kaspersky Lab. The patent describes a device that is installed between a hard drive or SSD and the computing unit (CPU or RAM) and connected to a system bus. It can also be integrated into the disk controller. The hardware solution decides whether or not to allow or block writing data to disk.

"Antivirus solutions and malware are both types of software with similar rights," says Oleg Zaitsev, Technology Expert at Kaspersky Lab. "This is where a hardware-based antivirus solution has a distinct advantage over conventional AV solutions because it monitors all attempts to access a memory device while remaining inaccessible to malware. This is critical for fighting such sophisticated threats as rootkits and bootkits."

Kaspersky claims this solution is particularly effective since it's implemented on the hardware level and isn't dependent on the OS's configuration. It also "integrates seamlessly with other security solutions," Zaitsev added, and could find use in server software and specialized computers like ATMs.

Symantec Sued Over Automatic Renewals

Paul Lilly — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:15:14 -0600

Seven months ago, the New York Attorney General's office slapped both Symantec and McAfee with $375,000 in fines to settle charges that they automatically charged customers software subscription renewal fees without their consent. Symantec may have been slow to learn its lesson, because now a New York man is suing the security software maker for the same reason.

In the lawsuit, Kenneth Elan says he purchased a copy of Norton Antivirus in 2007. According to Elan, Symantec notified him in early 2009 that his software license had been automatically renewed and his credit card charged $76.03. Now Elan is taking Symantec to court, claiming the company did not abide by the above-mentioned settlement, in which Symantec and McAfee agreed to "provide electronics notification to consumers before and after renewal of the subscription."

"Prior to the automatic renewal, defendant failed to offer plaintiff an opportunity to decline to renew the license for another year," the lawsuit alleges. "If plaintiff had notice of an opportunity to decline the automatic renewal, plaintiff would not have renewed the license."

Elan is seeking both a refund and has asked the court to grant the lawsuit class-action status.

Image Credit: Flickr Joe Gratz

Web App of the Week: Virustotal

David Murphy — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:15:00 -0600

It's important that everyone be made aware of an extremely useful Web site that delivers malware and antivirus scanning right to the door of your... er. Web browser. I not only use it at Maximum PC to check the freeware files and such that I link to on a weekly basis, but I also turn to it as the first resort whenever I'm on a system that, for whatever reason, lacks a comprehensive virus-scanning setup.

Simply put, it's hard to envision a world without Virustotal. Although there have been reports and/or instances of false positives arising from some of the lesser-known third-party antivirus tools that Virustotal uses, it's pretty safe to say that your file is safe should it come up with "0 issues found" when running the gauntlet of the site's 41 different antivirus and malware scanning applications.

With so much going on behind the hood, using Virustotal to check your downloads must be a real nightmare, eh? Spoiler alert: It's super-easy. Just surf on over to the main Virustotal site and upload a file straight from your computer to the site. Keep in mind that super-large files will not only take awhile to upload depending on your connection, but they'll take even longer to scan. That's all you really have to do, however.

Once Virustotal has analyzed your file, it'll spit back a detailed results page showing you what virus/malware scanners flagged the file, if any, and what exactly it is they were reported to have found. You can save the URL of this report for future viewing, in case you need to prove to a friend that the "awesomegame.zip" file they sent you was actually full of digital evil incarnate.

Check out the other awesome tools you can use to keep your computer as safe and secure as a warm blanket:

Every Thursday, Maximum PC picks a new Web App as its favorite of the week. Have a Web App that you can't live without? Twitter David Murphy @acererak with your latest suggestions.

Panda Cloud Antivirus Graduates from Beta, Now Free for Everyone

Paul Lilly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:10:13 -0600

After sitting in beta for six months, Panda today announced its Cloud Antivirus is now ready for prime time and is available as a free download for all consumers.

"Since the beta release of Panda Cloud Antivirus in April, we have been judiciously testing our cloud-based protection model, making upgrades in security and performance, and listening to our user community," said Juan Santana, CEO of Panda Security. "With Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0, we've really changed the game, providing our users the most powerful and lightweight free protection available on the market today."

There's been a few improvements from when we first glimpsed the beta back in April, such as a polished interface, better performance thanks in large part to cache optimizations and memory management schemes, a Collective Intelligence Monitor which keeps a list of malware from the community updated in real time, and new support forums.

You can grab the free download here (and if you're a fan of the banjo, be sure to check out the video in that same link).

SophosLabs Sets Out to Prove Windows 7 Has Some Vulnerabilities

Ryan Whitwam — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:19:45 -0600

Security firm Sophos recently took it upon itself to run some tests on Windows 7 sans anti-virus software. Sophos used ten unique viruses found in circulation and attempted to infect Windows 7. While many may have thought this would be a foregone conclusion, they wanted to make a point. Microsoft claims that User Account Control (UAC) is more secure in Windows 7. Does it actually make a difference?

Sure enough, eight out of ten viruses ran without problem on a stock install of Windows 7 without User Account Control. With UAC active, an additional threat was actually blocked, and the other two still failed to run. Overall, UAC didn’t make much difference in virus protection. So yes, you still need to run an anti-virus on Windows 7. There’s been a lot of positive buzz around Redmond’s new release, just don’t let that stuff go to your head.

Murphy's Law: The Post-Windows-7 Freeware Survival Guide

David Murphy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0500

What's the first thing you're going to do after installing the Windows 7 operating system? If you live in Japan, perhaps you'll go celebrate your new, wallpaper-shifting desktop with some cardiac arrest. If you're one of the stalwarts still clinging to your XP or Vista operating system, well, you're probably going to spin your chair around in smug defiance of Microsoft's latest bit of software. And if you're a Maximum PC reader, I would hope that you're going to treat your fresh new installation of Windows 7 as an October spring cleaning of-sorts.

In fact, I urge you to. One doesn't often get a chance to reinstall an operating system from scratch. Or, rather, it's always easier to think of the hundreds of reasons why it's just not the right time to wipe-and-reinstall the contents of your primary hard drive. Resist the temptation to take the easy route. Backup your drive, give it a good format, and install Windows 7 onto your clean-as-a-whistle partition.

And once you've done that, read the rest of this article. While my colleagues at Maximum PC have given you some good first steps into your new Windows 7 world post-installation, I'd like to go one bit further and list out my typical post-installation routine for any Windows operating system. There are a number of key freeware choices that you'll want to slap onto your system to establish a baseline environment that's as efficient as it is secure--that, and you should really take this time to establish preventative measure that will keep your PC as clutter-free as can be throughout its new Windows 7 lifespan.

After all, bloated systems make Kylie sad.

Step One: The Interwebs

After I've gone through the various Windows 7 settings and tweaked them to my personal preferences (I like my hidden folders shown, damnit), I fire up Internet Explorer for its first and last time... to download Mozilla Firefox. I'm not a Firefox fanboy through and through--especially given the memory leaks that continue to plague the browser in various ways. However, just about anything is more useful, less cluttered, and better secured than Internet Explorer. The helpful IE View extension ensures that I'll always be able to load up the IE rendering engine if I'm in a jam (or navigating Microsoft's Windows Update site). Better still, I can immediately grab all my cherished bookmarks from the Cloud using the much-loved Xmarks add-on.

Step Two: Security

Before I start downloading programs and files en masse, I like having some kind of virus scanner either running in the background or easily available through a context menu. When's the last time I actually had a virus? I couldn't tell you. But I could tell you when the next time is that a virus is likely to infect my PC: never. There's been a lot of chatter about Microsoft's free Security Essentials application. I haven't honestly tried the scanner myself. I'm a time-tested fan of good ol' Clamwin, the open-source virus scanner that's quick to install, easy to run (and update), and relatively scare in its footprint. Whatever your choice, an antivirus scanner is worth its weight in easing your own personal stress over potential computer infections... even if it never ends up finding a virus at all.

Step Three: Decrapping

Just so I can get a good habit started before I forget, I make sure to grab the latest version of Spybot S&D and set the program's advanced configuration so that it always runs on my machine at particular intervals. I like Spybot S&D for this very fact: You can literally "set it and forget it," as the popular infomercial saying goes, and have a constantly updating, spyware-free system without having to worry about starting the application manually. Another nice feature of Spybot S&D is its ability to "immunize" your system against certain spyware "infections." In short, the program adjusts your browser's settings to block out known problems before they occur--a nice bit of preventative maintenance that you don't always find in a typical "scan and delete" application.

Get ready for steps Four and Five on page two!

Step Four: Isolating and Removing

If you're one of the lucky users to get your hands on Windows 7's XP Mode, congratulations--you've just acquired a wonderful virtualized operating system for testing new files you've downloaded. If not, don't sweat it. XP Mode is merely a free, virtualized version of the Windows XP operating system that's designed to run on Microsoft's Virtual PC application. You can download Virtual PC for free and install a version of Windows all by yourself (or grab VirtualBox if you want to run non-Microsoft operating systems). It's not a complicated task by any means, and you'll receive the same virtual functionality as those fancier Windows 7 users and their XP Mode.

The bigger question remains: Why bother? Well, a virtualized operating system running overtop your Windows 7 client is a perfect sandbox for testing new applications without having to gunk up your main operating system. Unsure of whether a piece of freeware is really a fit for you? Worried that something you've downloaded might be more problematic for your PC than good? Do you only need to install a particular application for a single use (like, say, obtaining a screenshot)? These are all scenarios where the sandbox environment of a virtual operating system becomes a useful tool. If your virtual OS gets too cluttered, you can always delete it and reinstall... while still going about your daily activities in your normal Windows 7 environment.

If you're still not convinced, or if you've already found yourself with some unwanted applications on your Windows 7 OS, don't uninstall them--not using their default uninstallation routines, that is. Grab Revo Uninstaller, a third-party freeware application that goes to great lengths to eliminate all traces of a program from your machine. Included in this elimination are leftover files in the installation directory, registry settings that were somehow overlooked by the normal uninstaller application, and anything else that's been introduced into your PC by said program. Using the program is no more difficult than Windows' "Add/Remove Programs" option in the Control Panel, but it's many, many times more thorough than the uninstallation routines you'll find on most apps.

Step Five: Saving

I'll hand it to Microsoft, their built-in "Backup and Restore" feature for Windows 7 ain't half bad. If you're sick of installing freeware at this point, then it's worth your while to fire up this Windows 7 application and schedule a drive backup to run on whatever interval you're most comfortable with. If you're a gambling person (or otherwise too impatient to wait for a full system restore should your primary drive hit the fan), you can select the individual files and folders you want Windows to copy over to a new location per your schedule. You can also bundle this piecemeal approach with the creation of a full system image. You won't be able to pick and choose files to restore should you, say, erroneously delete a folder that you didn't include in your piecemeal backup. However, if your computer goes haywire, you'll be able to restore the full. working contents of the your drive elsewhere.

I prefer to use Syncback Freeware for my backup needs--here's why. The program comes with a strong set of filters for the inclusion or exclusion of files or folders, as well as a solid list of "if this file does/does not exist on the backup drive, what should I do?" options for further specificity. I use both of these elements to customize a file synchronization between my primary hard drive and a secondary drive.

Why's that? I don't really want to waste time backing up files I'm never going to need in the event of a complete system meltdown. I'm the kind of guy who opts for the format-reinstallation of an operating system when danger arrives. It's the easiest way to turn back to a blank slate of perfection for my system, and I really don't mind copying the contents of my music, picture, and video folders from the backup drive to the primary. Well, that and all those program reinstallations... but, really, a meltdown is kind of like a forced spring cleaning to me. Consequently, I only want to back up the files that I'm going to need to copy back to the drive. I'd much prefer to reinstall everything else.

Step Six: Your Turn

Of course, these five topics are the first steps I take when my system's brand-new desktop screen pops up for the first time. This list is hardly comprehensive, however--there's much more I install after-the-fact, mostly programs that are less critical to my system's general operations than those represented by these five categories. What about you? What are some of the first steps on your Windows post-installation to-do list?

Ten bonus points and a traffic cone if anything with the word "plants" and "zombies" shows up within the first five items.

David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software. Befriend him on Twitter, especially if you have an awesome app or game you're dying to recommend!