The new versions of the most popular free anti-virus solutions out there have been released. Avast upgraded their free version to version 4.8 and it includes Anti-Spyware and Anti-Rootkit technology. AVG has redesigned their entire interface and engine and the free version of their product is actually a lot better than their paid version. Check them out if you need free AV that works!
WilksNet
Musings on Mozilla and open-source software
Filed under security …
Top Network Security Tools
Here is a great collection of networking tools for Linux, Windows and Apple.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Reigns Supreme…
I have recently discovered what I consider to be the best Anti-Virus program for Vista and XP. It’s Kaspersky AntiVirus 7.0 and it’s available as a download from their website for $59.95.
Kaspersky has consistently been rated the highest in virus detection and removal by various anti-virus testing companies and independent testers. The most important things to me when looking for anti-virus are 1) low system resource usage and 2) high detection rates. For this reason, I do not approve of Symantec products. They are system resource hogs. Here’s Kaspersky only using 5MB of my memory while running in the background doing its job.
Another great feature is the settings. You can change the scan intensity of each type of scan ranging from High Speed, Optimal, and Maximum. You can change the intensity for the four types of main scans including Critical Areas, My Computer, Startup Objects, and Rootkits. I find it very useful to have the Rootkit scan and the Startup object scan because they are not offered in other programs and they probably the most effective at preventing infections.
Below is the Scan page where you can choose what scans to perform, customize scan settings and locations, and create a rescue disk.
The updates are another major difference between Kaspersky and other AV products. Kaspersky pushes hourly updates which will be downloaded and automatically installed every few hours. I love this.
The reports section will let you view your virus history, quarantine, events, and backup. This is a nice interface for viewing what has happened to your computer and how Kaspersky has dealt with it.
The activation page will let you view your license key and purchase a license key if you need to.
The support page will give you detailed information about your program and OS. It will also allow you to receive web support from the online knowledge base.
Another fantastic feature of Kaspersky is the proactive defense it provides. Not only can Kaspersky detect viruses, it can prevent them from entering your machine and from doing damage as well. It does this through application monitoring, behavioral analysis, and heuristics.
Now I will include a few links to some resources regarding Kaspersky. But first here’s the main features from the website:
Premium Protection
The Best Anti-Virus Protection
- Ranked #1 for anti-virus detection*
- The industry’s fastest response time to new
- Internet threats**
- Standard automated hourly anti-virus updates
(Tiny at ~50 Kb each!) - The most monthly updates available!†
- Real-time e-mail, file and web scanning
for safe surfing
Robust Spyware Protection
- #1 in spyware & adware detection†
- Prevents rootkits and keyloggers from stealing
personal data - Automatically removes hidden spyware
- Detects unauthorized activity & probes
- Blocks unwanted pop-ups & banners
Impressive System Performance
- The least processor, memory and bandwidth resources required††
- Rapid iSwiftT and iCheckerT virus scanning for accelerated performance
- Automatic balancing of scan speeds with increased user activity
- Ideal for instant messaging and WiFi
Minimize Any Downtime
- Easy-to-create rescue disk instantly restores your system if damaged
- Rapidly rollback any malicious changes including restoring encrypted data
Here’s some reputable testing companies and their AV test results:
CNET (NOTE – On the user ratings page of CNET, there is a user who I believe is spamming the site with poor reviews of the product. There is no evidence that I can find that lends support to the idea that Kaspersky destroys hard drives.)
TrueCrypt Encryption
TrueCrypt is an awesome open-source software program for on the fly file encryption. Here’s some of the main features:
- Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
- Encrypts an entire hard disk partition or a storage device such as USB flash drive.
- Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
- Provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:
1) Hidden volume (steganography – more information may be found here).
2) No TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be distinguished from random data).
- Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: LRW.
The software runs on Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Linux. It allows you to create a mountable volume on your computer in order to store files that are fully and securely encrypted. Excellent program and free. Check it out.
McAfee Personal Firewall for Vista
I’m a Comcast internet user and Comcast offers free McAfee security software to their clients. I haven’t been interested in McAfee for years because I think they lack in keeping up with current trends and creating programs that do a great job while not taking up a lot of system resources.
Well some of that changed today when I decided to check if the software was Vista compatible and to my surprise it finally was. So I said what the heck, and installed just the Personal Firewall Plus. It installed fine and only takes up about a meg of ram while in use. This surprised me a lot…
This firewall works well, has a lot of features that you can configure, isn’t annoying, and doesn’t take a lot of resources to run. I’m almost impressed. I’ll see what I think of the new Zone Alarm when it’s finally ready for Vista. For now I really like this McAfee solution and here’s a screenshot.
A few things. In order to manually allow programs through the firewall or to configure a host of other advanced options, you have to actually log into Vista as the administrator. Another feature that I like is that the security center will notice if you have antivirus and antispyware installed and will be okay with it. That’s nice.
How To Make Avast! Less Annoying
I use Avast on all of my machines because it uses little system resources, has a high detection rate, is free of charge, and includes excellent options with multiple scanners. Here’s how to use Avast and turn off its two most common annoyances.
1.) To make the two Avast icons merge into one, right click on the VRDB icon with the little “i” in it, and click on “Merge with main Avast icon”. Now you have increased free space in your taskbar.
2.) To make Avast stop talking to you, right click on the main Avast icon with the little “a” and select “program settings”. Then click on “Sounds” on the left, and tick the check-box that says “Disable Avast Sounds”. Alternatively you can just click on “settings” and alter them so they are not annoying. For instance I changed them so they don’t talk but give me little short pings.
Now you have a free AV solution that works great and doesn’t bother you!
Download Avast! AntiVirus – Choose the Home Edition for free AV, or browse the other versions depending on your OS.
Free Vista 32-Bit Compatible Firewall!
Finally, for all of us who are running the 32-Bit version of Windows Vista – there is a free firewall application for us. Granted, the built in Windows Vista firewall is pretty good. It’s better than XP’s and does a good job of providing basic security, however a more robust program is needed for the firewall I think.
PCTools has just the thing. It’s late and I’m tired so here’s the link, I’ll update this post maybe when I get the time and strength.
http://www.pctools.com/firewall/
Another option is Comodo Personal Firewall:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
ZoneAlarm Free:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_zonealarm_free/
And of course, I recommend these two Anti-Virus solutions for Windows and Windows Vista:
Source: Windows Connected
Firefox 2.0.0.3 and OpenOffice 2.2
Well it looks like you can now download the new security update to Firefox 2.0.0.3. Mozilla had to release this quickly because of some stubborn security risks that remained in 2.0.0.2. You can get the new version here:
Download Firefox Setup 2.0.0.3
Also on the OpenOffice front, they updated their wiki yet again to display a potential release date of March 28th. You can download the 4th RC here:
Firefox 2.0.0.3 to 2.0.0.4
Mozilla is going to very quickly release an update to 2.0.0.3 because of some high security threats that were left behind for 2.0.0.2. They plan to have builds available on Wednesday. The next regular security/stability update will be 2.0.0.4.
Source: Mozilla Dev News
The Problem with UAC in Vista
I’ve been using Windows Vista for a few months now and subsequently I’ve been exposed to the notorious User Account Control (UAC) of Vista.
The purpose of UAC is to add a layer of protection, a barrier between the user and the OS. The user is assigned a standard account and whenever the user tries to affect the system in some way that might alter a system setting, as in installing a piece of software or starting a program like anti-virus, UAC will prompt for a password to allow the action.
The problem with this is pretty big. First of all, Microsoft thought they could implement the system in some way that it would not need to be turned off, altered, or configured in any way. Second of all, Microsoft didn’t anticipate the reaction to UAC and therefore they have poor contingency planning. I’ve had several issues with UAC that put me out. The first is I can’t update Avast! Anti-Virus in standard user mode. Others thoughts are listed below:
- UAC doesn’t prompt me for access, it just won’t allow it.
- You can’t turn it off without affecting certain programs; i.e. some tax programs and others.
- You can’t configure it – i.e. to allow a program to not be affected by it if you wish to always allow it. The essence of UAC was designed to protect the user from rogue software and their own actions, so if the user is proficient and wants to always allow a program they trust through UAC they should be allowed to do so.
- UAC should be smart and grow in intelligence as the user uses the system. It should adapt to patterns and trends and be able to begin to understand what programs are harmless and what programs are harmful.
I’d say that Microsoft needs to re-evaluate UAC and maybe patch it with new functionality with Service Pack 1. I would say it should be a huge priority because I know my family members, when they upgrade, will not be happy with the current implementation of UAC.
[To turn UAC off, go to the control panel, find user accounts, then find the option that says turn UAC on or off.]
