Antivirus Software for PC and Mac computers
Without exaggeration there are hundreds (at least) of malware, spyware & virus removal softwares. Some antivirus software is free, some you pay for once and other vendors security software requires ongoing annual subscriptions for the application (as opposed to the virus definition) updates. It can be confusing! People's requirements differ and IT Security needs within the corporate environment differ - both in cost and functionality - from the removal needs and protection expectations of antivirus software users in home, office & small business settings.
Based on over 15 years experience removing viruses & protecting against malicious software attacks, this is what we recommend.
Antivirus Software for PC
Malware is big and malware is bad. Your computer is constantly at risk from infection by malware including viruses, worms, trojans, rootkits, dialers and spyware. Malwarebytes Antimalware and Antivirus Software specializes in fighting malware - one byte at a time!
- Flash - Lightning fast scan speeds
- Thorough - Full scans for all drives
- Works Well With Others - Cooperative functionality
- Toolbox - Extra utilities to help remove malware manually
- Puts Malware in the Slammer - Quarantine function holds threats and lets you restore at your convenience
- Customizable settings enhance performance
Antivirus Software for Mac
Advanced Protection for Macs—Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac delivers real-time protection from over 30,000 new Internet threats that appear each day, including those specifically targeting Macs. And it ensures you won’t spread dangerous viruses, worms, and trojans to your family, friends, and colleagues who use PCs. Key Features
- Real-time scanning of files, Downloads & mail attachments
- Cloud-based website monitoring and applications
- Prevents your Mac from infecting PCs on your network
- Warns you if a website is suspicious or dangerous
- Works behind-the-scenes so it won't slow you down
- Familiar, easy-to-use Mac-style interface
In addition to the top rated virus removal programs above there are 3 other Antivirus programs listed below. We recommend these computer protection programs and we also use Microsoft's Security Essentials software at Cannon Beach Computers. HitMan Pro is a fine piece of Antivirus Software which, as the company says, is excellent for a second opinion! If you are NOT certain that your current Security software program protects your PC against malware then use the free version of Hitman Pro for a second opinion.
Virus Protection & Removal Software
Security Essentials
Use Microsoft Security Essentials to guard against viruses, spyware, and other evil software. It provides real-time protection for your home or small business PCs. Microsoft Security Essentials is free for home users & small businesses with up to 10 PCs. It is designed it to be simple to install, easy to use and it runs quietly and efficiently in the background. You don't have to worry about interruptions or making updates.
HitMan Pro 3
Hitman Pro 3 is a fast all-in-one tool to locate, identify and remove viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits and other malware. Hitman Pro 3 will quickly show if your PC is infected with malicious software.
Hitman Pro 3 uses innovative cloud computing techniques to detect and remove potential malware threats with minimal impact on system performance.
WebRoot Security
According to AV-Test in February of 2012, Webroot® SecureAnywhere™ antimalware engine was 99.8% effective against malware and 100% effective against Zero-day threats. Webroot offers antivirus free trials and free malware scans with no obligation to buy. From the fastest antivirus to complete PC and mobile protection, try the most effective protection available right here.
What is a rootkit?
The toughest types of malware to detect and remove are rootkits. Rootkits embed themselves in the lowest levels of your computer's operating system where they are most likely to be undetected by antivirus software.
In the past weeks, we have noticed an increase in sophisticated malicious rootkits such as Mebroot, Sinowal and TDL4. We recommend that you download Hitman PRO for the detection and removal of these highly advanced security threats. Not only does Hitman PRO detect and remove these malicious TDL4, Mebroot & Sinowal rootkits but also removes a new variant of the infamous Trojan Vundo.
Most current rootkits are used to make other malicious software's payloads undetectable. Rootkits do this by adding stealth capabilities. Due to this type of behavior, rootkits are classified as malware. This, because the payloads that come bundled with the rootkit are malicious by design. For example, a payload might covertly steal user passwords, credit card information, computing resources, or conduct other unauthorized activities. The longer a rootkit stays alive on a computer, the more profit the malware authors make because the computer is under their control.
Keep your Security Updates current
With over 20 million users worldwide, SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough scanner on the market. Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology detects spyware other products miss! SuperAntiSpyware easily removes pests such as Vundo, TDSS, AntiVirus Pro 2010, and thousands more W32 virus based malware.
SuperAntiSpyware excels at Win32 Virus removal! Repair broken Internet Connections, Desktops, Registry Editing and more. SuperAntiSpyware's threat research team scours the web DAILY to catch Zero-Day and emerging threats to make sure you are protected! SuperAntiSpyware provides daily definition updates.
To ensure that you are protected, always make sure you have the latest version of SUPERAntiSpyware and current versions of your other security software. The current version of SUPERAntiSpyware is 4.54.1000. You can find out what version you have by hovering over the SUPERAntiSpyware "bug" icon by the system clock. If you do not have the current version, you may download the new version here.
This month,
, we are pleased to offer SUPERAntiSpyware users the opportunity to upgrade to SUPERAntiSpyware Professional with LIFETIME updates and upgrades!
FACT: With THOUSANDS of NEW THREATS coming out every week, a SINGLE SOLUTION is NOT enough - you need more than one layer of protection.
SUPERAntiSpyware Professional Benefits
- Real-Time Protection to prevent threats from installing
- Automatic Updates downloaded every 8 hours
- Scheduled Scanning at the time of your choice to ensure a clean machine
- Priority Customer Service and Support.
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The Alureon Botnet. A short read
Researchers at Kaspersky Labs analyzing the 4.5 million-strong Alureon botnet (also known as TDL and TDSS) have branded it "practically indestructible." Law enforcement agencies have had some success recently at disrupting and bringing down botnets, with Coreflood, Rustock, and Waledac all successfully disrupted. The design of TDL's underlying rootkit is going to make similar retaliatory action much harder to pull of.
TDL-4 has been specifically designed to avoid destruction—whether by law-enforcement, anti-virus software, or competing botnets. On installation, TDL-4 will remove other rootkits, an act which both deprives competing operators of income and reduces the chance that the user will notice that their system is behaving strangely and attempt to repair it. The goal of a rootkit is to remain undetected, and that includes noticing that a computer simply isn't behaving correctly.
To make this hiding more effective, the rootkit infects the system's master boot record (MBR), part of a hard disk that contains critical code used to boot the operating system. Infecting the MBR means that the rootkit code is loaded even before the operating system (let alone anti-virus software) can run; it's another move to make the rootkit harder to detect and remove. The software also encrypts all network traffic to prevent eavesdropping or hijacking by other botnet owners.
Peer to peer spamming
The most significant feature, however, is the inclusion of peer-to-peer technology in the latest version of the botnet's code. The rootkit uses peer-to-peer networking to communicate between nodes. The botnet creates its own network of infected computers, allowing the machines to communicate with each other without relying on a central server.
This has one purpose: to make it much harder to take down the network. Previous successful botnet takedowns have depended on law enforcement agencies taking over or making inaccessible the centralized command-and-control servers used to disseminate instructions for the network. These servers tell the botnet which spam to send, which sites to target with a denial-of-service attack, and so on. Generally they are relatively few in number — a dozen or two — and so represent a major weakness in the botnet infrastructure. It's the peer-to-peer network that really makes it tough to fight off. With this network, the botnet's owner can retain control of the network even if the infected machines can't reach the central servers.
Rootkits have used peer-to-peer networks before, but the use of a large, public network is highly unusual. It gives the botnet an extremely robust communications system that will be nigh impossible to disrupt or overpower, and the same techniques that have been so powerful against other botnets may be impotent against TDL-4.
The malware itself is spread primarily through file-sharing and pornography websites.
In addition to the common spamming and denial of service tasks that botnets are routinely used for, the botnet's operators include an interesting proxy server component. For about $100 a month, you can use a PC in the botnet as a proxy for your Internet traffic, thereby anonymizing your Internet traffic. They even have a Firefox plugin to make it easy to use the proxy system.
Will law enforcement be able to take down the botnet? It's certainly not going to be easy. Doing so might require taking advantage of the botnet's own code; researchers have already uncovered servers running MySQL that track the systems within the botnet by sending specially crafted commands to infected machines. Such an approach may provide a key to dismantling the entire network.
