We need to monitor information security grifters, too

A new report from the Anti-Phishing Working Group is yet another reminder of the information security threats we all face. This latest publication states that the number of compromised URLs used to distribute malicious code nearly tripled in the 12-month period from July 2007 through July 2008.

This data, along with similar research from McAfee, RSA Security, Symantec, and Trend Micro, demonstrate that the bad guys are taking advantage of the global recession with an increase in attack volume and sophistication. Certainly, security professionals recognize this unsettling trend, and according to ESG Research data, security remains a top IT priority for 2009. Based upon recent activities, it appears the federal government also sees the need for countermeasures.

While insiders seem to see the storm approaching, however, I'm worried about the Internet everyman--"Joe the Online User," if you will. Information security tends to be an esoteric topic sure to bore the pants off friends and neighbors at upcoming holiday parties, but there's more in play than ignorance alone.

I am starting to see a whole bunch of no-name security grifters pitching second-tier products and services with Chicken Little, "the sky is falling" scare tactics. You tend to find these guys are on drive-time radio and entertainment Web sites. I'm not alone in this observation. This week the U.S. District Court in Maryland ordered two fly-by-night companies to stop promoting "scareware" through online advertisements. These pop-up ads would warn Web surfers that their systems had been compromised by viruses, spyware, and even "illegal pornographic content." They were even so brazen as to suggest that users could be investigated or outed as some type of degenerate porn addict. Of course, they were happy to sell you software and services to alleviate the problem.

Unfortunately, there will always be a population of low-down dirtbags willing to take advantage of people's fears and hardships. After September 11 they pitched gas masks; they sold bottled water for $10 a piece following Hurricane Katrina. Given the cybersecurity activity out there, we are bound to see more and more of these security scams. The difference here is that security con artists are preying on fears that users really don't understand. Consumers may get scammed or become cynical--neither of which is good.

We need a focused effort to pull together as a security community, educate consumers, and push for strict punishment of these flimflammers. If not, things can only get worse.

12 Consumer Tips for the Holiday Season

This is an important post as during these times where you may let your guard down those hackers wont.

Read on....

Holiday Tip #1: Gift Cards

Gift cards are available for purchase from nearly every retailer, restaurant or financial institution. While convenient, these cards may come with strings attached.

Some gift cards have expiration dates and fees that can lessen the card’s value. According to state law, a gift card or certificate cannot expire for at least five years, and no fees may be deducted from the face value of the card for the first 12 months after it is issued. However some other types of debit cards may charge fees. These fees may include activation fees, transaction fees, monthly maintenance fees, balance inquiry fees, replacement fees for lost or stolen cards, and inactivity or non-use fees.

Use the tips below to protect your investment this holiday season:

· Only buy cards from sources you know and trust. If the business closes or becomes insolvent, your gift and money are lost.

· Read the fine print on the card before you buy.

· Ask about expiration dates, purchase exemptions and fees.

· Give the recipient the original receipt to verify the card’s purchase in case it is lost or stolen.

· Treat gift cards like cash. If your card is lost or stolen, report it to the issuer immediately.

Holiday Tip #2: Return Policies

This holiday season, consumers should be certain they know a store’s policy on returns, exchanges and layaways before making a purchase. Many policies have added fees, require returns within a certain number of days, or only allow store credit rather than refunds.

Kansas’ three-day-right-to-cancel law only applies to door-to-door sales. There are no Kansas laws that require a store to follow a particular policy for refunds, store credits or exchanges.

Use the tips below to protect your investment this holiday season:

· Most layaway, refund and exchange policies are up to individual retailers.

· Make sure you read and understand a store’s policy before you make a purchase.

· Always keep your receipts and invoices. Most stores will not make refunds without them.

· When shopping online, find out whether you will be responsible for shipping costs on returns.

Holiday Tip # 3: Internet Auctions

Internet auction sites provide consumers with a global marketplace to buy and sell everything from houses to baseball cards. Unfortunately, hundreds of Kansans reported losing money last year in an online auction.

Online auction complaints often involve missing or late shipments, items advertised different from the items delivered, bogus online payments and fraudulent dealers who lure consumers from a legitimate auction site with a seemingly better deal.

Use the tips below to protect your investment this holiday season:

· Items purchased from online auctions may not arrive as quickly as items ordered from a store. Be certain you know when the auction ends and when the item will ship before you order.

· Read the Terms of Use for any auction site before using it.

· Never send cash or wire money. Try to use a credit card so you have a better chance of a refund if something goes wrong.

· Look at the item description closely, including the fine print.

· Save copies of all the emails you send and receive from the auction site or seller.

· Remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Holiday Tip #4: Fly by Night Web Merchants

Every year, consumers crowd stores searching for the most popular gifts of the season. These items are in such demand that stores run out of stock, leading desperate shoppers to look anywhere to purchase the item.

Scam artists exploit this situation by setting up fake Web sites or online auctions that offer these products. After collecting the money, scammers shut down their “stores” and disappear. The consumers are left with no gift item, and may even fall victim to further fraud through the use of personal financial information obtained through the fake website.

Use the tips below to protect your investment this holiday season:

· Only purchase from reputable online sellers who have a physical store that you can contact to verify your order.

· Only enter your personal financial information on secure Web sites, never provide this over the phone or email.

· Never reply to an unsolicited email offer advertising a popular gift item for purchase.

· Never wire money to any online retailer.

· If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Holiday Tip #5: Using Credit Cards

Many consumers rely on credit cards to charge their holiday purchases and pay for them later. While convenient, consumers should never let the busy holiday season make them forget a few basic rules of credit card safety.

To protect good credit, follow the tips below in mind while purchasing gifts this year:

· Before shopping, photocopy or write down your credit card information and store it in a safe place at home in case your card is lost or stolen.

· Watch your personal items while shopping and don’t leave credit cards or receipts lying around.

· Check your statements monthly and contact your credit card company within 60 days to dispute any unauthorized charges.

· Sign cards as soon as they arrive and don’t carry cards you do not need in your wallet.

· Know your spending limits, payment due date and interest rates.

Holiday Tips #6: Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information and uses it to commit fraud. This crime is common during the holidays because people are busier, they are shopping more online and they receive numerous email and phone offers.

By following these tips, you can help stop identity theft. If you have become a victim of identity theft, please contact my Consumer Protection Division at (785) 296-3751 or 1-800-432-2310. We may be able to offer information to help recover from ID theft.

· Protect your Social Security Number, driver’s license number, mother’s maiden name and bank account information. Never provide this information to unsolicited emails or phone calls.

· Minimize the personal information you carry with you.

· When shopping online, verify you are on a secure server (https://) before entering your credit card or financial information online.

· Never click on a link provided in an email that requests your personal information. It may be fraudulent. If in doubt, contact the company by phone.

· Check your bank and credit card statements every month for unauthorized charges and report them to your financial institution or bank card.

· Review the Attorney General’s Identity Theft Repair Kit for more information about protecting yourself from identity theft.

Holiday Tip #7: Merchandise Warranties

Consumers spend billions of dollars each year on service contracts and warranties. These agreements offer peace of mind from repair hassles, but can end up costing more than the value of the coverage.

When contemplating whether or not to purchase an extended warranty, take time to read the small print and review the terms and conditions the manufacturer’s warranty already covers.

Use the tips below to protect your investment this holiday season:

· Most electronics and appliances include a manufacturer’s warranty that covers the parts and service for a year.

· Compare the manufacturer’s coverage to the store service agreement to determine if it is worth the extra expense.

· Find out what repairs are covered and whether this includes “abuse, misuse or wear and tear”; all terms that may be subject to the interpretation of the merchant issuing the service plan.

· Determine standard repair costs. Sometimes, repairs cost the same amount as the service contract.

· Find out where you can receive service and if there are contract charges associated with repairs.

Holiday Tip #8: Interest Free Purchases

Consumers are inundated with “No Interest, No Payment,” or “Six Months, Same as Cash” deals during the holidays. If consumers qualify, these offers are often great ways to save on interest charges. If you are not careful, these offers can trap the consumers in debt. These offers can also carry high fees or interest rates if the requirements of the offer are not met.

To protect good credit, follow the tips below in mind while purchasing gifts this year:

· Read the fine print of any agreement before buying anything. Some "no interest" offers require minimum payments during the interest-free period.

· Be aware that if you do not pay off the full amount before the interest-free period expires, you can be charged interest on the entire purchase amount, dating back to the purchase date.

· Don’t wait until the end of the interest-free period to pay off the balance. It may be difficult to come up with the full payment at once.

· Keep your receipts and copies of your purchase agreement.

· Call the company to find out when your interest-free period ends and plan out your payments before you get your first statement in the mail.

Holiday Tip #9: The Truth about Rebates

Many retailers advertise big rebates on items to encourage you to buy. While these advertised prices are attractive, they are only a good deal if you actually fill out and mail the rebate in on time.

Most rebates are completed through the mail, and may be confusing or require significant time or documentation to complete. Consider the following information before purchasing products based upon the promise of a rebate.

Use the tips below to protect your investment this holiday season:

· Read the fine print. Find out exactly what documents are required, when materials must be mailed and when you will get your rebate.

· Mail your rebate information as soon as possible.

· Only trust rebates from reputable companies.

· Most rebates take several weeks to process. If you charge items to your credit card and don’t pay off the balance, you could pay interest on the full amount.

· Carefully consider the worth of a rebate if it requires you to enter into a long term commitment.

Holiday Tip #10: E-card Scams

During the holiday season, many consumers will receive an email claiming an unidentified “relative,” “neighbor,” or “friend” sent you an e-card. The email will include a link to view the card, but clicking the link can unleash anything from spyware and pop-up ads to viruses and Trojans.

Use the tips below to protect your computer this holiday season:

· When you open an e-card, you may unknowingly install software that harms your computer. Be careful clicking any link to an unfamiliar website.

· Delete e-cards from people you don’t know without opening or reading them.

· Never click on any link in a suspicious email.

· Never click to accept terms from any company without actually reading the fine print.

· Install antivirus and anti-spyware software and keep it up to date.

Holiday Tip #11: Credit Repair Schemes

Loan offers and credit repair schemes are particularly frequent after the holidays, when consumers may be left with more debt than they intended. These unsolicited offers may come by email, phone or through the mail, and most of them contain an upfront fee.

Follow the tips below to avoid becoming victim to these scams.

· Don’t believe lenders who claim they can create a new credit identity; remove bankruptcies, judgments or bad loans from your credit file forever.

· Everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost.

· It is a federal crime to lie on a loan or credit application.

· Only time, effort, and a personal debt repayment plan will allow you to improve your credit report and pay off debt.

· If you have become the victim of a credit repair scheme, contact the Attorney General’s Office at 1(800) 432-2310 to file a complaint.

Holiday Tip #12: Resources for Help

This holiday season has been a particularly busy one for Kansas consumers. The sheer number of purchases made in the past few weeks result in higher instances of consumer fraud and may result excessive debt.

For help with consumer issues, use the resources below:

· Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division 1-800-432-2310 or www.ksag.org

File a consumer complaint for any business transaction you believe is fraudulent, or to obtain information on a variety of consumer issues.

· Credit Card Companies

See credit card statement for contact information. Call your company to dispute unauthorized charges or to work out a modified payment plan if you cannot make your payment.

· Credit Reporting Bureaus www.annualcreditreport.com

Report fraud or request a free copy of your credit report.

· Kansas Bank Commissioner 785- 296-2266 or www.osbckansas.org

Obtain a list of approved credit counseling agencies and informational materials.

Infonetics Research: Content security market faring well despite, and because of, economic turmoil

Another press release here and this time its good news. Despite this current financial climate it seems like security companies are still going well.

Read on....

CAMPBELL, CA, Dec 11, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Two new reports from market research firm Infonetics Research provide strong evidence the content security market will fare well during the recession, as the drivers for buying content security products remain strong, if not increase, during economic downturns.

Infonetics' Content Security Appliances and Software report tracks and forecasts content security vendor revenue and product shipments quarterly, while User Plans for Content Security is a survey that uncovers the content security buying plans of 240 small, medium, and large organizations from various vertical markets. Together, the reports indicate the content security market is healthy from both the end-users' and the vendors' point-of-view, due to strong drivers including:

--  Regulation and compliance (a driver rising in importance in
   Infonetics' user survey)
--  Explosive growth in the number, variety, and volume of threats
--  Security investment as a cost-saving measure
--  Service provider spending on security
--  Reactive product buying to solve immediate security issues

"The global economy is hurting right now, but we expect content security overall to be a bright spot, not just despite the turmoil, but in part because of it. History shows that a negative economy stimulates security threats, resulting in an increased need to protect against them. As a result, we've actually upped our 2008-2011 content security forecast total by 2% in our quarterly forecast report," said Jeff Wilson, principal analyst for network security at Infonetics Research.

Highlights from Infonetics' Content Security Appliances and Software report:

--  The worldwide content software and appliances market increased 6.6%
   from 2Q08 to 3Q08, to $516 million, led by strong sales in all world
   regions, especially North America
--  Websense leads the overall content security market (appliances and
   software) in 3Q08, and Blue Coat leads the content security appliance
   segment
--  Cisco's posted the strongest gain in 3Q08, increasing its content
   security appliance revenue 21%

Highlights from Infonetics' User Plans for Content Security, North America 2008:

--  Symantec, Cisco, and McAfee were named by study respondents as the top
   three content security manufacturers in an open-ended question
--  Cisco scored higher than other content security vendors in 5 of 7
   criteria, including security, technology, service and support, management,
   and financial stability, although they score lowest in pricing, which could
   be an Achilles heal in this market
--  Cost is the number-one barrier affecting customer deployment of new
   content security solutions
--  Preventing data leakage is high on the list of drivers for buying
   content security products, and is a particularly interesting segment to
   watch
--  Performance requirements for content security gateways are on the rise
   in general, due in large part to increased threat volume

Infonetics' Content Security Appliances and Software report provides market size, market share, forecasts, and analysis for content security gateways, broken out by software and appliances, including messaging, Web/malware, and integrated appliances. The service tracks BlueCoat, Cisco, Citrix, McAfee, SonicWALL, Symantec, Trend Micro, Websense, and others.

Infonetics' User Plans for Content Security study provides in-depth analysis on organizations deploying content security over the next 2 years, and their plans for protecting against Web, IM, and e-mail threats, and from viruses, spyware, malware, data leakage, and other content-related attacks. The data is based on interviews with purchase decision makers at 240 organizations from a wide variety of vertical markets. The study covers trends, drivers, barriers, product and service preferences, expenditures, a manufacturer scorecard, and more.

For report highlights, log in to Infonetics' online portal from www.infonetics.com (see Network Security). For sales, contact Larry Howard, vice president, at larry@infonetics.com or +1 (408) 583-3335.

Infonetics Research ( www.infonetics.com) is an international market research and consulting firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps clients plan, strategize, and compete more effectively.

Spy Emergency 2008 v5.0.605 - SoftWare - Anti-Spyware

We report on another spyware software package now. Could this be the next big thing.

Read on......

Spy Emergency 2008 v5.0.605 → SoftWare - Anti-Spyware


Spy Emergency 2008 v5.0.605 - 34 MB



Spy Emergency is the anti spyware, anti malware, anti spam solution that fast and secure removes spyware, malware, spam and other internet threats from your computer. Spy Emergency protects you against thousands of various infections and potencially unwanted software, including spyware, adware, spam, virus, trojans, worms, homepage hijackers, remote administration tools, activex components, dialers, scumware, keyloggers, data mining software, toolbars, tracking cookies, browser, hijackers/BHO's.

Spy Emergency do not slow down your computer and still protects you while your are working not like others spyware removal software. Spy Emergency has more than 985,000 threat definitions in its signature database! Small and regular definition updates greatly reduce update downloading time. Spy Emergency is ready to fight malware on Windows Vista operating systems.

You might be running free Anti-Spyware to save money but these products may not catch really bad stuff and in the wild malware and spyware including worms and trojan horses. So you need something more powerful antispyware weapon like Spy Emergency really is. With built in malware detection heuristics Spy Emergency detects new and unknown in the wild malware threats even before they are detected by other vendors virus scan and signatures update.

Spy Emergency supports not only detection for adware malware and spyware but even detection for malware threats like trojans, worms and backdoors. It checks your e-mails not only for malware but for spam messages too with built-in spam filter. When trojan worm or computer virus is detected it is automatically blocked.

Just simply three clicks to wash your problems away with Spy Emergency spyware adware removal software. By simply clicking the Start button your system scan starts immediately. Click on the Next button to review detected items, click on the Remove button to remove it..

CyberDefender Grows to Over 8 Million Users

We have just received a little press release in our inbox we thought we would share with you. It just goes to show how fast internet security is grwing.

Read on.....

LOS ANGELES, Dec 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Security Software Developer Adds Over One Million Users Every Month

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CYDE 1.20, -0.09, -7.0%) , a provider of award-winning PC Security and Identity Theft prevention solutions, today announced that its user base has grown from five million users at the end of October 2008 to well over eight million as of December 10, 2008. CyberDefender's growth marks another new milestone for the company. Through leading-edge technology, CyberDefender continues to provide its users with some of the most innovative solutions, such as its Collaborative Internet Security Network (or the earlyNETWORK(TM)), allowing for unlimited anti-virus and anti-spyware software updates through secure peer-to-peer propagation. This revolutionary technology significantly reduces the cost of updating the CyberDefender Early Detection Center (PC security suite) and allows for virtually unlimited daily updates of new virus and spyware antidotes, regardless of the file size.

"We are very excited about our future. In the past few months our user base has more than doubled. Our growth rate has ramped up to over one million new users every month," said Gary Guseinov, CEO of CyberDefender. "CyberDefender continues to improve its existing products while adding new products to the mix. Our strategy is to continue to improve our products and grow our user base while increasing revenue per user."

CyberDefender Corporation is a California-based company with a mission to bring advanced solutions to the Internet security market, combating and preventing identity theft, Internet viruses, spyware and other online security threats. For more information on CyberDefender's free anti-virus scans, visit www.cyberdefender.com.

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CYDE 1.20, -0.09, -7.0%) ( www.CyberDefender.com)

CyberDefender Corporation believes that its Internet security technology offers the earliest possible detection and most aggressive defense against Internet security attacks. CyberDefender believes that it is the only Internet security software company to combat spyware, viruses, and identity theft using a secure peer-to-peer distributed network (the earlyNETWORK(TM)), enabling protection that is unparalleled in speed and flexibility. Products employing the earlyNETWORK(TM) include CyberDefender's MyIdentityDefender(TM) Toolbar, CyberDefenderFREE(TM) 2.0, and CyberDefender Early Detection Center(TM) 2.0. All of these products are fully compatible with Microsoft's Vista Operating system and available at http://www.cyberdefender.com/.

US court halts the sale of scareware

Its about time we see action taken against those annoying scareware products like the XP anti-virus we recently reported about.

Read on....

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has obtained a temporary restraining order from a US District Court to prohibit two scareware manufacturers from selling their products. The makers of these programs try to alarm users when they visit web sites by falsely warning them that their PCs are infected, tricking them into buying dubious anti-spyware and anti-virus products. These programs, however, usually have no useful function, but after installation simply report a successful disinfection of the PC – regardless of whether it is actually infected.

In a news release, the FTC lists scareware products like WinFixer, WinAntivirus, DriveCleaner, ErrorSafe and XP Antivirus, but such products are usually advertised under more than one name. The court also froze the assets of the companies responsible, Innovative Marketing, Inc. and ByteHosting Internet Services, LLC. In September 2008 Microsoft had already complained about manufacturers of scareware.

The FTC chalked up a success recently in fighting commercial espionage software. A court ordered the Florida-based CyberSpy Software to cease selling its RemoteSpy program. RemoteSpy intercepts keyboard input and Instant Messages, makes regular screenshots, logs the web sites visited, and sends all the data it has collected to a server. Users of RemoteSpy could then log in to the server to download the information gathered about the victim.

How safe is your inbox?

How safe do you think your inbox is. Lets go and find out in this article.

Read on.....

Lexington, Ky. - E-mail has become a standard means of communication in the business world, enriching communication standards in numerous aspects. While this powerful communication tool has done wonders as far as streamlining communication, it comes with a number of security risks, including viruses, phishing attacks, and spam.

Viruses, many of which make their way into your computer network via e-mail, are the original computer threat and are being sculpted and programmed in new and changing ways every day. Viruses are actually small programs that are coded to execute malicious actions and replicate to other users on your network. The malicious actions can range from rendering your network resources unavailable to hijacking all the data stored on your file server –– and many virus containing e-mails require you to do nothing other than view the e-mail.

Phishing attacks are a very popular social engineering hack in the IT world, in which deceptive e-mails attempting to steal private information are sent to unaware recipients. The e-mails are designed to appear as though the sender is a genuine source, such as your employer or bank. In the e-mail, the phisher will often tailor the message to include personal details about you and contain a Web site link and request for private information for account verification purposes. The Web site you are directed to is actually a hacker-created, mirrored copy of the legitimate Web site and often even contains genuine SSL certificates. If any private information is entered into the hacked Web site, it is immediately compromised by the initiating phisher. For example, you receive an e-mail from eBay requesting validation of your account password by following the included link. When you click the link, the Web site looks legitimate, has a valid SSL certificate and thus you enter your password. You are returned with a message saying "Thank you, your password has been validated." Your eBay password has just been stolen via a phishing attack.

Spam is another threat increasing in power on a daily basis. Spam began as an annoyance but has matured into a legitimate resource thief and business threat. Notorious for stealing precious bandwidth, spam is the unsolicited e-mail sent to unwilling recipients, often with commercial substance. In addition to stealing crucial storage space, a heavily spammed e-mail server can consume nearly an entire dedicated internet link. Also, spam is the number one carrier for e-mail virus and worm attacks. Spam is indeed bothersome, but the business complications that result from it are far more significant.

With these security risks in mind, let's explore what can be done to protect your network and e-mail server from these risks.

Employee training is the most important part of any secure environment. Ensure that your e-mail users are aware of e-mail-associated risks and have a good idea of best practices. Educate users on how to identify phishing and spam e-mail; warn users on the dangers of e-mail attachments; encourage users to restrain from forwarding mass e-mails; don't allow the use of unencrypted wireless networks for business functions; prohibit the sharing of account usernames and password.

Ensure anti-virus protection is installed, updated regularly, and adequately configured for real time e-mail protection and regularly scheduled system scans. Furthermore, ensure adequate monitoring of anti-virus systems is in place, so you are aware whenever a virus is found.

Properly configure and manage the security settings in the standard e-mail client to properly handle and delete deemed spam or phishing e-mails. The fewer potentially dangerous e-mails your users see, the more secure your network.

Implement an appropriate spam filtering device along with an Intrusion Prevention System and Network Firewall to stop malicious e-mails from reaching your e-mail server, an appropriate update and monitoring procedure. With a properly configured setup, 99 percent of your spam can be stopped before ever reaching your e-mail server.

In business cases where foreign travel is often required, you should use phone communication as a primary means of communication rather than e-mail. In many foreign countries, all communications across data lines are monitored and any transmitted information is susceptible to a high chance of interception.

E-mail security is an important aspect to securing your network. This is a task that should be taken seriously by everyone within a business or group, not just the IT administration staff.

Radialpoint Internet Security Product Earns ICSA Certification

Another software earns another certificate. We find out more information.

Read on.....

Releasing a service that IT insiders say addresses a prevalent problem for the Internet space, a Montreal-based managed Internet security services provider today announced that the newest version of its flagship product has been certified by ICSA Labs.

Officials at Radialpoint say their so-called “Security Services version 7,” or “RPS,” has passed tests and earned a designation of anti-virus desktop/server detection.

Specifically, the solution monitors files and scans e-mail messages and attachments, automatically detecting and removing viruses to protect the user.

According to Marty Algire, vice president of products at Radialpoint, the certification marks technical assurance for the company’s Internet security product.

“As a company responsible for protecting and caring for customers of some of the world’s leading ISPs, the certification formalizes our confidence that we are delivering our customers one of the most secure anti-virus products available,” Algire said.

The certification means that a product detects all malware in the test environment without any false positives.

IT insiders say that such safeguards are becoming increasingly important as more and more everyday services are migrating to the Web.

TMCnet’s own guest columnist, Kevin G. Coleman, a Certified Management Consultant and Strategic Advisor with the Technolytics Institute, wrote here this week about how the Internet has evolved as a weapon with the nation’s dependence on its technologies.

According to Coleman, the United States and the world is unprepared for the disruption that will occur if a substantial cyber attack is launched against the information infrastructure that powers the global economy.

“This is not just my opinion – it is the opinion of other high-profile experts in the military, intelligence and private sector,” Coleman writes. “Efforts to fortify the information infrastructure used by the general public and businesses around the world are minimal at best. In this tough economic environment, convincing businesses to invest in security measures to protect corporate computers and networks for something that really has not happened and they believe only ‘might’ happen is next to impossible.”

As TMCnet reported, one Santa Clara, California-based Web site security provider said this week that 82 percent of Web sites have had at least one security issue, with 63 percent still having issues of high, critical or urgent severity.

Officials at WhiteHat Security say in their “Web site Security Statistics Report” – available for download here – that vulnerability time-to-fix metrics are slowly improving, but continue to show significant room for improvement, typically requiring weeks to months to achieve resolution.

According to Jeremiah Grossman, founder and chief technology officer at WhiteHat, Web security is a moving target.

“So, enterprises need timely information about the latest attack trends, how they can best defend their Web sites, and visibility into their vulnerability life-cycle,” Grossman said. “We hope this report continues to be a beneficial tool for actionable information today’s enterprises can use to stay on top of evolving Web site security challenges.”

Here’s a look at the WhiteHat’s chart showing the top-10 security issue classes, sorted by likelihood:

According to Andrew Hayter, anti-malcode program manager at ICSA Labs, the Radialpoint Internet Security Suite met ICSA Labs’ rigorous testing criteria.

“This is critical, as our anti-malcode certification program provides businesses and consumers alike with up-to-date and valuable information that can help them select the right anti-virus products and vendors for their specific needs,” Hayter said.

Fully Automatic Defrag Slashes Maintenance Times

We have just had this report it.

Read on......

BURBANK, CA--(Marketwire - December 11, 2008) - For many sites today, "maintenance" has almost become a dreaded word. This isn't because maintenance tasks are bad or shouldn't be done -- far from it. It's simply that because so many systems must remain up and running 24x7, finding the time for maintenance tasks is a tough assignment. Such tasks should be fully automated so they can operate while a system is up and running and if not, then their run times should be made as short as possible.

Two examples of such vital tasks are virus scans and backups. With computer virus and malware propagation at an all-time high, computers must be regularly scanned to keep them safe. In order to maintain vital company data that data must be securely backed up as often as possible.

But both these essential actions can be severely impacted -- and in some cases completely impeded -- by file fragmentation. In fact any application or utility that must access each file on a system will have its run lengthened by having to access each and every fragment of a file. This is especially true if files are fragmented into hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of fragments (not at all uncommon in today's computing environments). Severe fragmentation can cause backups to unexpectedly abort and other tasks such as anti-virus to substantially exceed the times that have been allotted for them.

Defragmentation of all files on a drive will greatly decrease the run times of both anti-virus and backup applications -- but if the wrong defrag technology is used, it will be like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Scheduled defrag, for example, means that you have to find yet another maintenance window. Fragmentation is also not fully addressed, in between those scheduled runs it continues to mount and to slow down your anti-virus scans and backups.

The only real solution is the fully automatic defrag provided by Diskeeper® software. Diskeeper Corporation's proprietary InvisiTasking® technology allows defragmentation to occur in real-time, in the background, whenever otherwise-idle resources are available. Because defragmentation occurs consistently and invisibly no scheduling is ever required and there is never a negative performance hit from defrag.

While providing maximum performance and reliability to your systems, Diskeeper software eliminates the need for scheduling defrag. It also greatly reduces the run times needed for anti-virus scans and backups. It is the best solution for improving maintenance schedules all around.

Free Anti-Virus Software For Mac Users

Mac users sometimes feel left out as they feel the Mac outweighs the PC yet can not compete and feel they lose out on software etc. Well we have found a FREE! Anti-virus for them.

Read on.....

New anti-virus software that specifically targets threats against the Mac OS X operating system is available free to home users.




PC Tools' iAntiVirus is also different to other Mac security products, as it is specifically does not contain any unnecessary information about Windows-based threats – this ensures that the product is lightweight and its memory footprint and system resource usage is kept to a minimum, claims PC Tools.

It it is also claimed to have minimal system impact because it is designed to work silently in the background when in monitoring mode – threats are automatically blocked and removed. A small alert window is displayed to advise you that your Mac has been protected against an attack. The interface is functional, familiar and user-friendly, making it simple to scan, remove and manage detected infections.

The software protects a Mac against infections in real time by automatically placing detected infections in quarantine, allowing you to also view and restore items, if required. When an infection is detected and blocked, an alert is displayed below the system menu bar as shown.

iAntiVirus quarantines all detected infections, allowing you to view and restore items in the case of a false positive (for example: when scanning with engine heuristics set to high).

Frequent updates to detect and guard computers against new threats and viruses as well as provide enhancements to iAntiVirus are automatically installed and downloaded through the Smart Update function. Threat signatures are updated within hours of a high-risk malware outbreak to protect you from the latest online threats.

RRP
Private Use - Free
Customer Support/Business $49.95