NEW! Panda Antivirus Pro 2010

Panda Security have release their new anti virus software for 2010. It does include much of the features found in its previous verion, however Panda Security states its have improved many of these features. Below is a summary of the new or improved Features and Benefits.

ANTI-MALWARE PROTECTION

• NEW: Panda USB Vaccine protects your USB drives from infection
• IMPROVED: 80% reduced memory consumption
• IMPROVED: Anti-Malware Engine detects and eliminates viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, keyloggers, rootkits, bots, etc.
• IMPROVED: Instant Messaging protection for MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and AOL traffic.
• IMPROVED: Advanced Proactive Protection technologies include Genetic Heuristics and TruPrevent 2.0 behavioral analysis to protect against new and unknown malware.
• IMPROVED: The Personal Firewall protects against worms and hackers attacks.WiFi Monitor protects your wireless network from intruders.

IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION

• IMPROVED: The award-winning Anti-Rootkit Technology detects threats that hide in your PC, silently stealing personal information.
• Anti-Phishing Filter identifies fraudulent email and protects you from online scams.
• Anti-Banking Trojan Engine lets you bank and shop online with complete peace of mind.

So far VirusProtectionReports.com have found no professional reviewers that have given their opinion on Panda Antivirus Pro 2010, nor have we found much customer feedback. We will, however, be keeping a lookout for any consumer comments on this latest antivirus software over the coming months.


To find out more information on Panda Security's 2010 protection software products click here.

The Advancement of the Keyloggers

A keylogger is a program that runs in your computer’s background secretly recording all your keystrokes. Once your keystrokes are logged, they are hidden away for later retrieval by the attacker. The attacker then carefully reviews the information in hopes of finding passwords or other information that would prove useful to them.

For example, a keylogger can easily obtain confidential emails and reveal them to any interested outside party willing to pay for the information.

Keyloggers can be either software or hardware based.

Software-based keyloggers are easy to distribute and infect, but at the same time are more easily detectable.

Hardware-based keyloggers are more complex and harder to detect. For all that you know, your keyboard could have a keylogger chip attached and anything being typed is recorded into a flash memory sitting inside your keyboard. Keyloggers have become one of the most powerful applications used for gathering information in a world where encrypted traffic is becoming more and more common.

As keyloggers become more advanced, the ability to detect them becomes more difficult. They can violate a user’s privacy for months, or even years, without being noticed. During that time frame, a keylogger can collect a lot of information about the user it is monitoring. A keylogger can potential obtain not only passwords and log-in names, but credit card numbers, bank account details, contacts, interests, web browsing habits, and much more. All this collected information can be used to steal user’s personal documents, money, or even their identity.

A keylogger might be as simple as an .exe and a .dll that is placed in a computer and activated upon boot up via an entry in the registry. Or, the more sophisticated keyloggers, such as the Perfect Keylogger or ProBot Activity Monitor have developed a full line of nasty abilities including:

• Undetectable in the process list and invisible in operation
• A kernel keylogger driver that captures keystrokes even when the user is logged off
• A remote deployment wizard
• The ability to create text snapshots of active applications
• The ability to capture http post data (including log-ins/passwords)
• The ability to timestamp record workstation usage
• HTML and text log file export
• Automatic e-mail log file delivery

All keyloggers are NOT used for illegal purposes. A variety of other uses have surfaced. Keyloggers have been used to monitor web sites visited as a means of parental control over children. They have been actively used to prevent child pornography and avoid children coming in contact with dangerous elements on the web.

To combat keyloggers and other computer security threats, ensure that you have a good anti virus program installed or if you do have an installed anti virus solution, that it has automatic updates enabled.

How I Got Phished

I recently posted a request for an item I wanted on the ‘Want it now’ section on eBay. The next day, I received a reply to my request in my eBay account, and then promptly click on a link from the sender which was to re-direct to their website. Suddenly, a message appeared on my screen from eBay alerting me that this was a scam, and I had been “phished”. I had almost unwittingly handed over my eBay login details to a scam artist! Does this sound like a familiar story?

Phishing (pronounced as “fishing”) is basically the act of sending an email to a recipient falsely claiming to have an established, legitimate business. The goal is to deceive the potential victim into giving their private information, so as to steal your identity. Many ‘phishers’, who are professional criminals, have become very adept in creating emails that look authentic. For example, in the spoof messages the "From" field of the e-mail may have the .com address of the company mentioned in the e-mail. The clickable link even appears to take you to the company's website, when actually; it is a fake and created to imitate the legitimate site.

Some tips on to prevent your personal information being stolen:

• Review all emails requesting personal information carefully - Remember that the "From Field" can be easily changed by the sender. While it may look like it’s coming from a .com you do business with, looks can be deceiving. Keep in mind that the phisher will go all out in trying to make their email look as legitimate as possible. They will even copy logos or images from the official site to use in their emails.

• Check before clicking - Scammers like to include a clickable link that the recipient can follow to ‘update’ their information. An easy way to find out if the link is genuine is to point at the link with your mouse, paying particular attention to the bottom left hand screen of your computer. The actual website address to which you are being directed will show up for you to view.

• If in doubt, trash it - If for any reason you’re suspicious of the authenticity of the e-mail, delete it immediately and empty the trash box in your e-mail accounts as well.

As many banks and other well know companies such as Paypal have stated in their warnings to customers, they will never ask you under any circumstances to divulge your personal or financial information in an e-mail. If you’re worried that you are missing an important notice regarding one of your accounts, then type the full URL address of the website into your browser. At least then you can be confident that you are, in fact, being directed to the real website.

Common computer viruses

While the following is by no means an all inclusive list, below are some of the more commonly known viruses. To minimize your chances of being effected, ensure that you keep your anti virus software updated, and stay aware of the current computer virus threats.

Virus: Trojan.Lodear
A Trojan horse that attempts to download remote files. It will inject a .dll file into the EXPLORER.EXE process causing system instability.


Virus: W32.Beagle.CO@mm
A mass-mailing worm that lowers security settings. It can delete security-related registry sub keys and may block access to security-related websites.


Virus: Backdoor.Zagaban
A Trojan horse that allows the compromised computer to be used as a covert proxy and which may degrade network performance.


Virus: W32/Netsky-P
A mass-mailing worm which spreads by emailing itself to addresses produced from files on the local drives.


Virus: W32/Mytob-GH
A mass-mailing worm and IRC backdoor Trojan for the Windows platform. Messages sent by this worm will have the subject chosen randomly from a list including titles such as: Notice of account limitation, Email Account Suspension, Security measures, Members Support, Important Notification.


Virus: W32/Mytob-EX
A mass-mailing worm and IRC backdoor Trojan similar in nature to W32-Mytob-GH. W32/Mytob-EX runs continuously in the background, providing a backdoor server which allows a remote intruder to gain access and control over the computer via IRC channels. This virus spreads by sending itself to email attachments harvested from your email addresses.


Virus: W32/Mytob-AS, Mytob-BE, Mytob-C, and Mytob-ER
This family of worm variations possesses similar characteristics in terms of what they can do. They are mass-mailing worms with backdoor functionality that can be controlled through the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network. Additionally, they can spread through email and through


Virus: Zafi-D
A mass mailing worm and a peer-to-peer worm which copies itself to the Windows system folder with the filename Norton Update.exe. It can then create a number of files in the Windows system folder with filenames consisting of 8 random characters and a DLL extension. W32/Zafi-D copies itself to folders with names containing share, upload, or music as ICQ 2005a new!.exe or winamp 5.7 new!.exe. W32/Zafi-D will also display a fake error message box with the caption "CRC: 04F6Bh" and the text "Error in packed file!".


Virus: W32/Netsky-D
A mass-mailing worm with IRC backdoor functionality which can also infect computers vulnerable to the LSASS (MS04-011) exploit.


Virus: W32/Zafi-B
A peer-to-peer (P2P) and email worm that will copy itself to the Windows system folder as a randomly named EXE file. This worm will test for the presence of an Internet connection by attempting to connect to www.google.com or www.microsoft.com. A bilingual, worm with an attached Hungarian political text message box which translates to "We demand that the government accommodates the homeless, tightens up the penal code and VOTES FOR THE DEATH PENALTY to cut downVirus: W32/Zafi-B

Affordable ways to recovery your personal data

All in all, there are numerous ways you can lose the information on your computer. Your child decides to play Chopin on your keyboard, a power surge, lightening, a virus, or even simple equipment failure. Therefore, backing up the contents of your hard drive is an absolute MUST. By regularly making backup copies of your files and storing them in a separate location, you can typically get some, if not all, of your information back in the event your computer crashes.


While a regular backup to floppy, CD, or zip drive will save your files, wouldn’t it be great if you could create an exact copy (a drive image) of your hard disk? That means backups of all your files, programs, and user settings. This would definitely save you time when it came to reloading. Acronis may be able to help.


Acronis True Image 9.0
is a robust disk-imaging utility software that copies the entire contents of your hard drive including data and operating system files, personalized settings, and more, onto another disk or disk partition. Its layout is easy to use and navigate. It also includes wizards which can walk you through both backing up and restoring your computer. Highlighted features include:


Secure Zone — allows you to save data to a special hidden partition located on your hard drive which would eliminate the need to purchase an extra hard drive.

PC Cloning — you can upgrade to a new system disk without needing to reinstall the operating system and applications, or configure user settings.


Acronis Snap Restore
Lightening-speed restore of your PC from an image. You can start working in seconds while your system is still being restored. Acronis provides a free test-drive of its product and a 30-day money back guarantee. When you are ready to purchase, you can either download for $49.99, or if you so desire, order a boxed version for $59.99. With Acronis True Image Home 9.0, you can rest easy that your family pictures, personal documents, tax returns, resumes, and other important information will not be lost forever

More tips on how to protect your computer as well as personal data can be found at http://www.virusprotectionreports.com