An alarming report from computer security house McAfee has revealed that despite all the warnings about shared personal information, nearly half of teenagers online have swapped personal details with strangers.

The McAfee report, which focusses on the worries of shared personal information, is called “The Secret Life of Teens.”

The survey, which was conducted by research company Harris Interactive, questioned nearly 1,000 US teenagers between the ages of 13 to 17, to discover trends about shared personal information.

Here are some of the worrying statistics when it comes to shared personal information:

• 69% of 13-17 year olds have updated their status on social networking sites to include their physical location;
• 28% of teens chat with people they don’t know in the offline world;
• 43% shared their first name;
• 24% shared their email address;
• 18% shared a personal photo of themselves;
• 12% shared their mobile phone number.

Tracy Mooney, mother of three and McAfee Chief Cyber Security Mom, said on the subject of shared personal information:
“Keeping kids safe no longer only means teaching them about the dangers of alcohol or how to deal with a school bully. This report is a wake-up call to the real dangers our teens face when they make themselves vulnerable online. As a mom, it worries me that kids aren’t practicing safe ‘street smarts’ when they’re online.”

What’s more, the report discovered that it’s girls, rather then boys, that are more likely to chat with strangers online.

Mooney again:
“Kids know not to talk to strangers – it’s one of the first lessons you teach them. But online, there’s a sense of trust and anonymity, so kids let their guard down. Kids would never hand out their name and address to a stranger in the real world, so it’s alarming to see how many kids do that very thing online.”

And despite the campaigns and publicity, cyberbullying remains a major problem, as the statistics show:

• 14% of 13-17 year olds admit to having engaged in some form of cyberbullying behaviour in 2010;
• 22% say they wouldn’t know what to do if they were cyberbullied.

A further worrying trend is that teenagers now access the internet away from home more than ever before.

Mooney again:
“It’s almost impossible to keep up with how my kids get online. It’s not like keeping the home computer in the living room is the answer anymore – you have to educate your kids to be safe while they’re accessing the Web from their friends’ houses, or on their phone – away from my supervision.”

And the statistics bear this out:

• 87% of teens go online somewhere other than at home;
• 54% access from their friends’, or relatives’ houses;
• 30% of teens access the internet through a phone;
• 21% of teens access the internet through a video game system;
• 23% of kids go online anywhere with an open Wi-Fi signal.

And teenagers are not making it easy for anyone to see what they are doing on the internet, with two-thirds admitting they don’t tell their parents what they do while they are online (42%). Also, that they would change their online behaviour if they knew their parents were watching (36%).

The tactics to hide their activity on the internet are widespread:

• 38% of teens close or minimize the browser when their parents enter the room;
• 32% of teens clear the browser history when they are done using the computer;
• 55% of 13-17 year olds hide what they do online from parents.

Also kids are getting the blame for infecting the home computer. They may use the computer for homework research, but 62% also use it to download media; a common way for viruses to impregnate a computer.

The figures speak for themselves:

• 27% of teens accidentally allowed a virus, spyware, or other software to infect the family computer;
• 46 percent of teens admit to downloading music or videos from a free service, which is much more likely to infect the family PC with everything from worms, viruses, ad-ware, spyware, or backdoors that allow people on the Internet to access the computer;
• 16% of 16-17 year old boys have downloaded x-rated content.

Mooney finishes up:
“Like me, most parents think they have a handle on what kind of online content their children are exploring. This report makes it clear that we need to be much more involved with helping our kids make the right decisions online. Education is key.”

You can say that again.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Software giant Microsoft has been accused of making a stealth download via one of its recent security patches.

Stealth downloads involve an unwitting computer user downloading code onto their machine without knowing of its transmission. It is sensitive subject in the computer security industry, as this is one of the main ways that malware is delivered onto people’s computers. It is a practice abhorrent in the industry and so for a leading company like Microsoft to be accused of such actions, has caused some embarrassment.

Allegedly, along with its regular Patch Tuesday security update, Microsoft bundled a Bing toolbar add-on. The stealth download adds the Bing toolbar to both the Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers. And it does so without the users permission.

News of the stealth download was reported by technology blog Ars Technica. It stated that the Search Enhancement Pack update actually loaded the Bing toolbar onto those users who had installed the Windows Live Toolbar, or MSN bar, onto their Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers.

An apparently unabashed Microsoft told another tech news site, The Register, when questioned about the stealth download, that the problem arose because of a bug in the update file. It has, said Microsoft, now been fixed. They went on to explain the update, via the Search Enhancement Pack, was only supposed to work on those users with a Windows Live toolbar, MSN toolbar and a Bing Bar.

A spokesman said:
“We fixed the update so that going forward folks who still have only the older Windows Live Toolbar or MSN Toolbar will not see this behaviour anymore.”

So that’s alright then! Industry experts are a little less understanding and some have questioned Microsoft’s real intentions behind their stealth download tactics.

Microsoft was also in the news for suing an alledged spammer. Target of the lawsuit is Connecticut spammer Boris Mizhen. He is alledged to have sent unwanted emails to Microsoft customers and for gaming Hotmail’s spam filter. Mizhen is named in the legal action, as are several of his companies.

This is not the first time that Mizhen and Microsoft have locked horns. He was sued by the Seattle software giant in 2003 for sending spam to the web-based Hotmail service. The case then ended in a settlement with Mizhen paying out a reported $2 million and an agreement not to send anymore spam to Hotmail customers.

As regards the new, alledged campaign, Mizhen’s associates are keen to point out that these new messages were not spam and that many Hotmail users had moved them from their junk folders to their inboxes. Fair enough, although it’s thought by some that Mizhen and his companies alledgedly created the accounts which did this.

This has opened up the whole debate as to how successful spam filters are, especially those that rely on user feedback to judge the criteria of spam. Such techniques as whitelisting, blacklisting and Bayesian filtering are some of the ones used to recognize and filter out spam. Because these techniques are well known, they can be abused by spammers intent on ‘fixing’ the system and allowing their spam to get through.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Microsoft has been busy issuing security patches (also known as security bulletins) in a fast and furious way over the last few days, with security patches also coming from Adobe and Apple.

Microsoft sent out ten alerts which covered 34 separate vulnerabilities and these came together with a number of other updates and additional fixes. Only three of these security patches were ‘critical’ and they affected media decompression, ActiveX and their web browser, Internet Explorer.

Adobe has recently had to fix a long line of weaknesses with security patches in their product line-up and the latest was uncovered in the Flash Player. This effects multiple platforms and will also create impacts on the Adobe Reader and version Nine of the Acrobat. Although a fix has been issued, not all elements are covered and some platforms will have to wait for help.

Security patch experts say that the older versions of the PDF handling software are safe from the problems. Those users of Reader and Acrobat are being told they can work around the problem, but they have to make inoperative, delete, or rename the component called ‘authplay.dll.’ This provides the Flash function within the PDF documents.

As well as Microsoft and Adobe, Apple has also had its fair share of security patch problem fixing. They have had some problems with their latest version of the Safari browser which is said to have numerous issues inherited from older versions. Not least is a long-discovered weakness which enables malicious sites to harvest history data from the Safari browser.

Computer security officials are again warning computer users to accept security patches sent by the creator of the software in order to protect themselves against all manner of malware programmes.

And they stress that only those security patches from reputable, known companies should be downloaded. A common tactic is to trick computer users into thinking that they need a patch, only to find that it is in effect a malicious programme.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

If you use the internet you need to consider computer virus protection. One way to protect your computer is to use antivirus PC software. The anti virus software is designed to protect your PC from viruses that can be found when you surf the web. 

Computer viruses can be contracted in a variety of ways. Sometimes you will visit a website which has malicious code on it which will then install itself on your computer. The virus code can attach itself to a program on your computer. Some computer viruses can be very dangerous as they can reproduce themselves and infect other computers on your network or even PCs you communicate with through email and instant messenger. 

How do I protect my computer against viruses? 

There are new computer viruses being created all the time which is why it is important to make sure you have the best virus protection. There are many different kinds of PC protection software so you will need to do some research to find out which software is the most appropriate for your computer usage. 

Antivirus reviews are a great way to find out which antivirus software is the best and how they work. Good anti virus review sites will have antivirus software reviews and will also provide information about the latest computer security issues. At Antivirus-BUYability we bring you the latest virus news so you can be aware of all the latest computer vulnerabilities and how to stay safe online. 

Computer Viruses 

Hackers and cyber criminals will often exploit the latest fads and technology in order to spread computer viruses very quickly. For this reason social sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a risk to your computer because they are often a target for people who wish to spread computer viruses. By using computer virus protection you can use these sites with no worries of security issues. 

Another popular way in which computer viruses spread is through email. Because email viruses can spread so quickly it is important when you are reading your antivirus reviews you ensure the antivirus software you buy gives you adequate email protection. Email viruses can inject onto your computer even without opening the infected attachment, by viewing the email in your preview pane can cause infection.

Computer virus protection is a must in a world that is increasingly digital, be vigilant when opening and downloading files. If you are unsure of the source of the file then delete it from your PC. IF you keep up to date with potential computer viruses by reading antivirus reviews sites and buy antivirus software you will have done your best to protect your computer against viruses.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein

McAfee Antivirus is one of the most well known brand names in the antivirus software market. The company was founded back in 1989 as McAfee Associates and is the world’s largest dedicated security company. McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 is their most recent antivirus software release and it offers full PC security to protect you while you browse the web giving you the confidence to download files as you please. 

With McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 you are always up to date as the software continuously updates with the latest virus definitions all without interrupting your computer use. McAfee provides the fastest protection against malicious threats. New and emerging threats are analysed and blocked in milliseconds.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus offers total pc protection to block as well as remove spyware, adware, malware and rootkits (dangerous programs designed to alter your PC). You are protected while you surf online as McAfee AntiVirus Plus warns you of suspicious websites before you even click.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus added features

With McAfee AntiVirus Plus you are not only getting an antivirus software which protects you against Trojans, spyware and all sort of threats but you get a range of added features including a firewall, disk cleaner, disk defragmenter and a network security manager.

The McAfee firewall is a neat added feature as it protects your computer from hackers whilst you are online. It does this by monitoring your activity and can protect you from identity thieves and malware that hijacks your system with the ultimate goal of stealing important personal information.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus can be purchased to cover multiple computers there are licences which cover 1, 2 or 3 PCs.

Has our McAfee Antivirus Review whetted your apetite? Get 50% of McAfee AntiVirus Plus click here to go to the latest offers on antivirus software.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein

A recent announcement from the software giant Microsoft sets out to dispel what they believe is a common myth, that software piracy is a victimless crime.

They point to a survey which was published at the end of 2009 by the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) and which showed that most people think that: a) the counterfeit software business to be harmless; and b) as no-one gets hurt, it can’t be viewed as being unethical.

Microsoft believe that these commonly held views are wrong and in an attempt to try and right the impressions out there, and to help people know what to look for when buying legitimate software and thereby avoiding counterfeit versions, they have created five myths of software piracy.

Myth One. What’s the problem, afterall, software piracy isn’t a serious crime, is it?

Yes it is. Microsoft highlight the fact that police throughout the world have apprehended criminals setting up their own plants to first create illegal copies of the software and then distribute it via sophisticated criminal networks, mostly in poorer countries with few intellectual property laws. In other words, it’s big business.

And the huge profits involved go straight back to organised crime gangs and syndicates. Microsoft give an example of co-operation between themselves and the Chinese authorities in 2007 which saw a Chinese-based gang in the dock after they had been caught running a counterfeiting operation which was estimated to have distributed some $2 billion worth of counterfeit software to 36 countries across five continents. Eleven members of the gang were put behind bars for an average of six years.

Myth Two. This sort of software piracy doesn’t hurt anyone, does it? Well, yes it does, mainly because counterfeit software pedalled by criminals not only leaves computer users vulnerable to external virus attack, but the counterfeit software can actually contain malicious code already in-built. And these malicious code implants are creating large-scale botnets which together are used to distribute, unknowingly to the user, vast quantities of email spam.

Microsoft point to information from a German anti-piracy solutions company which discovered that following downloading a huge number of pirated copies of Windows software, over 30% of them were found to contain malicious code.

Myth Three. It’s all a matter of cost. You can get pirated software far cheaper than the genuine article. Wrong. It’s an ironic fact that counterfeit software is often sold at the market price, in other words, the same as the genuine article and in some cases, more than the genuine software.

Even if it can be bought at a lower price point, people don’t really think about the cost of recovering from a virus. Some estimates suggest that for a home user, the cost of suffering a virus attack can quickly add up to over a thousand dollars, even discounting the fact that some cybercriminal may have used malicious code to syphon a persons’ bank account dry. And if you extrapolate that cost across a company, the cost of using pirated software could run into the tens of thousands.

Myth Four. That most people who buy counterfeit software are fully aware that the product is a fake and what they are most looking for, is a good deal. Not so say Microsoft.

The sad truth is that most people buying counterfeit software have no idea that they are being conned. And they are in effect the subject of a fraud. And it’s not so easy these days to spot a fake, so Microsoft have put together some buying tips for consumers.

First and foremost is the question, are you buying from a reputable outlet, be it online, or offline? A traditional shop can be a little easier to scope out (main high-street retailers would be in serious trouble if they were selling counterfeit goods), but when it comes to online resellers, it’s a little harder. So ask around, see who can be trusted and who might sound too good to be true. And when you’re buying from a reseller, Microsoft provides some handy pointers.

Ask yourself if your reseller can confirm that their software would pass a Windows Genuine Advantage online validation test. Furthermore, is a Certificate of Authenticity included. And, along the same lines as the previous point, is a hologram CD, or DVD included. Indeed, is recovery media included. A dead give away of course, say Microsoft, is the state of the packaging. Does it look of a high quality and is the supporting documentation of high quality as well. Finally, have a look to see if an End-User License Agreement is included.

Final myth, number five, is that obviously software piracy is so rampant, that nothing can be done and consumers can’t really do anything to stop it. Wrong. Microsoft, the same as many other software developers, rely on the goodwill and co-operation of many of its customers to help spot fraudulent copies of its various applications. In fact, there have been thousands of enforcement actions actually based on tip-offs from customer and other bodies. The point being that anyone who has been tricked into buying fake software, is a very unhappy person indeed and are more than happy to make the feelings felt.

So there you are – keep in mind those five myths and remember, be careful out there.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Antivirus PC software

Attracting bugs, viruses, hackers and spam is all part and parcel of using a PC on the internet but there are a few things you can do to stave off all of these unwanted pests. Using the best antivirus systems is the only way to ensure you don’t suffer from any time consuming and expensive problems and you can purchase such brilliance online.

It is nearly impossible to use the internet and not fall foul of some sort of problem whether it be a spyware system that tracks which websites you visit or a phishing scam that takes all of your personal information. With PC protection software the risks of viruses and infections that live solely to obliterate your hard drive will be eliminated and purchasing such software is not tricky.

Everyone can and everyone should! From businesses through to personal users who only use their PC for a few hours every week. The more regularly you use a computer the more likely you will pick up a problem. Don’t make the often expensive mistake of thinking you don’t need antivirus software because you rarely surf the internet, because you do! Viruses by nature worm their way into places where they are not welcome and computer bugs are no different. 

If you, like so many of us, use a PC on the internet but you avoid anything that sounds too technical then don’t panic as protecting your PC from viruses is about as simple as it gets. Complete an online search for a company that offers the best antivirus systems. If you are unsure about what you need then use our antivirus comparison table.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein

Symantec has just announced the worldwide release of Norton Ghost 15.

Symantec, which develop and produce the renowned Norton security suite, claim that the Norton Ghost 15 is one of the industry’s most advanced PC backup and recovery solutions. It is also compatible with Windows 7 and offers 25G and 50G Blu-ray Disc support. What’s more, this latest version introduces a new cold imaging feature that images computers without installing the product. Furthermore, Norton Ghost uses Symantec’s ThreatCon indicator to automatically back up PCs in the event of a severe security threat.

Norton Ghost 15 is pitched as a professional-grade backup solution for both home users and small businesses. Amongst it’s many attributes, lost, or damaged files can be recovered and restored in the event of a system failure, even if the computer’s operating system does not start. Additionally, it provides a backup of an entire system, or specific files, and folders, whilst saving recovery points to offsite locations using FTP.

Dave Cole, senior director of consumer products, Symantec, said:
“Norton Ghost has been the essential imaging and recovery product since 1996. Consumers PCs have never been more central to people’s lives, or more at risk due to cybercrime and critical failures. Ghost 15 not only is a powerful disaster recovery tool, but also it adds important features such as Windows 7 compatibility and Blu-ray Disc support to keep current with the way people are using their computers today.”

Symantec highlights the fact that their Norton Ghost 15 is also supported by Windows 7 Bitlocker. This provides enhanced data protection through drive encryption and integrity checking, keeping stored data safe and protected. They also point out that it works with both 25G and 50G Blu-ray Discs and most storage drives. This includes external hard drives, networked drives and recordable, and rewritable, CDs and DVDs. And the hot backups feature allows users to back up their computers without having to shut it down first.

The cold imaging technology employed by Norton Ghost 15 effectively backs up files without installing the product which, says Symantec, saves time and money. A handy feature is that after purchasing a new computer, users can image the PC immediately before any software is loaded which means that factory settings remain intact. It also allows easy back up of a system by simply booting to the recovery environment (which is a light version of the Windows operating system) from the Norton Ghost CD, and then initiating a backup.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

With little fanfare, Microsoft has released Service Pack 2 for updating its Windows Vista operating system. As with the previous service pack, it contained many bug fixes and will help security for users both on corporate networks and at home.

As well as bug fixes, it also contained a number of refinements to the advanced operating system.

Although many of the refinements have been designed with large corporate users in mind, they will make a difference to many home users as well.

Two of the key changes are the updated Windows Search 4.0 and Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless programmes.

Windows Search 4.0 updates include improvements to hep users index and find files on their machines, and Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless updates offer upgraded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth components for wireless networking.

But with more bugs being fixed, it should prevent a number of malicious attacks and generally make the operating system more secure.

Those users who have not automatically received the Vista Service Pack 2, should go to the Microsoft website to update their operating system.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Major software offerings from Microsoft and Google have this week drawn criticism from industry experts for major security flaws.

Close on the heels of Microsoft’s none too well received operating system Windows Vista, is Windows 7 which has been tested by the public in its “release candidate form.” Versions can be downloaded by the general public and tested.

Although the initial reaction has been good, seeing it as an improvement on the cumbersome Vista, there are worries that it contains an inherent security flaw.

Windows 7 was slated in for a release date of January 2010, but it might be earlier, with Microsoft saying that they are ahead of schedule. Generally, Vista was a disappointment, standing accused of being like a sieve when it came to security (requiring constant updates) and slowing down performance times. Windows 7 appears to solve a lot of those problems and features quicker response times, a new task bar, a touch-screen capability and an ability to stream media files (including music) from one computer to another via the internet.

But the question of computer security has reared its ugly head again with some suggesting that there is a major flaw in Windows Explorer (the heart of the operating system’s file management system) which allows other users to be attacked by hackers.

And what worries the experts is that this major flaw is not new, but existed in previous versions of Windows Explorer. And the irony is not lost on many, after Microsoft has sworn themselves to a “trust vision” to make security in their products a major preoccupation.

And Google’s all-singing, all dancing new browser has shown to be a little flaky. Chrome is liked by many, but Google has had to fix quite a few security holes, which then led to a problem with crashed computers. Chrome version 1.0.154.64 was released recently to put right two major security problems. The first concerned an ability for a hacker to run attack software that had the same priviledge as the primary user. The second problem centred on the 2D graphics which could have created an opening for attack software to be infiltrated into the browser’s security system.

But when the new version was released, having fixed the two security problems, it caused a few crashes, so a new version quickly followed.

Guest Article by Neil Camp