Research shows Brits spend a massive 143 million hours of leisure time online each day, that’s 173 minutes per person. We use the internet for shopping, communication, socialising, banking and business. However a study by G Data Software shows computer users are still pretty clueless when it comes to internet security. With Internet banking services as some of the most used sites on the web online security should be practised by all.

The research questioned over 15 thousand internet users, between the ages of 18 and 65, from 11 countries. The conclusion of the study revealed Internet users had mythical ideas about cyber security which left them vulnerable to threats.

The firewall antivirus market is abuzz with news that, as reported by PC Mag and ITProPortal, ZoneAlarm is having a spat with CheckPoint over some ‘dubious’ sales tactics.

The Free Firewall Antivirus customers of ZoneAlarm are complaining that the producers of the software, CheckPoint, are using scareware tactics in order to force people to buy the paid-for version of the application.

Those using the free firewall software found themselves faced with a ‘Global Virus Alert’ notification pop-up on their screens. It warned them that the user’s computer might be infected with the ZeuS.Zbot.aoaq virus. This nasty has quite a reputation and will undoubtedly scare the life out of many users. The pop-up goes on to warn that unless the free firewall version of the software is downloaded – an upgrade in effect – then the virus will remain on the system.

A spokesperson for CheckPoint told PC Mag: “It was never our intent to lead customers to believe they have a virus on their computer. This was purely an informative message about a legitimate and serious virus that also included information about the differences in protection of various products.”

But that stance has not pleased the customers of ZoneAlarm who say that no responsible company should be using the very same tactics used by cyber criminals and virus writers. The whole concept behind scareware is to frighten users in thinking that they are infected and that they have to pay money to remove the problem. And industry experts have added their own annoyance, saying that it is dangerous for legitimate companies to adopt the tactics of cyber criminals in order to market their products.

Some users of the free firewall antivirus programme have actually removed the software from their systems in disgust.

CheckPoint might have raised awareness of scareware and no doubt as a tactic to get people’s attention it has worked, but it appears to have backfired with many angry customers voicing their dissent and actually removing the firewall application.

Companies thinking about the same tactics will do well to bear the CheckPoint experience in mind.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The use of antivirus software is a must for most computer users, but there is some concern that systems being offered by other service sector companies could represent an invasion of personal data.

Take a new system which is being trialled by telecommunications group TalkTalk shortly. It claims to be able to spot websites that are infected by malware and then warn its customers. Antivirus software is traditionally provided by computer security companies, but now the sector is being opened up and profits enjoyed by the likes of McAfee and Symantec (developers of the Norton range of products) can be captured by more companies; especially those with large service customer bases.

Lofty ambitions from TalkTalk, but they have fallen foul of a regulator for not disclosing that the trial is going to take place. The regulator argues that they and TalkTalk customers should have been warned about the tests.

The controversy is brewing because of the concerns regarding a similar service, BT’s Webwise system. Devised by advertising agency Phorm, Webwise is able to track user behaviour, which allows an advertiser to target the user with more relevant advertisements.

It’s introduction and use has been met with wide scale user condemnation. The Phorm system has been almost universally decried because it collects the URLs visited by customers of companies.

The crux of the matter is whether such systems are used to
illegally intercept user data. It’s been reported that investigations have been launched The European Commission and UK police.

TalkTalk has got a slap on the wrist from the Information Commissioner’s Office for not disclosing more about the system it intends to use and the methodology of the trial.

Commissioner Christopher Graham said:
“I am concerned that the trial was undertaken without first informing those affected that it was taking place. In the light of the public reaction to BT’s trial of the proposed Webwise service I am disappointed to note that this particular trial was not mentioned to my officials during the latest of our liaison meetings.”

TalkTalk was shocked to hear of the Commission’s concerns and a spokesman said:
“We were simply looking at the urls accessed from our network, we weren’t looking at customer behaviour so we didn’t feel we were obliged to inform customers. It didn’t cross our minds that it would be compared to Phorm. This is all about protecting customers. It is not designed to provide us with data for any other purpose.”

TalkTalk were keen to distance itself from Phorm, even though it has been reported that the company was one of the three original ISPs which had signed up to the system.

And TalkTalk made the other point that their system would help their customers by providing a blacklist of websites that contained viruses and malware. Some 75,000 websites were found to have been a hiding place for a number of nasties.

Sector observers believe that as the computer security market broadens, the number of companies and organisations offering antivirus software solutions is set to increase.

The TalkTalk system is believed to go live at the end of 2010.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

In the latest antivirus software review from Virus Bulletin, the computer security company ESET, which operates out of Bratislava, has been awarded its 63rd VB100 award.

The Virus Bulletin report is regarded as one of the industry’s top antivirus software reviews. Virus Bulletin subjects the products it is testing to a number of rigorous examinations. Two essential criteria must be achieved to gain for a product the VB100 logo; one, the product must detect 100% of the viruses known to be ‘in the wild’ and two, the product must not flag up any files as dangerous when they are not, also known as generating false positives.

John Hawes, of Virus Bullet, said: "Memory usage was among the lowest in this month’s comparative, with CPU drain not breaking the bank either. Detection rates were as excellent as ever, with some superb RAP scores; no issues emerged in the WildList or clean sets, and ESET continues its monster unbroken run of VB100 passes.”

ThreatSense® technology is what drives the ESET antivirus capabilities; as an advanced heuristics engine, it means that the product is proactive in its rooting out of malware on a user’s computer. ESET deals with problems that may occur in real-time, and use a secure virtual world to analyse and deal with the danger. This means that even the most well-disguised pieces of malware are picked up and sorted out safely.

Ján Vrabec, security technology analyst at ESET, says: “ESET’s top priority is to protect the users at a maximum possible level, while minimizing false alerts system impact. All of these facts greatly contribute to our long-term success in Virus Bulletin testing.”

Whilst other products that have come through the Virus Bulletin tests have around a 50-70% success rate, ESET boasts an impressive 97% since 1998 when the VB100 awards were first created by the antivirus software review system Virus Bulletin review.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Antivirus security company ESET is warning bank customers to be on their guard against a new Zeus Trojan Virus which is said to have been responsible for thefts of up to one million pounds.

It’s estimated by the antivirus security team that around 3,000 customers have become victims of the Trojan Virus. Companies such as ESET encourage UK internet users to be more responsible when banking online; far too many take a lenient approach to the security of their most personal details.

Mark James, UK technical manager for ESET, says: “This high profile cyber attack needs to be a wake-up call to UK internet users who must take more responsibility for their own internet security and safe.”

Many internet users are unaware of the dangers or how they can be addressed, and are too dismissive of the patches sent out by applications such as Microsoft and Adobe. Instead of downloading these vital upgrades, users ignore them, and their computers are left vulnerable to attacks.

Many believe that these updates are simply interfering with the workings of your computer, by slowing them down or making them less efficient and harder to run. This is a stigma antivirus software companies wish to dispel.

Antivirus software companies advise that users should continually check for updates to their antivirus software and to any application patches that are offered, and not to ignore them. Even more dangerous is to not have a piece of antivirus software at all; there are a significant number of internet users who remain unprotected in such a manner. Simply downloading the first free antivirus protection software one finds is not advisable either, with companies warning they many only provide the most basic level of security, and typically have no customer support network.

The three main things that any internet or computer user must do to maintain a healthy computer and a safe time on the internet – and thereby reducing the risk of losing vast amounts of money through things such as the banking Trojan Virus – are simple and easy to do.

First, users must ensure that they allow the updates that their antivirus security software. Second, they must check to make sure all patches for applications are downloaded. Third, and probably the most important, is that antivirus software that provides comprehensive protection against internet threats is downloaded.

Guest Article by Neil Camp