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

Computer security firm Avira has boosted its flagship product with some new innovations.

Avira AntiVir Version 10 now boasts a behaviour-based detection called "ProActiv" which introduces single-click malware removal.

And the new version of Avira AntiVir Version 10, which is used by around 100 million computer users worldwide, also introduces generic system repair for damage that may be caused by new variants of viruses and malware.

Further features include enhanced security (possibly thanks to shared intelligence on emerging viruses from the 100 million-plus strong Avira community); express installation, transparent user interface and slide-up virus information with one-click antivirus removal feature; and, parental control in the Avira AntiVir Suite which gives control over Internet surfing hours.

Travis Witteveen, Head of Sales and Marketing at Avira, said:
“Our antivirus solutions minimize our users’ malware worries and maximize their PC security. It is very important to us that our solutions should be even more user-friendly.

“We are also making online life easier for parents by including Parental Controls the AntiVir Suite that provide more powerful tools to protect their children while surfing the net – for example by allowing them to monitor what there are doing and seeing online, and by defining surfing times and days.”

The new ProActiv technology is integral to the Premium and Professional editions of Avira AntiVir Version 10. In effect, it adds an extra fourth layer of protection by introducing analysis of a programme’s behavioural patterns to help detect malware in addition to heuristic, generic and pattern-based scanning methods. This means that by blocking suspicious programmes, threats can be eliminated immediately.

What’s more, those Avira AntiVir Version 10 users who join the Avira AntiVir ProActiv Community will benefit from increased protection. In practice, this means members can automatically run an advanced check on suspicious files. And those will be sent to Avira’s security experts for analysis, with the results being used to further refine the behaviour-based detection.

And the great thing about it’s genetic repair feature, says Avira, is that it cleans up after undetected viruses. It does this by searching for any residual data and removes this from the hard disk and registry. This helps to remove traces that may otherwise allow a PC to become compromised.

The revised editions of Avira AntiVir Version 10 also come with an enhanced user interface. This not only provides a clearer overview of the available features, but by means of colour-coding, it provides users, at a glance, with a view of their system’s health and well-being. Green means that everything is okay, but red warns if problems.

The interface also includes slide-ups (when a problem is detected); discreet information boxes; malware findings are displayed in reports as appropriate; one mouse-click can get rid of suspicious files; and, the system is also quickly repaired by the application.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

F-Secure, the Finnish computer security company, has released a free online tool to check the health of your computer.

Called F-Secure Health Check, it is a free online tool that helps to pinpoint security problems and gives clear advice on how to fix them. It examines a person’s computer to see if it is secure and up-to-date for internet use.

Mika Ståhlberg, Vice President of F-Secure Labs, said:
“F-Secure Health Check checks the status of security solutions running on the computer. More than one million people have already used the free tool and our data shows that a third of its users either haven’t installed an antivirus, firewall or antispyware, they are outdated or turned off. Out-of-date or nonexistent security software leave users wide open to malicious software and exploits.”

Additionally, the F-Secure Health Check free tool ensures that a person’s computer’s firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware are working properly, and are up-to-date. It also checks whether the Windows operating system, third party software and Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer web browsers are the latest available versions.

F-Secure point out that with more people visiting diverse web sites and using their computers to watch films, or listen to music, the most vulnerable places open to attack are the heavily used web browsers, media players and plug-ins that are often the most open to attack.

The free tool also verifies whether all your irreplaceable files like photos, music and other documents are being safely backed up by an automatic backup solution.

F-Secure say that their Health Check is quick and easy to run, and does not require to be installed.

It includes the following features:

• Windows 7 compatible;
• Firefox and Internet Explorer 8 compatible;
• Automatic backup solution detection;
• Simplified user experience with three steps and a solutions page;
• Optimized for mini-laptops;
• New Java based launch point technology (no more ActiveX).

The free health check tool is one of a number of security diagnostic checks available from the computer security companies. And although they are of course a marketing device which introduces a potential customer to the company, they do have their role to play. But it’s unlikely that after such a free health check, a product purchase is not recommended.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

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