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

Internet protection for kids is a vital part of being a modern day parent. Keeping your children safe on the internet can be hard work and constant monitoring of what your child is doing is not always possible. So what do you do if your child is obsessed with the internet but you don’t have enough time to watch what they are doing all of the time? The answer is simple; let someone else lookout for the safety of your child for you with internet security.

What is OnlineFamily.Norton?

Being supportive of your child’s online activities is important but there is a way of allowing them more freedom without putting them at risk with enhanced internet security. The OnlineFamily.Norton program is designed to help parents to ensure their children come to no harm online while at the same time allowing them a certain level of freedom.The OnlineFamily.Norton service is free allowing yout to protect your kids online at no cost.

OnlineFamily.Norton can be set up very easily. You register, then add each of your children to the service. None of their personal information is provided you only need to enter their age and gender. The internet protection rules are automatically set up based on the year your child was born. You can further customise security rules for each child on their profile page. The OnlineFamily.Norton website makes the set up of the service very simple with easy to follow instructions.

Here are some of the most important features provided by the OnlineFamily.Norton service that provides great internet protection for kids:

• Personal Profiles – Every child is different and you have the ability to manage your child’s profile information based around their individual interests, age and tastes
• Web Monitoring – This service allows you to see exactly which web pages your child has visited to enable you to check if they have been exposed to any harmful material or inappropriate content
• Block websites – Being able to block certain websites is vital if your child enjoys surfing online
• Chat Monitoring – The option to monitor who your child is friends with online is important as this allows you to see who is talking to your child
• Time Settings – You can use the OnlineFamily.Norton service to set times your children can be online. This is great if your children have a computer in their bedroom.

Other vital offerings from the internet security service include social network monitoring and a time limit for how long your child is allowed to spend online per day. Ensure your child is safe with the OnlineFamily.Norton service it offers internet protection for kids. For more information please visit www.onlinefamilyinfo.norton.com.

You can find furhter information on how to protect your kids online from these articles. Keep Kids Safe Online

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

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

McAfee has just announced its latest Email and Web security Appliance, version 5.5, which is designed to protect small and midsized businesses against the latest email and web-borne threats, manage Web and email traffic and usage, and reduce system administration requirements. And all this in a single, integrated appliance.

The McAfee Email and Web security Appliance 5.5 has a number of new features and functionality.

First and foremost is Artemis and TrustedSource™ Technology Integration. This is the first time that this application will utilise links to global threat intelligence from its Artemis and TrustedSource technologies. This believes McAfee is the most precise and comprehensive threat intelligence system in the world.

Second up is Appliance Clustering with Load Balancing. This means that multiple appliances can be clustered to share scanning responsibilities for improved resiliency, scalability, and consolidated management and reporting.

Third on the list is Simplified Installation. Very important in reducing installation time and for improving overall user experience, auto-detect network settings provides an easy to use configuration wizard.

Fourth are new Content Policy Wizards. This facility simplifies the creation and set up of content policies through the new configuration wizards and advanced dictionaries simplify policy creation, which enables greater enforcement flexibility and reduces false positives and configuration errors.

Fifth is Integrated URL Filtering. The 5.5 release is available at no extra cost and includes more than 90 Web site categories providing granular web usage monitoring and policy enforcement. It also includes the McAfee Web Reporter package which allows simplified viewing of web utilization and trends.

Dave Macey, general manager of the Network Security business unit at McAfee said:
“In addition to their market leading security effectiveness, these appliances also provide customers with email and Web usage policy enforcement capabilities, compliance tools, informative dashboards and comprehensive reporting. McAfee’s combined intelligence capabilities add an essential layer of protection to guard against today’s most advanced threats and work by accumulating data from millions of sensors, creating a real-time profile of all suspicious activity and content, and then watching for deviations based upon expected behavior.”

Furthermore, the McAfee Email and Web security Appliance 5.5 provides, says McAfee, the highest level of protection with better than 99% spam detection accuracy.

It will be available globally late in 2009.

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 

McAfee, a world leader in computer security, has announced the release of McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator 4.5 software to advance its protection to businesses and governments.

The drive to keep protection to maintain cybersecurity in some of the most vital areas of national and business security, comes as McAfee Avert Labs releases data showing attacks on businesses increases 500% over the last year.

On top of this, McAfee’s research also indicates that some large company or enterprise networks can use as many as 200 different security providers to try to keep their computers secure. This naturally dilutes the power of any of these providers to keep a company network secure, as well as costing the business significant amounts of money.

The McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator 4.5 software is therefore an answer to some of the main problems of business and its cybersecurity today.

McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator satisfied four main elements that McAfee believed all organisations should take into account when securing their network, including an integrated defence and real-time threat intelligence with in-the-cloud protection.

McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator has a number of additional highlights to ensure it can maintain the security of even the largest networks, for example:

• Improved enterprise scalability: new architecture is multi-layered, featuring: load balancing, failover support, with awareness of multiple servers to improve policy management and reporting.
• Enhanced Web-based, customizable interface: streamlined navigation and reporting enhancements provide a visibility of the organization’s security. A more powerful and intuitive interface means end-to-end visibility across the whole security environment
• Improved workflow and automation framework: this helps to minimize vulnerabilities and save administrator time. Automated protection is based on user profiles instead of just the system or device. As well as this a new help desk ticketing integration with HP OpenView and BMC Remedy helps to automate any workflow tasks.

Matt Fairbanks, senior vice president of product and solution marketing at McAfee, said: “IT organizations want to consolidate and standardize on a strategic security partner to deliver the highest protection levels while driving down cost. With McAfee’s unmatched network and systems security portfolio, powerful compliance technologies, real-time Global Threat Intelligence, and a security management platform based on ePolicy Orchestrator, McAfee is transforming the way businesses approach security.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Internet and computer security giant McAfee has outlined details of a Security-as-a-Service strategy to deliver security to businesses large or small as a service in the cloud.

McAfee’s plan to harness the cloud in such a way that means that McAfee can provide an affective and functional portfolio of Security-as-a-Service products to companies and enterprises large or small. These are more cost efficient as they are a single vendor solution to security concerns, which is particularly attractive in this time of economic downturn.

The development of this type of security service has been done in line with growing customer demand. McAfee are reacting to the evidence that shows that IT departments are losing numbers and being stretched to their limits; on top of this Gartner has claimed that even though security risks are on the increase, it looks as though worldwide IT spending will decline at the end of the year 2009.

A benefit of McAfee’s development of security products as a service in the cloud, is that the delivery option of one of the most important aspects of computer usage is flexible. Marc Olesen, SVP and General Manager of McAfee Software-as-a-Service said: “Our customers have told us they want flexibility in their delivery options. It is clear that IT resources need to focus on initiatives that are business critical, while consolidating vendors.”

McAfee’s Security-as-a-Service products works by using combined global threat intelligence from Artemis, TrustedSource and SiteAdvisor, and accumulates millions of data to compile real-time profiles of any suspicious activity. Deviations of the behavior can also be looked out for, ensuring a safeguard against rapidly developing threats. The products deliver web and e-mail protection, including malware, viruses and phishing attacks. All this is done through McAfee’s harnessing of the cloud to provide a unique cloud based management console.

The McAfee Security-as-a-Service technology offers a wide variety in its portfolio, including; McAfee Total Protection Service; McAfee Total Protection Service Extended; McAfee Web Protection Service; and McAfee Vulnerability Assessment.

The plans to harness the cloud in line with developing the Security-as-a-Service provision is there to meet market and customer demands as the ever present need for internet security increases.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Despite recessionary times, McAfee has lodged record results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009.

Revenues increased 18% to $469 million year-over-year and 5% quarter-over-quarter. There was a record $1.31 billion of deferred income which represented a 20% year-over-year increase and a quarter-over-quarter 3% increase.

Currency fluctuations hit the revenue line to the tune of $22 million. Respectively, GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.18 and $0.60, respectively. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share reached a record $0.60, an increase of 15% year-over-year and 5%. quarter-over-quarter

Dave DeWalt, the president and chief executive of McAfee, said about the results:
“For the second quarter of 2009, we are proud to report quarterly records in revenue, deferred revenue, non-GAAP operating income, and non-GAAP net income. Our continued market share gains prove customers and partners choose McAfee for security leadership.”

He continued:
“With our pending acquisition of MX Logic, McAfee expects to strengthen our position as an innovative leader in the security Software-as-a-Service segment with one of the most diverse portfolios in the industry. We expect to bring customers enhanced cloud based email and Web security with archiving in a rapidly growing segment. This combination will give customers greater access to critical messaging SaaS offerings and an expanded network of partners across the world.”

McAfee serves both the business and consumer sectors. In the business sector, revenue grew 21% year-over-year to a record $291 million in the second quarter of 2009. In the consumer sector, revenue grew 13% year-over-year to a record $177 million in the second quarter of 2009. And McAfee signed, or extended 24 agreements and launched 63 new or enhanced online partnerships. This brought the total to over 200 brand name partners worldwide.

When they announced results, McAfee recapped the highlights of the period:

• completed the acquisition of privately owned Solidcore Systems, offering first end-to-end compliance solution that includes dynamic whitelisting and application trust technology, antivirus, antispyware, host intrusion prevention, policy auditing and firewall technologies;
• unveiled McAfee Family Protection, a new software program that can protect a child from online dangers, such as viewing inappropriate content, participating in cyberbullying and engaging in risky interactions on social networking sites;
• released McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator 4.5 software to help secure organizations from a vast and ever-growing threat landscape;
• released Total Protection Service, the industry’s SaaS solution offering always on guard protection without additional investment in on-premise infrastructure;
• upgraded its enterprise firewall products with next generation capabilities that help customers increase network security and lower their compliance and operational costs in both physical and virtual network environments;
• released McAfee Total Protection for Internet Gateways. One purchase gets Web, mail and network DLP protection to be deployed on McAfee appliances, providing advanced threat protection with acquisition cost savings of 50%;
• research firm Gartner has placed McAfee in the leaders quadrant in its Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms. In addition, McAfee was named a leader in two reports from Forrester Research "The Forrester Wave: Web Filtering, Q2 2009" and "The Forrester Wave: Email Filtering, Q2 2009."

At the same time as the results, McAfee announced the acquisition of the privately owned MX Logic for $140 million with an additional $30 million contingent upon achieving certain performance milestones.

MX Logic is the world’s leading independent SaaS provider of on-demand email, Web security and archiving solutions with nearly 40,000 customers and four million end users.

McAfee also announced that its expects third quarter net revenues of $475 million to $495 million.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

A possible theft of a White House computer hard drive from the time of the Bill Clinton Presidency has proved that it’s not only viruses that get the blame for the current lack of digital security.

Light fingered thieves still have a role to play when it comes to computer data theft, although U.S. Government officials are not 100% certain that it’s a theft, saying that it might have been misplaced instead.

Nonetheless, the FBI fear the worse and suspect that the hard drive, which contains a terabyte of data, was stolen from a National Archives record centre.

The hard drive includes thousands, if not millions of individual pieces of data computerised at the time of the Clinton administration. This, say the authorities, includes members of the then Vice President Al Gore’s family, security information and personal information on White House workers and visitors.

Red-faced officials from The National Archives and Records Administration said that they took the loss very seriously indeed, but stressed that they were not certain how much information had been stolen, or how revealing it was. They said that all the effected parties, including the Clintons and the Homeland Security Department, had been notified of the loss.

The officials were perplexed as to how such a thing could have happened at the highly secure archive in Maryland, although they admitted that the hard drive had been signed out of the storage area and that it had been taken to a work space where it was accessible by a number of staff and archivists.

For once, viruses are not to blame.

Guest Article by Neil Camp