gHacks technology news » antivirus software

Avira Antivir Update Hangs [Fix]

Martin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:36:23 +0000

Posts have been appearing on the Internet lately by users of the antivirus software Avira Antivir. These users reported that they encountered update problems. The description was always similar. The Avira Antivir update would hang causing a permanent failure in the process which break the update capabilities of the software.

Luckily though Ghacks reader Dante found a solution for the problem which he send in as a tip to share here at the website. The Avira update problem seems to only affect the automatic update of the antivirus software. What is not affected at all is the manual update process.

To fix Avira Antivir Update problems a user would therefor need to aquire a new virus definition file and update the software manually with it. This fixes the broken automatic update in Avira Antivir:

Download the latest antivirus definition file for Avira Antivir at Softpedia.
Bring up the Avira Antivir interface.
Select Update and there Manual Update
Use the file browser to select the downloaded updated definition file
Wait until the update has finished.

The manual update of the antivirus software will fix the broken automatic update in Avira so that it can be used again afterwards. Thanks go to Dante for sending in the tip.

Microsoft Security Essentials Rated Highly In AV-Comparatives Test

Martin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:29:07 +0000

Most tech savvy users have their personal favorite when it comes to antivirus software. Be it security software from Kaspersky, Symantec, Trend Micro, AVG, Avira or Avast: Everyone seems to have a favorite that gets recommended to other users who inquire about the best antivirus solution. Lately, Microsoft has joined the ranks of recommended antivirus solutions with its security software Microsoft Security Essentials.

The latest test by independent security researchers AV-Comparatives is another confirmation that Microsoft has developed a solid security software for the Windows operating system. The latest test concentrated on virus and malware removal capabilities of selected free and commercial antivirus products.

The test itself pitted sixteen different security products against ten malware samples. Six of the sixteen security software programs received an advanced plus rating. Among them Microsoft’s Security Essential product which was also the only free product to score the highest rating and one of three that scored a good rating in the two tested fields removal of malware and removal of leftovers.

While the test certainly does not make Microsoft Security Essentials the best free antivirus software that is currently available as Lee described it over at the Download Squad it certainly can be seen as an indicator that Microsoft has delivered a quality software program for the Windows operating system.

The test results are available in a pdf report on the AV Comparatives website.

Tags: antivirus software, av-comparatives, microsoft security essentials, security-software, windows software

Panda Internet Security 2010 [free]

Martin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:28:57 +0000

Seems that some security companies and software developers are going crazy on the launch day of Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 7. Panda Security is the latest security software developer that will be offering one of its products for free on October 22. That’s right; Users who visit the promotion website on that day can grab a one year license of one of Panda’s flagship products. Now what does Panda Internet Security 2010 offer to Windows users?

Anti-malware Protection (including personal firewall, antivirus protection, wifi monitor, instant messaging protection and proactive protection)
Identity Theft Protection (anti-phishing, anti-banking trojan engine and anti-rootkit technology)
Safe Internet Browsing (anti-spam filter, parental control features, web filter and information filter)
PC Backup including 2 Gigabytes of online backup storage

October 22, 2009 is the magical 24 hour period when ordinarily pricey things turn into free things. Well, Panda Security is now compatible with Windows 7, so why not pair the two? Register on this glorious day for ONE FREE YEAR of Panda Security’s anti-virus protection. Prevent viruses, malware, Trojans, worms, identity theft, online banking and other threats from infecting your PC. Internet Security is ultra light-weight because it’s using “cloud” technology so it won’t hinder your computer from operating as freely as it can. Because the only free thing we can think of that isn’t good is a computer virus.

Users who want the free license for Panda Internet Security 2010 need to visit the promotion website on October 22 (the countdown on the page is showing that the offer starts in 8 hours and 44 minutes from the time of posting this article).

Registration on the page is mandatory on October 22 to receive the activation code per email. A download link is already visible but not yet activated. The promotion website can be accessed by following this link. An overview of Panda Internet Security 2010 is available at the Panda Security website.

Tags: antivirus software, offers, panda, panda internet security, security-software

AVG 9 Free Antivirus Software Download Now Available

Martin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:44:17 +0000

Earlier this month we covered the release of the professional – in other words commercial – edition of AVG 9 and mentioned that the free version of the antivirus software would be released in a couple of days from the time of the review. AVG today has released the new version called AVG 9 Free which can be downloaded from the main AVG website and download portals like Betanews. The free version comes with a size of more than 70 Megabytes and can be downloaded as one big setup file or a web installer.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0 is compatible with the three latest generations of the Windows operating system (Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7). It not only features an antivirus module but also modules for detecting spyware, basic rootkit protection, email and phishing protection as well as the AVG Linkscanner to provide safety ratings for websites.

Windows users who do not need some of the components should select the custom installation option which allows them to prevent the installation from some of the modules (like the link scanner, AVG security toolbar and email or Microsoft Office plugins).

The main interface of the program displays the available security components in an overview upon startup.

From there on the usual options are provided to perform scans, schedule scans, update the antivirus software or tweak a few settings in the advanced options. The scan speed has been increased and the resource usage lowered according to the developers at AVG. Users who want to delve deeper can download a 3 Megabyte user manual that explains the installation and program in detail.

AVG 9 Free is available for download at the AVG website.

Tags: antivirus software, avg 9, avg 9 free, avg linkscanner, linkscanner

Shardana Antivirus Rescue Disk Utility

Martin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:10:48 +0000

Many antivirus developers offer bootable rescue ISO images of their antivirus software programs so that users can use them to scan the computer system without having to boot into the installed operating systems. Shardana Antivirus Rescue Disk Utility combines antivirus rescue disks and system tools (like partitioning programs or boot managers) in one ISO image. This gives the user the means to run multiple antivirus rescue disks and other system tools from one disk or USB drive.

The core program can be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. It does not ship with any of the antivirus rescue disks or system tools though. It is up to the user to download them individually with the possibility to skip programs by simply not downloading them.

The program itself is divided into four tabs that list the various tools that are supported by the antivirus rescue disk. The Italian interface can be switched to several other languages. A click on any entry will open a website with download possibilities. Some websites are also shown in the Italian language but it is usually not a big problem to change those to another language like English or German to download the tool in the right language.

The downloaded images and tools have to be placed in the right directory so that the program will recognize them during the creation of the bootable disk image. Here is the list of supported antivirus rescue CDs and other tools:

antivirus: Avira Antivir Rescue System, Bitdefender, Dr. Web Live CD, F-Secure, GData, Kaspersky Kav Rescue CD, Panda Safe CD and VBA Rescue

utility: Floppy win98SE, Clonezilla, Gparted, NT password, Parted Magic, System Rescue CD, Ultimate Boot CD

Linux: Austrumi, Damn Small Linux, NimbleX, Puppy Linux, Slax

PE: LiveXP, MegalabCD, WindowsPE, UBCD4Win, VistaPE

The program offers then to create either an ISO image which can be burned to CD and DVD or to make to copy the files to an USB device and make that device bootable.

Shardana Antivirus Rescue Disk Utility is slightly more complex to setup initially. The tools that are combined on the disk or USB device on the other hand might make it an interesting option for users who usually run multiple antivirus programs and utilities in situations where they are needed.

The program can be downloaded from the developer’s website.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus rescue disk, antivirus software, iso, rescue disk

Microsoft Security Essentials Final Announced

Martin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:55:55 +0000

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free security software that is being developed by Microsoft. The security software was released as a limited beta to users in the United States, Brazil and China. It was (actually still is) possible to download the beta from download portals like Betanews without experiencing limitations. That’s what many users did and most seemed to have been pleased with the performance of the security software.

Several updates of Microsoft Security Essentials were released since then and it was rumored that Microsoft aimed for a October 22 release to give Windows 7 users a chance to use the final version of the software program.

The announcement that Microsoft Security Essentials would be released in the coming weeks was spread to all beta participants who received an email that informed them of an upgrade and the projected release in the coming weeks.

The final version of Microsoft Security Essentials will be released to the public in the coming weeks. If you are running the older version of the beta (1.0.1407.0), we encourage you to upgrade to a newer version of the beta (1.0.1500.0).

The announcement does not explicitly mention the Windows 7 release date but it seems pretty obvious that Microsoft Security Essentials final will be released around the time of the Windows 7 release. Users who want to test Microsoft Security Essentials right now can do so by following the links posted above. The final version will be published at Microsoft’s Security Essentials website.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus software, microsoft, microsoft security essentials, windows security, windows software

Norton 360 Review

Martin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:21:22 +0000

Norton was renowned back in the days when I started using personal computers for resource hungry security applications that could slow down computer systems significantly. I decided to skip Norton products for my whole life like many other users at that time. There are still many tech savvy users who avoid Norton antivirus and other software programs from Norton because of how they performed ten or more years ago. Norton software programs have on the other hand received lots of praise from computer magazines and reviewers. That’s the moment the idea for this review was born. I wanted to know if Norton antivirus and Norton 360 were as good as the press thought they were or if they were still the heavyweight security suites that would bog down a system noticeably.

I contacted Norton with my proposal and they were all for it. I quickly received a review copy of Norton 360 and started the test about a month ago. Norton 360 is Norton’s top of the line product that combines all features of Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security and some additional ones exclusive to this version. Users who install Norton 360 get among other features an antivirus solution that protects against all forms of malware (including bots, rootkits, viruses, trojans and spyware), a software firewall, email protection, web browser protection, identity protection, a file backup solution, secure networking and PC tuneup modules.

This can look like overload to some users but the first surprise awaits during the installation of Norton 360. The installation is quick and painless. A system restart is required after installation of Norton 360 which was not noticeably slower than before. One point of criticism that has haunted Norton products for years seems to have been taken good care of by the Norton developers. Both the system start and the system itself do not feel noticeably slower than before (startup and shutdown time is probably in the region of 1-2 additional seconds at the most). That’s great and somewhat unexpected considering the past.

Norton 360 itself runs pretty much automated. It is a good idea to tweak the settings at least once. This includes disabling modules that are not needed (e.g. if you run a firewall you might not want to run another one, same for the backup solution or web browser protection). The purpose of an all-in-one solution like Norton 360 on the other hand is to be the one program that is needed to secure the PC. Users who only need specific modules might want to consider the two other Norton products Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet Security instead.

The interface of Norton 360 on the other hand could confuse some users as it opens several modules and options in new windows. It’s not that seldom that two or even three Norton 360 windows are open at the same time. Uses who are looking for advanced options need to go into the settings of the security software program.

A click on any of the modules in the Settings of Norton 360 will open display advanced configuration options. No direct help or explanation is offered there which can be problematic if the name of the setting does not explain what they do (anyone want to guess what Early Load or Sonar Advanced Protection in Automatic Protection under Antivirus do?). A click on the question mark will open a Windows help file that explains the settings in detail. It would be more comfortable if at least some explanation was given directly in the menu (for example by hovering over a name).

These settings on the other hand are very detailed. It is possible to enable some modules that are not enabled by default (for example Microsoft Office Automatic Scan, Advanced Events Monitoring or enabling Silent Mode). Advanced users should take their time and take a detailed look at the settings provided.

Norton 360 is a security software program that is ideal for users who want an all-in-one protection that requires barely any configuration. It might on the other hand also be an interesting alternative for uses who like to configure their security software programs as much as possible which is something that Norton 360 offers as well. The best part (if you ask me) is the confirmation that Norton security programs are not slowing down computer systems noticeably anymore.

Tags: antivirus software, norton, norton 360, norton 360 review, security-software, symantec, windows software

Download Microsoft Security Essentials

Martin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:20:56 +0000

You might have been one of the lucky ones who was able to download the beta of Microsoft antivirus software program Security Essentials. Chance is you missed the opportunity as Microsoft has limited the beta downloads to 75000. Users who want to download Microsoft Security Essentials today are notified that downloads are not available at this time.

This does not mean however that there is no way of downloading Microsoft’s antivirus software. You just have to look elsewhere for the download. The software is available on various P2P networks which is however probably not the safest way to download the Security Essentials. A better option is to look at the various download portals who check and verify all downloads that they offer which makes the process more secure.

Microsoft Security Essentials can be downloaded from Softpedia for example. The version of the software that can be downloaded is the exact same version that was available for download at the Microsoft Security Essentials website. It is basically the beta client of the software that was available for download. Users even save some time and hassle as they do not have to log in with their Windows Live account to download the Security Essentials software.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus software, microsoft security essentials, morro, security essentials, windows software

Antivirus Software Microsoft Security Essentials Tested

Martin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:00:10 +0000

Microsoft has released a public beta of their new antivirus software Security Essentials a few days ago. The beta was limited to 75000 participants; A number that was reached rather quickly. Security Essentials are at the moment not available on the Microsoft website anymore but it is expected that the final version of the antivirus software will make its debut before the release of Microsoft’s next operating system Windows 7.

A question that lingered in the minds of many security conscious users was how Security Essentials would compare to other respected antivirus software programs such as Kaspersky antivirus, Norton antivirus or the free AVG or Avira Anti-Vir. First tests are in courtesy of the German AV-Test GMBH company.

Computerworld spoke with the company’s manager Andreas Marx who mentioned that they ran preliminary tests with a set of nearly 3,200 common viruses, bot Trojans and worms on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Results were impressive as Security Essentials was able to detect all malicious software in the tests and managed to avoid false positive reports as well. Tests with a larger set of viruses, trojans and worms have been scheduled which is why the current results should not be considered final.

Security Essentials did well in this first test though as it was able to detect all the malicious software (which included rootkits as well). This stands in contrast to comments made by other antivirus companies that were trying to be suggestive that Security Essentials was an inferior product.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus software, microsoft security essentials, morro, security essentials, windows antivirus, windows software

Microsoft Security Essentials Beta Now Available

Martin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:00:24 +0000

Microsoft has made available the public beta version of their new free antivirus software program Microsoft Security Essentials which was formerly known as Morro. The antivirus software is available for 32-bit editions of Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.

It was formerly speculated that the beta would be limited to users from the United States, Israel, China and Brasil. This is apparently not so as it was possible to download the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta from Europe. Having said that it is clear that there is no IP check at this point in time. A Windows Live account is required to initiate the beta download of the antivirus software and it could be that there are checks in the background that check the system language or country of the Windows Live account.

The start page contains a quick survey that has to be completed before the download options become available after logging in. You can read a first review in the Microsoft Security Essentials leaks article here at Ghacks.

It would be interesting if users from other countries (that Microsoft excluded from the beta) can also download the Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus software. The Security Essentials website contains information about the product and the link to Microsoft Connect from where the security program can be downloaded.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus software, microsoft security essentials, morro, security essentials, security-software, windows software

What You Should Do After Buying A New Computer System

Martin — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:48:15 +0000

Dante send me a link to another “malware found on purchased laptop” story. The new M&A Companion Touch netbook contained three pieces of malware: An USB worm, a rootkit and a World of Warcraft password stealer.

These things seem to happen regularly and it is not only laptops that are affected by this. We have seen malware on appear virtually anywhere where it can appear in the last years, even on music CDs from a well known company. This leads to the interesting question on what users can do to ensure that their computer system is not already infected by malicious software.

Security companies advise to scan a newly purchased computer system thoroughly before starting to work with it. They also suggest to stay offline during the procedure which can sometimes be problematic if the computer system is the only available at hand. The virus definition files of antivirus software that is already installed on the computer system is usually outdated and might not catch the virus. The same is true for antivirus software that is purchased in stores.

Security experts therefor suggest to download the virus definitions for the antivirus program from a different computer with Internet access. That’s problematic if there is only one computer system available. Solutions for this might be to visit friends, go to an Internet Cafe or computer shop to download it from there.

Which leads to the question: What do you do after buying a new computer system?

Tags: antivirus software, computer system, laptop, malware, netbook, trojan, virus

Antivirus software Uninstaller AppRemover

Martin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:04:09 +0000

Uninstalling antivirus software does not usually cause problems on the computer system. It can however happen that errors occur during the process which can be problematic mainly because of the deep system integration of those software programs. Many antivirus developers have therefor created special uninstallers for their antivirus software programs to remove every file, changes and Registry entries from the target computer system. We covered antivirus software removal tools in our overview not long ago. It is also possible to rely on third party applications like Revo Uninstaller to remove the files and Registry settings of those antivirus programs from the system.

A rather new option is the universal antivirus software uninstaller AppRemover which can remove dozens of different security programs from a computer system. The main advantage for users is that they do not have to hunt down the removal tool for their specific application (some developers offer several tools that only work with specific editions).

The portable software program that is compatible with Microsoft operating systems from Windows 2000 to the latest Windows 7 Beta (including 64-bit editions of XP and Vista) can be run right after download. It will scan the computer system for security software programs and display all that have been found in a list. It is possible to remove all or only selected ones from the system.

Antivirus and security software programs from many popular developers are supported by the program including applications created by AVG, Avira, F-Secure, Kaspersky, Lavasoft, McAfee, Microsoft, Panda, PC Tools, Sophos, Symantec and Trend Micro. It is very likely that the currently installed program is among the supported ones.

Tags: antivirus software, appremover, portable software, security-software, Windows, windows software

Norton Security Scan

Martin — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:56:27 +0000

It is usually not a good idea to operate more than one security software of the same kind on a computer system. This is especially true for antivirus software solutions but also firewalls. Users who currently use an antivirus software might nevertheless be inclined to scan their system from time to time with different scan engines to make sure that nothing slipped through the scanners of that security software. They could use Online Virus Scan services to test their systems or rely on a software that does not interfere with the installed antivirus software.

Norton’s Security Scan (via JK Web Talks) is such a software. While it has been primarily designed to sell a Norton antivirus product like Norton 360 it can be used to scan the system without interfering with the current antivirus solution. What makes it interesting is that it uses the latest virus definition files that are also used in Norton retail antivirus software products. It does however perform only a partial scan of the computer system by default but this option can be changed in the settings on the main page.

The antivirus software program will check the virus definition file and initiate a download of the latest if it is outdated. The antivirus software will then either perform a quick or full scan of the computer system. A quick scan will only check the most common locations where viruses and other malicious programs are found while the full system scan will check all files located on connected hard drives.

The interface will display banner advertisement during the scan; Most users will probably minimize the program interface or move other applications into the foreground to prevent those distracting advertisements from appearing on the computer screen. Norton Security Scan will list all discovered threads in a table on the main page providing information about the type of threat (e.g. tracking cookie) including a description, the threat name and target name.

The antivirus program is only a scanner which means it is not possible to clean the files directly. Possibilities include research on the Internet to find a free antivirus software that can clean it or to contact the developer of the installed antivirus solution about the problem. It should be obvious by now that the program is great for users who want to perform additional security scans of their computer system but not for those who are looking for a complete security solution.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus scan, antivirus software, norton 360, norton security scan, online virus scan, security-software, virus scan, windows software

Antivirus Firewall Software Leak Test

Martin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:53:37 +0000

How good is your antivirus firewall software program? It is hard to tell as a end user. Sure, you can rely on information provided by test magazines, Internet websites, antivirus and firewall software developers or opinions from friends and colleagues. All of those recommendations are to a degree based on opinion and test criteria.

A good way to perform security tests on antivirus firewall software programs are so called leak tests. These tests simulate different kind of attacks and manipulations on a computer system without actually doing any harm to it. They usually present statistics at the end telling the user which tests the antivirus firewall software program passed and which it failed.

Comodo Leaktest is but one of the many available leak tests on the Internet. The security software is testing a total 34 different attacks and manipulations of a computer system running the Microsoft Windows operating system. Depending on the antivirus and firewall software in use some, all or none might spawn alerts.

The software program will display a score in the end. The maximum amount of points is 340, 10 for each test passed. Each test is explained on a local html page that gets downloaded with the software program. Those information can be used to find out why a test has not been passed. It does require some research though as the information provided are only answers to the questions what the test is doing and what the harm is if the test fails.

The leak test can be divided into different categories. It will begin with some rootkits tests followed by invasion, injection, info send, impersonation and hijacking tests.

Comodo Leak Test is a portable security software that will test an antivirus firewall software that is installed on a Windows operating system. It provides the means to find out if your computer system is still – partially or fully – vulnerable to common attacks encountered locally and remotely.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus firewall software, antivirus software, comodo leak test, firewall, firewall leak test, firewall software, leak test, portable software, windows software

Ghacks Christmas Giveaway: ESET NOD32 Antivirus

Martin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:00:22 +0000

Today is the last day of the Ghacks Christmas Giveaway. We were able to hand out lots of licenses to popular commercial software programs to our readers. The application for today is ESET NOD32 Antivirus, a antivirus software by the Slovakian company ESET. NOD32 is offered as a 32-bit and 64-bit edition for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Installation is pretty straightforward and comes more or less with the usual choices. It is a little bit surprising (positive that is) that no reboot is required after installation. NOD32 will place its icon in the Windows System Tray and the first thing the user should do is to right-click it and select Update from the options provided. This ensures that NOD32 will download the latest virus definitions from a company server.

The interface of NOD32 comes with two display modes. Standard mode is the default mode of the security software which will hide options in the interface from the user. Advanced mode can be enabled to display all options in the interface. One example would be access to logs which is only visible when advanced mode is activated.

One interesting aspect of the interface of NOD32 is the possibility to switch menus while scanning. Most antivirus software applications do not permit this and block any attempts to switch menus during scans.

Antivirus software has to do well both performance- and detection-wise. It is beyond of the scope of this article to evaluate the capabilities of NOD32 but there are a few independent organizations that regularly test security software. NOD32 is usually ranking very well on tests performed by sites like AV-Comparatives or CheckVir. Those tests suggest that NOD32 has a low false positive rate, a good detection rate (both signature and heuristic) and a fast scanning engine.

ESET is proving an online scanner based on the NOD32 antivirus engine on the Internet which is unfortunately only compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer.

We have five licenses for ESET NOD32 Antivirus. If you want one leave a comment and let us know what you use to protect your computer system.

Tags: antivirus, antivirus software, eset, eset nod32, ghacks Christmas giveaway, nod32, nod32 antivirus, security-software

Ghacks Christmas Giveaway: BitDefender Software

Martin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:00:24 +0000

Day 10 of the Ghacks Giveaway. We are still going strong and are already way beyond our expectations. All Giveaways so far have seen a great participation and we were able to hand out lots of licenses to commercial software.

Today it is BitDefender time here at Ghacks. The guys at BitDefender are donating one copy of Total Security 2009, two copies of Internet Security 2009 and another two copies of Antivirus 2009. One of the first questions that comes to mind is about the differences between those products. We would like to address them briefly in the beginning and concentrate afterwards on BitDefender Total Security 2009 as it makes use of all features including those of the two other products.

BitDefender Antivirus 2009 is a antivirus software program that combines a signature based and heuristic approach. It also incorporates protection against phishing, identity theft and provides instant messaging encryption.

Bitdefender Internet Security 2009 adds a firewall, parental controls and a file vault on top of that.

BitDefender Total Security 2009 finally introduces a backup module and a system cleaner in addition to all the features of the other two clients.

The choice of product depends obviously on the needs of the user. A user with a working software firewall might be inclined to pass on the two security suites that add a firewall to his system while someone without any protection might be inclined to grab the top product.

All three software programs can be downloaded as trial versions to make sure that they are compatible with the system’s software and hardware. This is also an excellent way of verifying that you can handle the software and do not encounter to many difficulties during usage. As an example, a software firewall that would throw cryptic error messages at the user might be the dream of every computer freak but a regular user would surely be swamped.

The installation requires a reboot of the system in the end. One of the first windows that a user will come in contact with is the Configuration Wizard which will walk the user through the steps to configure the product accordingly. Experts can skip the wizard but need to configure the modules manually in the main interface then.

The wizard will – among other things – update the product over the Internet and perform an antivirus scan on the system to make sure that it has not been infected already with a computer virus. It does not take to long on the other hand even if you read thoroughly.

The Bitdefender firewall is quite adaptive and let me connect with various programs to the Internet without bringing up “Do you want to allow” messages. Email and web browsers for example where working without difficulties right of the box.

The main interface is divided into a basic and advanced view. The basic view has been designed for inexperienced users while the advanced view provides access to in depth statistics and settings that would frustrate the inexperienced users.

The Dashboard is the central hub of the software program. It displays statistics and provides a quick overview of so called System Information. This gives access to to all kind of system related settings like startup items, services, hosts or processes.

The different modules of the security software are easily accessible on the menu on the left side. A click on the antispam module loads the settings of that module giving the user options to disable or enable the module, to change the level of protection or to manage whitelists and blacklists.

The layout of most modules is similar to the one above. Every module can be disabled and configured separately. One interesting module is the Vulnerability module that will query Windows Updates for updates and patches and makes it possible to install them directly in BitDefender.

The same menu will also check a few applications, in this case Skype and Firefox, for updates with options to download and install them automatically as well.

The program has been designed very carefully with the user in mind. The two modes make it a great choice for all kinds of users and the protections are extensive.

BitDefender has also created a community called Malware City which provides information and tips not only for BitDefender users but for everyone.

You can win one copy of BitDefender Total Security 2009, two copies of BitDefender Internet Security 2009 and another two copies of BitDefender Antivirus 2009 if you reply in the comments. Let us know what software you are currently running to protect your computer system.

Tags: antivirus software, bitdefender, BitDefender Antivirus 2009, BitDefender Internet Security 2009, BitDefender Total Security 2009, ghacks Christmas giveaway, internet security, total security

Computer Virus Protection Quttera

Martin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:12:20 +0000

Quttera is not your usual computer virus protection program. It will only protect the computer from viruses spread in multimedia or data files including but not limited to audio, video or text files. Probably the most interesting aspect of Quttera besides its concentration on multimedia and data files is the without relying on virus signatures. A fully heuristic detection process is the result.

The computer virus protection program becomes available after installation. It protects the computer by running in the background and by providing the means to scan a file or folder for malicious code.

The current release of Quttera is available in version 0.2.1.0.34 which indicates that this is more of a work in progress instead of a release version. The developers see their computer virus protection software as a addition to standard virus protection programs.

Users who want to perform a manual scan should make sure to have at least one multimedia file or data file in the folder. The scan will jam if no files are found in the selected folder.

The main question is obviously if Quttera is able to deliver what it promises. It really depends on the quality of the heuristic engine and how it compares to the heuristic engine of the regular antivirus software.

Tags: antivirus software, computer virus, Computer Virus Protection, heuristic, heuristic engine, Quttera, windows software

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