First thing that users notice is the new installer. Avast notes that the beta versions can be installed over existing Avast 6 installations, or separately on the system. The custom installation provides options to install a typical, minimal or custom version of the security software on the system. Especially the latter option should appeal to security interested computer users, as it allows them to block modules from being installed on their computer. Here it is possible to disable any module that you do not want to use, and not only some which seems to be more common in custom installers. This can for instance be useful if those modules are not needed or interfering with other security software installed on the system.

Avast 7 Beta is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the windows operating system and the Windows 8 Developer Preview version released last year. The program interface has received a facelift as well. Core program features are available in the side bar menu.

The Real-Time Shields display for instance displays visual information about each security module installed on the system.

One of the new features that Avast has integrated into the beta versions is a cloud based reputation service which improves the decision making process of the program.

Here is the full list of new features:

• New installer
• UI facelift
• FileRep service (cloud based)
• Streaming updates
• Sandbox & Autosandbox improvements
• Browser protection improvements
• Remote assistance feature to help your friends with computer troubles
• Support tool
• Export/Import settings
• Screensaver facelift
• runs on Win8 Developer Preview

It is recommended to check the known issues before installing the beta software on a system.

- In some cases, WebRep Chrome plugin is not installed correctly
- The Safezone browser is opening each time when you switch back and to the Safezone
- Plugins for Outlook 2k3 and 2k7 show “runtime error” message
- Sometimes autosandbox toaster does not close correctly
- Problems with avast sounds on Win 7 and Win Vista
- Remote assistance feature sometimes crashes on Win 7 32b, Win Vista 64b
- avast! account functionality is disabled

Avast’s Auto Sandbox feature sounds like a real winner, if Avast gets the detection right. It puts suspicious processes automatically in a sandbox to prevent them from damaging the underlying operating system, other programs and files.

I would not recommend running the beta version in a productive environment though. It is likely that Avast will release the final version of the program in the coming months. (via Vishal)

X-Ray, a new portable software by our blog partner Raymond.cc, is a security software for the Windows operating system that combines Virus Total scanning with options to submit files to antivirus companies for manual inspection.

The program asks you to drop one or multiple files into the program interface. You can then start the analysis right away by clicking on Get Recent VirusTotal Report or Send to VirusTotal.

The first computes the hash and submits it to VirusTotal to retrieve previous analysis results (if available). The second sends the file to VirusTotal to run the analysis. The first is faster but results may come up blank if no one submitted the program for analysis before.

Program alternatives are available to submit files to Virustotal. This includes the official Virus Total Uploader among others. Most however do not support retrieving previous reports from the service.

What sets X-Ray apart however is the option to submit suspicious files to antivirus companies for manual review. Before you can use the functionality, you need to setup your email correctly in the program.

The program requires you to enter an email server, port, and username and password. A test button is available to test the settings.

You can configure the preferred submission method for some companies. Available for selection are by email or web form, both of which are processed automatically.

Once you have setup the email provider you can start sending files for analysis. A click on the button in the main interface submits the current file to all companies. Some companies may display captchas as part of the submission process, but that’s the only thing you have to enter before the file is submitted.

The response time depends on may factors, it can take a day, a week or even longer than that. Some companies may not respond at all. But since you are submitting the file to a lot of different antivirus companies, chance is good that you will receive timely responses from some.

X-Ray’s unique approach makes it a must have for Windows users who need to make sure that a file is clean before they run it on their system. And since it is portable, it can be added easily to a troubleshooting tools DVD or USB drive.

Windows users can download the latest version of X-Ray from Raymond’s website.

This is a real shame as it would be very easy for a company with Google’s resources to manage their app store properly and bring security and peace of mind to their millions of customers.

Now though a test by AV Test.org has showed that the current batch of free anti-virus packages for Android are pretty useless.  In their tests they found that the best overall virus and malware scan result from these packages found on 32% of malware when performing a manual scan with four out of the seven packages tested finding nothing at all.

The “on installation” results were slightly better, but not by much with all but one of the packages finding only 10% of malware.

The results of the real-time guard functionality were quite shocking. The guard should warn the user upon installation of malicious apps. The 10 malware samples were chosen with the help of AV-TEST’s own analysis system, which uses more than 30 virus scanners to analyze the APK files. The test set contains the 10 files, which were most often classified as malware by the virus scanners. Because of the high detection rates these files can be considered as well known and should therefore be detected by a reliable virus-scanner. Did the vendors of mobile security apps know them, too? The test results will show: Zoner AntiVirus Free was the only app with a respectable result. It detected 8 out of 10 samples during the installation attempts. BluePoint AntiVirus Free, Kinetoo Malware Scan and Privateer Lite still warned against one malicious app. Antivirus Free by Creative Apps, GuardX Antivirus and LabMSF Antivirus beta failed completely. In comparison to the free apps the commercial products of F-Secure and Kaspersky detected all threats without a problem.

The packages tested were Antivirus Free, BluePoint Antivirus Free, GuardX Antivirus, Kinetoo Malware Scan, LabMSF Antivirus beta, privateer Lite and  Zoner Antivirus Free.

Even the very best test result here of 80% for Zoner with the installation scan is well below what is considered acceptable for virus and malware protection and scores of 10% or even 0% are unheard of.

People place considerable trust in anti-virus software.  We all want to be able to trust that whatever we choose to use, we will be protected from the vast majority of malware on our devices.  On smartphones however where the handset is capable of running up huge bills for you by texting premium rate numbers, the trust we have in this software is even more important.  A significant number of people are also trusting these anti-virus apps as the report details.

The number of installations, which is given on the market website, shows that many users trust these free apps, although they do not offer a reliable protection. The by far most popular program is Antivirus Free by Creative Apps with 1,000,000 to 5,000,000 installations. The only useful free product Zoner AntiVirus Free has just 50,000 – 100,000 users. The best protection was achieved by the commercial tools of the well known security software vendors Kaspersky and F-Secure. The circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness.

I still can’t recommend Google’s Android operating system because of the malware problem, no matter how usable or polished an operating it may be.  For anti-virus packages to be completely missing almost 100% of malware on the platform however just adds salt to the wounds.

You’d probably want to know if you can trust a site with those information. Website reputation services in theory speed up the time it takes to come to a conclusion. Instead of having to search for information on search engines you could use their ratings to assess a website’s reputation more easily.

Experienced Internet users know that it is often not sufficient to use just one service for that. These services can be manipulated easily, for instance with fake user comments and ratings.

Webutation is a meta service that lists ratings from multiple services when user look up domain names on the website. The reputation service includes its own review service as well as the site’s Google Safebrowsing, Website Antivirus, Web of Trust and G-Rated / Child Safety rating. These ratings are then used to calculate the Webutation score.

You also see the site’s Google Pagerank and Alexa rank listed there. Some entries have an Info link next to them. If you hover your mouse cursor over them you will see additional information about the rating.

The only other option that you have is to switch from Rating to Twitter Buzz to see some of the recent Twitter messages that references the domain name.

I personally like Webutation as it combines the rating of multiple reputation and security services. It is still recommended to rely on other sources, e.g. a manual web search for issues related to the domain.

A Firefox add-on with mixed reviews is available as well. It basically displays the webutation rating of the active website in the browser’s toolbar.

Are you using reputation services? If so, which is your favorite?

Windows users who are interested in participating in the beta to get their hands on the security software early, need to head over to the new Avira Beta Center where they need to register an account before they can do so.

Avira promises increased usability, reliability and stability in the new versions. This begins with the installation process which has now been streamlined so that for example Free Antivirus can be installed with just two clicks in express mode.

The programs will furthermore scan for potentially incompatible software like other security software automatically, giving the user the choice to remove the product or keep it installed regardless of the situation.

All program modules have been hardened to take into account new targeted malware attacks against security software. Avira notes that this includes the “ability to function without many registry keys, better protection against process termination and component deletion”.

A Fix Problem button has been added to the software to five users a one-click solution to issues that they encounter. That’s handy for inexperienced users in most cases as the software makes decisions for them.

Components have been updated in the 2012 releases. The firewall for instance is now able to filter IPv6 addresses on the adapter level, and mail and web protection are now able to work in IPv6 environments as well.

The Windows Hosts file will be protected in all Avira 2012 product versions against manipulation and tampering, a feature that was previously only available in Avira Internet Security.

Do the new features justify upgrading or installing the beta versions of the 2012 products? I personally would suggest to wait with the upgrade or installation in work environments, considering that beta products may still cause issues on a system.

Here is how the deal works. You can trade-in your current antivirus solution for a one or two year license of Agnitum Outpost Security Suite. The current license needs to be valid for at least three months to get the free version. If it is valid for more than 12 months, you’d even get a two year license instead.

A total of 15 different vendors are accepted by Agnitum, including Avast, Symantec, McAfee, AVG and ZoneAlarm.

Agnitum wants you to provide evidence of the license. This is done by making a screenshot of the purchase confirmation email, in-application or the active account screen from the security vendor’s website.

I cannot really say what’s on the next page after you have clicked on the Send button. I have send an email to my contact at Agnitum to find out more about that part of the process.

Update: The next page displays information about the upcoming steps. It contains a download link to a trial version and information that it will take up to two days to get the product key by email.

You have submitted your license in exchange for an equivalent license for Outpost Security Suite Pro. While you’re waiting for confirmation of your eligibility, please DOWNLOAD a free 30-day full-functional trial version and get ready for up to 2 years of high-performance proactive security!

Within 2 business days, you will receive an email from Agnitum Technical Support with the registration code for your Outpost Security Suite Pro with one or two years of free updates, upgrades and support. This license will be valid for up to 3 or 5 PCs for personal and/or family members usage, depending on the competing license you provide.

I’m also not sure if you can only trade-in Internet Security suites, as mentioned on the page, or standalone antivirus solutions as well. Try to get an answer here as well for you guys.

You probably would like to know what Output Security Suite has to offer, and how it competes against comparable suites.

The product page at the Agnitum homepage links to a pdf datasheet with information about the product. Outpost Security Suite is an all-in one solution that combines antivirus protection with a software firewall and other security related modules like a system and application guard or an anti-spam module.

I found several test sites where the security software was tested. I cannot vouch for those sites.

• Proactive Security Challenge: Result Top 5 Listing
• 2 out of 5 from PC Mag
• 4 out of 5 from Softpedia

It needs to be noted that Agnitum is offering a free version of the Outpost Security Suite that anyone can download and use. The free suite comes with most of the features of the professional version. It offers the same antivirus and firewall protection. What it does not offer are unique ID theft prevention, priority updates and technical support.

Many applications are writing to the hard drive perpetually. By excluding the files and folders they are writing to or reading from, assuming they are assuredly trusted and safe, you will speed up PC processes and still have sufficient antivirus protection. Which files to exclude?

• Subversion / TortiseSVN Folders
• Virtual Machine Directories
• Personal Photo/Video folders
• Windows Update Folders
• Connected Mobile Devices

These are just some examples. You may choose anything appropriate to your configurations. It is difficult to specify what files and folders to exclude for any given PC, considering the myriad configurations, software combinations, and uses that PCs will have. It will be a different scenario for everyone, but the approach is basic. This will work with any antivirus software program. In the examples below, Microsoft Security Essentials is being used. Other software versions may be appropriate for users. This is just an easier way to show how to work with antivirus software exclusions settings in general:

2. Here you can browse all files and locations and include them, once identified, by clicking “Add.” This is a one by one process, but its simplicity and tedium should not be taken for granted. This approach helps you ensure that you do not include files that may be unsafe. There are a variety of ways to use exclusions for each different antivirus software type and all involve going to a Settings option. You may be given a scroll list to choose from once you have built a significant list of exclusions and this will allow you to change any of those exclusions as necessitated. With Microsoft Security Essentials, you can click the Advanced option and gain more generalized options for situations that may require broad, more generalized exclusions.

It is always best to create a System Restore point before making changes to any software, but especially antivirus software. Also take steps to backup the files that you are planning on excluding. There are no guarantees from software to software and system to system. With a set restore point, you can always go back and undo something undesirable. Secure your settings and files first, and then alter your security.

The company quickly developed a script to identify computer systems that were causing that search traffic. Computer users who are infected with that specific type of malware will now receive a notification that their computer is infected at the top of their web results.

It reads: Your computer appears to be infected. It appears that your computer is infected with software that interrupts your connection to Google and other sites. Learn how to fix this.

A link is provided to a Help Center article that explains how to fix the issue on the infected computer. Google offers three suggestions on that page:

• Install or update antivirus software
• Perform a system scan
• Provide Feedback

Interestingly enough, Google suggests to use Google to find a proper antivirus software or use one of the suggested antivirus products. The latter link leads to a page where three anti-spyware programs are offered: Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, Sypware Doctor and MacScan. Not really the type and number of programs one would expect on such a page.

Google users who come here researching their infection could download and use one of the following programs as well, which are often suggested in case of infections: Avast Antivirus, Microsoft Security Essentials or Dr. Web Cure It.

Google has released further information on the type of infection yesterday. The company believes that a couple million machines are infected by the malware, which has made their way on computers as a fake antivirus software.

The malware sends traffic to Google through a number of proxy servers. Google has not revealed any more information about the purpose of the virus. A possible scenario among others is click fraud.

Google does not really aid the use in removing the infection from the system. But that’s on the other hand not the company’s job. They could rework their support pages to include more antivirus solutions and information, but the main aspect here is that they notify users of the infection. (via)

This move is definitely in the interest of users who work on infected machines. It is likely that it limits the damage caused by said malware significantly.

The German computer magazine COM is currently running a giveaway of avast! Internet Security. The promotional web page is accessible by anyone. While only in German, it provides a license that works with English versions of Avast Internet Security as well.

Here is how you can get your free license of Avast Internet Security. Start by downloading the latest version of the security program from the official website. The link points to the English version of the software. I have not tested other language versions, they may work as well.

Go to the promo page and fill in your first name, last name and email address. You will receive a license download link in an email once you click on the send (Absenden) button.

The license file is zipped which means you need to unzip it first. Make sure you have Avast installed before you click on the License com! so geht´s.avastlic file. A click on the file registers the program. You can alternatively open Avast Internet Security and load the license under Registration Options from within the program interface.

The license itself expires April 2012, which means you get about nine months of free use from this marketing opportunity.

I have reviewed Avast 6 Antivirus Software back in February. I suggest you read that article as it covers the basic modules offered by Avast Internet Security. You can read up on the antivirus protection, sandbox or web reputation engine.

Avast Internet Security benefits from features that are not available in the free antivirus version. This includes more settings, faster program updates, boot-time scanning, game mode, firewall or keylogger protection. Plus it can be used commercially.

Interested users can read up on Avast Internet Security here on the Avast homepage. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system. (via)

In the tests performed by AVTest, BitDefender has leapt from ninth place since last year to 1st place in the chart.  Bullguard follows it closely having leapt even further all the way up from 13th place.

The top players from last time are now suddenly all doing very badly.  AVG, the former winner, drops to sixth place, G Data, in second place last time drops to seventh and Panda, which came third last time around now sits in 8th place.  Even those stalwarts of anti-virus Symantec have dropped a place from fourth to fifth.

Perhaps the biggest shockers though come from Microsoft Security Essentials, which has dropped ten places from 11th to 21st and McAffee (which has been experiencing other problems too) which is down even further from 7th place to 18th.

Clearly this demonstrates that the smaller companies have raised their game in the last year, but it could also indicate that the major players have become complacent. Let’s not forget that Microsoft’s scanning engine is the same one used in the award-winning Forefront anti-malware package for Windows Server and corporate systems.

How their product will now be viewed in the home and corporate marketplaces is in doubt, despite the company working very hard to shed the shackles of it’s awful OneCare anti-virus package for home users.  McAfee’s already battered reputation could take another hammering from these results too.

You can find the full results online here where you will be able to see where your own anti-virus package sits in the chart. It should be noted that this is only one test and there are other independent and recognised ranking systems that may rank anti-virus packages differently.

We take a look at the terms and conditions later, but both are time limited unless you have a valid license for the product. Our copy of Norton Internet Security 2012 for instance expires after 14 days from the time of installation.

Lets take a look at what’s new in both applications:

The installer needs an Internet connection as it downloads the installation files during installation. The installation itself took less than a minute on a test system and had to be completed with the entering of a product key that was send to the registered email address, and a Norton account registration. No restart of the system was required.

Norton Internet Security 2012

The following modules and components are new, improved or updated in Norton Internet Security 2012:

• Interface simplification with options to run scans and updates right from the interface. Advanced users can switch to (and set as default) advanced mode which allows them to enable or disable features with a click.
• Identity Safe 2.0 can now safe data to the cloud so that you can connect to the information from multiple computers. Identity Safe is basically a password manager and form filler.
• Application Stability Ratings are introduced in Norton 2012. Norton scans the running applications on your PC and displays ratings for them. Applications are rated by their resource usage, trust level and reliability.

• Bandwidth Metering is introduced in Norton 2012 products which can limit Norton to only download critical updates or nothing at all.
• Norton Autofix is an automatic tool that tries to fix problems that you may be experiencing with your copy of Norton Internet Security 2012.
• Performance has been approved, according to Norton. This includes a smaller footprint, faster startup and shutdown times and faster scans and file access operations.
• Google Chrome users can now make use of the Identity Safe and Safe Web features, which they previously could not.
• Norton Power Eraser 2.0 and Sonar 4.0 updates introduce new features. Sonar Policy Enforcement uses behavioral analysis of processes to create profiles. The app looks at a processes previous actions and uses them in its analysis of the process. This increases the chance that malicious processes are discovered.

For example, let’s say a particular process tried to access the system folder and tried to call home, but does not have any running UI. Also, it downloaded more than 15 files the previous day. Any one of these things alone may not be “bad,” but taken as a whole, the behavioral profile is bad. The analyst will therefore make a rule that says if we see this string of behaviors, then we should stop the process from executing

Norton Antivirus 2012

Norton Antivirus 2012 has less features than Norton Internet Security 2012. The program benefits from faster performance and a streamlined interface just as its big brother but lacks many of the advanced features. The key features according to Norton are:

• Norton Protection System includes 4 layers of rock-solid protection designed to proactively protect against the very latest threats – so you can do more on your PC without disruptions.
• Insight Technology protects you from download dangers no matter which browser, instant messenger or file sharing program you use*.
• Customizable Control Center gives you the option to choose your preference between a simplified screen or the traditional detailed view.
• Bandwidth Management limits Norton’s processes and updates when you have limited bandwidth or monthly downloads.
• Download Insight 2.0 now tells you how stable a download is before you put your computer at risk for crashes or other bad things to happen.
• Norton Recovery Tools help remove threats that can be deeply buried in a PC’s operating system.

Keep in mind that both applications are beta versions which means that they may still have bugs or issues that need to be resolved. You should not install them on a productivity system.

Norton’s decision to work on the performance and user interface will make the program more attractive. Sonar Policy Enforcement is in my opinion the biggest new feature in Internet Security 2012.

Have you tried either of the betas yet? What’s your opinion?

MultiScan offers in many regards a similar functionality when compared to those two programs. The portable application can be configured to scan local files in up to ten different antivirus engines. The configuration is unfortunately not as comfortable as that of Avert, since it is necessary to download and add the antivirus programs and command line options manually. To make matters worse, there is no list of supported or recommended command line antivirus scanners on the developer’s site.

Links to free antivirus programs that support command line scanning would make the process a lot easier.

Below is a selection of free options:

AVG
Avira Command Line Scanner
ClamWin
Panda Antivirus Command-Line Scanner (2009 last update)
VIPRE Rescue

Many commercial antivirus solutions offer command line scanners as well. Check the documentation or look in the program directory.

Downloading the different engines is just the first part of the setup as they need to be added to MultiScan before the program can utilize their antivirus engine in scans.

New commands are added in the main program interface.

MultiScan configuration

Run Order and Friendly Name are the easiest to explain. The first determines the order in which the commands are run by MultiScan, the latter is a name that describes the command to make it easier identifiable.

The command field finally contains the command that you want to run. This requires research on the antivirus developer homepage or readme file to get the scanning syntax right. An example of a config line would be the following:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /K C:\PROGRA~2\ClamWin\bin\clamscan.exe --database
=E:\SYSTEM\ClamWin\db --recursive=yes %FILES%

The code runs the Windows command line, and then clamscan.exe with several parameters. The %Files% variable is replaced by the selected files and folders for the scan.

MultiScan is not limited to scanning files with antivirus engines. It is for instance possible to configure the program to run a database update for a specific antivirus engine before it is used to scan the files. Other options include deleting old log files or displaying alerts, provided the correct programs or commands are added to the command field.

Configurations can be saved at any time. Saved configurations are then selectable via a pulldown menu in the main interface. This opens new possibilities like running commands for specific situations.

But it is not only configurations that can be saved. File listings can be saved as well so that it becomes possible to scan previously saved files and folders with saved configurations. This makes the process very comfortable once the initial setup has been completed and thoroughly tested.

Files and folders can be scanned by adding items to the queue from within the program interface, by selecting them in Windows Explorer after enabling Windows Explorer integration in the options or by selecting previously saved file listings.

Verdict

MultiScan has lots of potential and several interesting features. The ability to save commands, their run order and file listings is excellent. The downside is the complicated configuration, which the developer should work on. A good start would be to integrate links to command line antivirus scanners and their documentation on the program site. Example configurations for those programs would be the next step, and eventually the integration of those information in the program itself.

MultiScan is a portable software for Microsoft’s Windows operating system. It tested fine on a Windows 7 Professional 64-bit system, and should run fine on other systems as well.

The goal of the advisory center is to aid and help computer users remove Botnet Threats from their computers. This is done by educating users about potential threats and securing computers, giving them easy to use tools at hand to scan their computers and remove infections, and working closely with Internet Service Providers who are informed about affected customers.

Avira’s DE-Cleaner falls into the “easy to use tools” category. The program has been released with a German interface only at this point in time. Most users on the other hand should not have a problem using the tool, even if they do not speak German as the controls have been reduced to a bare minimum.

Let me walk you through the installation and use of the antivirus scanner:

Avira DE-Cleaner Installation, Use

It begins with the download of the program files after the application has been started on the local computer system. This is an automatic process that requires no user interaction.

The German terms of service are displayed. Information about the data that is collected by the application are available in English on the Botfrei website. The Akzeptieren (accept) button accepts the license agreement, Beenden (cancel) would close the application.

The next page displays several options that require explanation. The “USB-Gerät kopieren” link offers to copy the software to an USB device for portable use.

The “Vollständige Systemprüfung durchführen” checkbox can be checked to run a complete system scan instead of a scan of the most important directories and files.

A click on Suchlauf starten begins the scan of the computer.

The processing time depends highly on the speed of the computer, the type of scan (complete, quick) and the storage devices and their files.

It is possible to cancel the scan at anytime with a click on the Abbrechen (cancel) button. Avira DE-Cleaner indicates malicious software in the line “Gefundene Schadsoftware”.

The scan results window displays the number of potentially dangerous objects that have been found during the scan.

Here it is possible to select “Alle entfernen” to remove the objects from the system, “Details ansehen” to view details about the files that have been found during the scan or “Abbrechen” to cancel all operations.

It is recommended to select Details ansehen to look at the scan results before deleting files on the system.

Avira DE-Cleaner lists the files and their infection on the scan details window. The view lacks location information and an option to open the folders the files are stored in. The program seems to have found two phishing emails on the computer during the scan. I first thought that the program did scan my inbox, but it scanned only the mailbox files on the system (and suggested to remove those which is BAD).

The “entfernen” checkbox indicates if a file is included in the removal. The “Ausgewählte entfernen” button deletes the selected items, Abbrechen cancels the process.

Avira’s security tool displays a summary in the end which lists the scanned files and folders, the time and malicious files it discovered during the scan.

A click on “Ausführlicher Bericht anzeigen” displays a log file of the scan. This can be actually pretty helpful to determine the location of the potentially dangerous files that have been found during the scan. I was able to determine that the program scanned the Thunderbird mailboxes on the computer which contained two phishing emails. I did not want to try the disinfection as it could very well corrupt the mailbox.

It is therefor advised to be very cautious if the program detects malicious files or data in mailboxes.

Users have the option to send the scan report to the Anti-Botnet Center which use it to improve their service. Bericht Senden would send the report, Bericht nicht senden not.

Verdict

Avira DE-Cleaner appears to be using the Antivir engine for its scans. The core purpose of the program is to make antivirus scans of a system as easy as possible. The main problem that I see is that it does not provide enough information about items that it found, so that it is often difficulty to determine if the files should be deleted. There does not seem to be a quarantine which means that it is not possible to restore the files at a later time.

The program could do with an English user interface as it would increase the reach of the application. While it is not difficulty to use, most users do prefer information in a language that they speak, especially when it comes to PC security and file deletions.

Avira DE-Cleaner is provided for the Windows operating system. No further compatibility information are provided, it ran fine without problems on a 64-bit Windows 7 test system.

Jotti is an online malware scanning service that is not as popular as Virustotal even though it is comparable in many aspects. Jotti uses 19 different malware engines to scan a file that gets uploaded to the service. All it takes is to open the website, select a file from the local system and click the submit file button to initiate the transfer.

Jottiq now is a free software that has been created as part of Donation Coder’s NANY 2011 challenge. The application acts as a frontend for Jotti, making the selection process and overall experience of the user more comfortable.

The portable software can upload one or multiple files to Jotti for testing. Results are directly displayed in the application interface which means that it is not necessary to visit the website at all.

Files are added by drag and drop to the queue. They are automatically processed locally and compared to existing results. If they exist the upload is canceled and results are displayed directly. If the file does not exist in the database it is uploaded and processed as usual.

The program options offer some interesting feature additions. It is for instance possible to add Jottiq to the Windows Explorer context menu to improve the file selection process.

JottiQ is a handy software to scan files for malicious contents online. The two outstanding features are the ability to process a queue of files and the display of results directly in the program interface. No other software of its kind offers these options at the moment.

JottiQ can be downloaded from the Donation Coder website.

Third party tools can mitigate the impact of security vulnerabilities on the system. Firefox users can for instance protect their web browser with the excellent NoScript add-on to avoid the majority of browser attacks if they use the add-on correctly.

TrendMicro Browser Guard 2010 is a free toolbar that has been exclusively designed for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The program is compatible with all Internet Explorer versions from Internet Explorer 6 to the latest Internet Explorer 9 releases running on 32-bit or 64-bit editions of Windows XP or newer Microsoft operating systems.

The key benefits according to TrendMicro are:

• Protects against zero day exploits
• Detects buffer-overflow and heap-spray attacks
• Protects against execution of shell code
• Analyzes and protects against malicious JavaScript
• Connects with Trend Micro Smart Protection Network to maximize detections

How effective is the program? That’s a question that I cannot answer. I tried finding reviews and tests of Browser Guard 2010 but did not find any.

The security added by Browser Guard look solid on paper and it would be very interesting to see how the program fares against threats in real usage scenarios.

Users who work with Internet Explorer can download Browser Guard 2010 directly from Antivirus.com.

IObit Cloud is a new service by IObit that users can utilize to scan files for malicious code. The process itself is straightforward. It begins by selecting the file from the local hard drive. The service does not mention file size limitations but it seems to be that only files up to 20 Megabytes can be uploaded.

The online antivirus scanner loads the file and beings to analyse it. The load on the server has been relatively low in the time of testing. All file scans started immediately which could change in the future.

A report is generated in the end that contains a threat assessment, basic file information that include hashes, information about Registry changes and a report link.

IObit Cloud is a new service that the developers need to improve. What’s missing? Frequently asked questions or usage instructions for information like file size or type limitations for instance, or a privacy policy so that users know how the files are handled by the service.

IObit Cloud is an alternative to other online antivirus file checkers, especially those that utilize only one antivirus engine as well.

The better option for most users is a multi-engine service such as Virustotal which offers a safer assessment of a file’s threat potention.

But what about on-demand virus scanners? Avert, which stands for Automatic Virus Eradication & Removal Tool, is a free program intended to be used on already infected systems, or systems that a user wants to scan with multiple antivirus engines to be sure that no virus, trojan, worm or other malicious program is found on it.

Avert can scan the computer system with eight different antivirus engines. By default, it will only download and run VIPRE. A click on the Tools and Settings button in the lower left corner displays the options where scanners from A-Squared, ClamWin, Trend Micro, Sophos, Panda, Avira and VBA32 can be selected. A click on Download loads the programs to the directory of Avert, and makes them automatically available for future scans.

Everything is kept portable, so that it is possible to move Avert and all downloaded antivirus scanners to another drive or computer.

The program directory with all antivirus tools included has a size of 313 Megabytes, less if only some of the virus scanners are downloaded.

In addition, Avert offers to run CCleaner and a set of three tools on the system. With CCleaner it is possible to remove temporary files to free up disk space. The three tools are available to backup the Windows Registry and reset the Windows Hosts file and proxy settings.

The depth of the scans and utilization of the included tools can be configured in the program’s main interface.

The virus scans can be configured before the start. Avert offers to run a full system scan, balanced, quick or custom scan. CCleaner can only be run in thorough mode if enabled, and the three tools can be enabled individually.

The individual programs may download the latest antivirus signatures if updates are available. These signatures do not seem to be saved locally, which means they need to be download every time the program is run. Vipre needs to be downloaded every time as well, because the developer does not offer an option to download the signature file separately. Avert runs all selected programs consecutively afterwards.

Avert is a free portable software for Windows. The program requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0. (via)

Most antivirus rescue disks are supplied in the disk ISO format and need to be burned to CD or DVD. Kaspersky recently started to offer the Kaspersky USB Rescue Disk Maker which, as the name suggests, can create a bootable rescue disk on an USB flash drive.

Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 is designed to scan and disinfect x86 and x64-compatible computers that have been infected. The application should be used when the infection is so severe that it is impossible to disinfect the computer using anti-virus applications or malware removal utilities (such as Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool) running under the operating system.

Two downloads are necessary to create the bootable Kaspersky USB Rescue Disk:

• The most recent ISO image of Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 [link]
• The Kaspersky USB Rescue Disk Maker [link]

The USB device needs to use the FAT16 or FAT32 file system, and not NTFS.

To create the bootable USB rescue disk do the following:

• Install Kaspersky USB Rescue Disk Maker on the PC.
• Browse to the ISO image of the Kaspersky Rescue Disk in the program interface after startup, and select one of the connected USB devices. This device will be used to create the bootable rescue disk.

kaspersky usb rescue disk

A click on Start copies the relevant files from the ISO image to the USB drive.

It is important to test the USB rescue device at least once, to make sure that it will work in emergencies. It is usually necessary to enable booting from removable devices in the BIOS, so that the boot process picks up the USB rescue disk before the actual operating system(s) on the hard drive.

Kaspersky’s Rescue Disk can be used to disinfect systems that have been rendered unbootable by a virus and in scenarios where it is not possible to disinfect the virus while the operating system is running.

It is naturally also possible to burn the ISO image to CD or DVD, if that is preferred.

Included in the emergency kit are a disc scanner to check and clean infected systems, a command line scanner that offers the same functionality but without the graphical user interface, a version of HiJackFree, which provides an in depth analysis of the system and a cleanup software called BlitzBlank which can delete data that cannot be deleted by normal means.

emsisoft emergency kit

The starting interface displays a selection screen, each program listed can be launched with a double-click. It is also possible to launch the programs individually and directly from the kit’s directory.

Some programs, like the virus scanner, want to retrieve the latest definition files from an online server, it is recommended to allow this.

The main interface of the scanner displays the current security status of the system as well as update and scan buttons.

emergency kit

The scan button displays a new page, with options to perform a quick, smart, deep or custom scan of the system.

• Quick Scan: Scans all active programs, spyware traces and tracking cookies
• Smart Scan: Scans same as Quick Scan plug programs and Windows files
• Deep Scan: Scans all files on the hard drive
• Custom Scan: Option to perform a custom scan of the PC

With the Emsisoft Emergency Kit Scanner you have got the powerful Emsisoft Scanner including graphical user interface. Search the infected PC for Viruses, Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and other malign programs.

Run the Emsisoft Emergency Kit Scanner with a double click on a2emergencykit.exe. Found Malware can be moved to quarantine or finally deleted.

HiJack Free performs a thorough identification of processes, open ports, autorun items, services and other system items.

Each entry is analysed, and the results are color coded directly in the listing. Green for instance is given to safe entries. Information are retrieved from an online database.

hijackfree

The process, port and services listings provide an excellent first analysis of the current situation. It is possible to react in the interface right away, by killing processes, or stopping and disabling services.

HiJackFree helps advanced users to detect and remove Malware manually. With HiJackFree you can manage all active processes, services, drivers, autoruns, open ports, hosts file entries and many more. For your full control over your system.

The Emergency Toolkit provides users with solid options to clean and analyse infected computer systems. The kit is flexible as it provides access to a command line scanner as well.

Emsisoft Emergency Kit is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The fully portable version can be downloaded from the official program website.

But resource efficiency is only one benefit of cloud based antivirus solutions. Panda Cloud Antivirus uses a technology that Panda calls Collective Intelligence which collects and processes malware samples in the cloud to generate updates and signatures against threats.

Today Panda announced the availability of Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro which will be offered next to the free edition. Both the free and pro version have been updated with new features:

New functionality in Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition includes:

* Advanced configuration and exclusions allow users to customize certain features, such as behavioral blocking and analysis, to suit their individual needs and system requirements.
* Behavioral blocker provides instantaneous protection against new malware and targeted attacks.
* Self-protection of antivirus files and configurations ensures protection can’t be disabled by targeted malware attacks.

Additional features in Cloud Antivirus Pro Edition include:

* Automatic, transparent upgrades provide completely “hands-free” protection by eliminating the need for reinstalling the antivirus each time a new version is released.
* Automatic vaccination of USB and hard drives ensures neither drive type can transmit an infection while users are offline.
* Dynamic behavioral analysis provides an added layer of protection by analyzing running processes and blocking any found to be malicious.
* 24/7 multilingual technical support online.

Panda Cloud Antivirus Free users get the new behavioral blocking feature which is a “proactive, signature-less, protection against malicious actions typically used by malware which for instance includes generic blocking of malicious pdf, doc, xls and ppt droppers. Additional configuration options have been added to the free version as well to tweak settings and features such as advanced logging, recycle bin settings and exclusions.

It is now also possible to run Cloud Antivirus next to other antivirus solutions which is great for testing and for increased security. The small additional footprint of the cloud based solution makes this option feasible.

The pro version gets on top of that USB vaccination and behavioral analysis of running processes. Both the pro and free edition of Panda Cloud Antivirus are available at the official homepage of the security software. The software is now available in 20 different languages (plus nine in this release) and compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.