Kaspersky WindowsUnlocker is a free program by Russian security company Kaspersky that you can use to remove the effects of malware that is blocking you from accessing parts or all of the system.

The program ships as an ISO image that you need to burn on CD or copy to an USB device before you can make use of it. The program itself runs independently from the Windows operating system so that the malware has lesser options to block it from doing its deeds.

You can use Kaspersky’s USB Rescue Disk Maker to copy the contents on a USB device, or a CD burner like ImgBurn if you prefer to burn the program to CD.

Once copied or burned, you need to configure the target computer to boot first from CD or USB. You will see the Kaspersky Rescue Disk boot screen if that operation was successful.

You are then asked to select one of the available interface languages. Available are roughly 20 different languages from English and German to Swedish and Dutch.

Select graphic mode on the next screen. You can alternatively boot the program in text mode, display hardware information, reboot or boot from the hard disk instead.

Click on the start button and select Kaspersky WindowsUnlocker from the available selection. The program runs automatically now and starts disinfecting the Registry. Results are displayed directly in the program window so that you can keep an eye on what’s happening on your computer.

A log file is generated in the /var/kl or /var/tmp/ folder for each program run. Once you have finished the operation, reboot your computer, change the startup device to hard drive and boot into the Windows operating system.

If everything worked out, you should have access to your system again. And while this does not resolve all situations you may run into, it certainly can help you if ransom ware locked you out of your own computer (thanks Raymond)

The core purpose of a password manager however is the secure storage of passwords. With password managers, users can select secure and unique passwords for their online and offline accounts, without fear of forgetting the password at a later time.

Users without password managers often select easy to remember passwords like qwerty, abc123 or password. The problem with those passwords is that they are also easy to guess. Complex passwords like qmBU2tTW3oAC0rRJ4h are hard to remember even when no special symbols are used. Imagine having to remember dozens of strong passwords for your online accounts.

Kaspersky Password Manager is a commercial program for the Windows operating system that leaves little to be desired in this regard.

Users on first run need to select a master password to protect the database from unauthorized access. They can furthermore select a different authorization method, using USB devices or Bluetooth devices, if they so desire.

Passwords can be imported from the web browsers Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox, the email client Thunderbird, AI Roboform and KeePass. Kaspersky Password Manager connects with Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer. This does not mean however that users with other browsers cannot use the password manager, as it is still possible to access the program’s functionality on the desktop. Only automatic sign ins and recognition of account creations is limited to those browsers.

You can select the supported browsers that you want to connect the password manager with. Connecting offers several advantages. The application will notice sign ups and sign ins on websites automatically, and offers to add them to the password database.

Accounts can also be added manually or by importing from other password managers. All user accounts that have been added to the program become then available for one-click selection. Chrome users for instance see a Kaspersky Password Manager icon in their address bar by default that displays a list of all web passwords for fast access.

It takes two clicks to log in to any service this way. The same option is offered by the program’s system tray icon. A right-click on the icon displays a context menu with options to log in to any service saved in the password manager.

Another interesting option is that Kaspersky keeps track of frequently used passwords. These accounts are displayed prominently in both context menus (in the browser and system tray) for direct access.

The right-click context menu links to the built-in password manager as well. Here it is possible to generate secure passwords according to specifications. You can for instance create a 20 character password with upper and lower case letters, numbers, and selected special symbols. Generate passwords are automatically copied to the clipboard.

Web addresses can be added to the list of ignored urls. This basically prevents the password manager from interacting with those websites.

The program ships with an option to create a portable version of the password manager. That’s ideal for users who want to access their passwords on the go.

The identity manager makes form filling on the Internet a pleasant experience. Instead of having to enter the same data over and over again, it allows to create identities that contain pre-filled information that can be automatically filled out when needed.

Verdict

Especially Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer users benefit from Kaspersky’s Password Manager as it integrates directly into those browsers. The program ships with everything one would expect from a password manager, from secure storage over password generation and identity management.

The program has no option to synchronize passwords over the Internet. One option to overcome this is to use a service such as Dropbox for that.

Giveaway

We have seven Kaspersky Password Manager licenses for this giveaway. Leave a comment telling us about your current password management setup.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 fills the space between Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012, a security application concentrating solely on virus and malware protection, and Kaspersky Pure, Kaspersky’s flagship product that adds security related modules like backups on top of the all-in-one system protection offered by Internet Security.

The program comes with an official price tag of $59.95, but discounts at retailers drop that price to about $20 for a three user version.

The program installation went through without complications, only the forced restart at the end was unexpected. The first system start after installation took longer than usual, probably due to behind-the-scenes configurations of the program and system. Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome users will receive notifications on first run that browser add-ons were installed by Kaspersky. Firefox users for instance will see Kaspersky’s URL Advisor, Virtual Keyboard and Anti-Banner pop up in their browser (depending on the version used either activated automatically or on user request). And while it is possible to disable the add-ons, it is more complicated to remove the add-ons completely. This is done by first disabling Kaspersky’s Self Defense protection under Settings > Advanced Settings > Self-Defense, then pausing the program’s protection, before deleting the extension files in the Kaspersky program folder).

The main application interface, which you see on the screenshot above, highlights the current protection status. It is recommended to run an update of the program’s database right away, as this is not initiated automatically on first start. Please note that the first update may download more than one hundred Megabytes.

You should then run a full system scan after that initial update has been made. Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 offers four types of scans.

• Full Scan – This scans the entire computer, it is the recommended scan after installation and updating the database with the latest program files and virus definitions.
• Critical Areas Scan – A fast scan that looks at folders and files that are often targeted by attackers and malware.
• Vulnerability Scan – Scans the system for known vulnerabilities. This includes program versions that are out of date (e.g. Thunderbird, XNView, Internet Explorer or Firefox), known vulnerabilities in programs and system vulnerabilities. System vulnerabilities are either system settings that make the PC vulnerable or unpatched vulnerabilities (with patches available).

  Details and fixes are provided for every system vulnerability.

• Custom Scan – Drag or drop, or browser for, folders or files that you want scanned on the system.

All malware scanners make use of virus definition databases, heuristics and Kaspersky’s cloud protection technology. Everything’s easy to handle, system vulnerabilities can for instance be fixed with two clicks of the mouse.

But virus protection is just one of the features of Kaspersky Internet Security 2012. The two-way firewall protects the system from Internet and network attacks. Controls are available with a click on Settings and the selection of Firewall from the Protection Center list. The firewall, unlike the virtual keyboard for instance, is not linked directly from the main application interface. This can be a issue for inexperienced users who notice that some of their system programs are not working properly after installing the Kaspersky software.

Network rules and adapters are managed under firewall settings. Here it is possible to disconnect a network adapter or click on the settings button to configure network traffic rules. Access rules for running applications can be defined here in detail. An option to add programs to the list that are not running seems to be missing. Kaspersky divides applications into untrusted, high restricted, low restricted and trusted groups. Rule sets for each group can be configured individually in the settings.

All security modules can be disabled in the settings with just two clicks.

The settings are divided into four tabs, with the first displaying settings for all program modules. The remaining tabs offer settings to configure scans, updates and advanced program features and settings. Especially the advanced settings are worth taking a look at.

Advanced settings can be used to configure gaming profiles, threat logging, network monitoring or parental controls. It pays to look at those settings in detail to customize the protection further.

Parental controls can be configured selectively for all Windows accounts. Accounts cannot be created from the Kaspersky software though.

Controls allow parents to restrict computer, application and Internet based activities.

Available options include limiting computer and Internet usage to specific days and times of the day, blocking application access and website categories and which contacts can be interacted with on social networking sites and instant messengers. Reports are available that detail account activity.

The applications activity monitor displays a list of all processes currently running on the system. This is comparable to the Windows Task Manager, with the difference that application trust levels and popularity are displayed here as well. The trust level can be changed with a click here. Other options include terminating the process or configuring the process’ access rules in detail

The network monitor highlights all processes with network activity. Data is presented in realtime and as a history under the network traffic tab. Kaspersky highlights open system ports and blocked computers in the network monitor window.

The Safe Run feature is a virtualization or sandboxing option that the program ships with. All applications on the system can be started in a safe environment (via right-click and selection of Safe Run in Windows Explorer). There does not seem to be a way though to always run select applications in the sandboxed environment.

Other options include creating a rescue disk to detect and eliminate threats if the operating system fails to start up properly, a privacy cleaner to remove temporary data from the PC’s history and detailed reports for every security module.

Verdict

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 is an all-in-one security solution for Windows operating systems. The software has minor usability issues. Options to uninstall browser add-ons are for instance missing. An option to add modules to the main application window would have been nice as well.

It would also have been nice if the program would have initiated the program update check automatically on first run before suggesting a full system scan to the user.

The sheer amount of settings and protection modules add to the complexity of the program. Though once configured properly everything will run along smoothly.

Giveaway

We have ten Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 licenses. Leave a comment below to take part in the drawing. A 30-day trial version of Internet Security 2012 can be downloaded from the Kaspersky website.

Two weeks later things have changed considerable. Several German states acknowledged that the backdoor was used by German police forces to spy on communication software installed on computers. According to the news spyware programs were in use since 2009.

The initial analysis of the contents was far from complete. Security experts at F-Secure and Kaspersky posted the results of their analysis recently which offer a more detailed view of the malware’s capabilities.

Kaspersky discovered that the trojan installer supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems. Experts previously assumed that only 32-bit systems could be targeted by it.

The second finding is a list of applications that the trojan has been designed to monitor. This list is larger than the initial list that the Chaos Computer Club published. A total of 15 applications are listed, including Firefox, Explorer, Opera, Skype, Microsoft Messenger, ICQ and Yahoo Messenger.

The trojan injects code into those processes:

Code injection into target processes is carried out by the dropper, two user-mode components and also a 32 bit kernel driver with extended functionality compared to the version previously analyzed, which only provided an interface for registry and file system modifications. This new driver starts an additional thread that constantly loops over the current list of running processes and injects a DLL into each whose image name matches an entry from the following list:

The 64-bit Kernel driver is limited in its functionality compared to the 32-bit component.

Contrary to the 32 bit version, the 64 bit driver does not contain any process infection functionality but only provides a rudimentary privilege escalation interface through file system and registry access. Similar to its brother, it creates a device and implements a basic protocol for communicating with user-mode applications.

Kaspersky identified the a 1024 bit RSA certificate issued by Goose Cert on April 11, 2010.

The F-Secure blog has more information on how the backdoor was installed on target systems.

In one case, the trojan was installed on a suspect’s laptop while he was passing through customs & immigration at the Munich International airport.

The existence of a 64-bit component, the monitoring of additional processes and information on how the trojan was installed on systems confirms that there has been more to that state sponsored trojan than initially assumed. The majority of security software available should detect the backdoor by now.

One of the tools designed to detect and remove TDSS family rootkits is Kaspersky’s TDSSKiller which recently was released in a new version.

The tool can not only detect and remove rootkits of the TDSS family but also rootkits known as Sinowa, Whistler, Phanta, Trup and Stoned. It furthermore may be able to use heuristics to detect unknown rootkits that are active or installed on the system.

Detailed overview of suspicious objects it can find

• Hidden service – a registry key that is hidden from standard listing;
• Blocked service – a registry key that cannot be opened by standard means;
• Hidden file – a file on the disk that is hidden from standard listing;
• Blocked file – a file on the disk that cannot be opened by standard means;
• Forged file – when read by standard means, the original content is returned instead of the actual one;
• Rootkit.Win32.BackBoot.gen – a suspected MBR infection with an unknown bootkit.

The application is a portable software for Windows that can be executed from any location after it has been downloaded and unpacked. It will scan both services and drivers as well as boot sectors by default. It is possible to remove either services and drivers or the boot sectors objects from the scan.

A click on Start Scan runs the system scan which took less than a minute on a fast Windows 7 system. Possible dangerous files are displayed after the scan on the results page.

It is usually a good idea to search Bing or Google for the file name before moving the rootkit to quarantine to disinfect a compromised system. Another option is to send the suspicious file to a service like Virus Lab or Virus Total to scan it there for a second opinion.

TDSSKiller has several command line switches:

• -l – save a log into the file;
• -qpath – quarantine folder path (automatically created if it does not exist);
• -h – this help;
• -sigcheck – detect all not signed drivers as suspicious;
• -tdlfs – detect the TDLFS file system, that the TDL 3 / 4 rootkits create in the last sectors of a hard disk for storing its files. It is possible to quarantine all these files.

The following keys allow to execute the utility in the silent mode:

• -qall – quarantine all objects (including clean ones);
• -qsus – quarantine suspicious objects only;
• -qmbr – quarantine all MBRs;
• -qcsvc – quarantine the service;
• -dcsvc – delete the service.
• -silent – scan in silent mode (do not display any windows) to be able to run the utility in a centralized way over the network.

The free rootkit remover supports 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems. A download is offered at Kaspersky’s Knowledge Base.

Kaspersky Pure information are available on the software’s main website at Kaspersky. Before we delve into the review it may be a good idea to compare the program to Kaspersky Antivirus and Kaspersky Internet Security.

The product comparison chart is available here. In short: Kaspersky Pure’s unique features are a password manager and disaster recovery backup. In addition, it offers feature enhanced versions of the home network security, PC security tuneup and digital identity protection modules:

• Digital Identity Protection: Ensures safe shopping and banking online; protects your personal data (e.g. credit card numbers, etc.) from online theft
• Password Manager: Stores and encrypts your personal usernames and passwords in one secure location; automatically logs you in to your favorite websites and auto-complete forms. Includes portable version that allows carrying your passwords with you on an USB stick.
• Disaster recovery (backup): Automatically backs up data, which can be restored in the event of a loss, and select backup media
• PC Security Tune-up: Scans your operating system and programs for vulnerabilities; tunes up system settings for better security; recovers and repairs a virus-damaged/infected system with the help of a Rescue Disc (CD)
• Home Network Security: Guards your home network with the help of a two-way firewall; blocks external security threats, such as malicious programs, files, scripts that can cause damage to your computer and data; increases security of your Wi-Fi connections

Kaspersky Pure Review

The main interface of Kaspersky Pure consists of three different areas. The top area links to the program settings and displays a security state assessment (e.g. your computer security is at risk) with a fix it now button. The main area that links to program modules and provides information about them and the footer with license information and help.

A click on Fix it now is probably the first thing that most users will do. This opens a new window listing all computer protection problems.

One interesting option here is to hide messages. This is for instance useful if a module is disabled that is not needed. The computer shows up as protected if all issues have been resolved or problems have been hidden.

A click on an entry in the main area leads directly to that modules page in Kaspersky Pure. The three main modules at the top offer Quick Tasks which display links to specific tasks directly in the main interface. The Computer Protection Quick Tasks for instance link to pausing the protection, running a full scan or running an update.

Backup and Restore is one of the options that is only available in Kaspersky Pure. The user can create backup tasks that backup selected data on the system. One interesting feature here is that it is possible to select folders and all files in that folder, or specific file categories like images, financial documents, documents or audio / video files with options to create custom categories so that specific file types or groups of files are backed up when that category is selected.

Kaspersky Pure supports backups on removable drives, local and network drives and ftp servers. Backups can be password protected for additional security. It is furthermore possible to save an unlimited number of file versions or restrict the number of file versions or storage period for file versions. Backups can be run according to a schedule or only on manual user request.

Kaspersky Pure offers other interesting features like encrypted storage containers to store data safely, a password manager that can be used with Pure or as a portable version. The authorization method can be a password, USB or Bluetooth device or no authorization at all (which is obviously not recommended).

Previously I have criticized security software companies who added extensions and plugins to web browsers during installation without asking the user to do so. Kaspersky has changed that behavior. The password manager for instance offers extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Thunderbird. These only get installed if the user activates and configures the password manager in the program.

The password manager recommends to disable the internal password manager of the application and offers extensive importing options from web browsers, Roboform or KeePass.

Many modules are only activated when the user initiates it. That’s excellent as it reduces the clutter in the application and impact on other programs on the computer.

Kaspersky Pure Verdict

The security program introduces several excellent changes to previous versions. Especially the ability to activate programs on demand only and the installation of extensions on request are features that need to be mentioned again.

Kaspersky Pure adds well thought out modules to the application, a powerful backup, password manager and data encryption. The program used roughly 70 Megabytes of ram while running on the computer, an acceptable figure, especially since it does not use lots of cpu cycles when it is running.

Kaspersky Pure is the right software for users who want an all in one security solution that includes data backup and disaster recovery. The only minor gripe that I have with it is the inability to remove modules from the main screen. Parental controls are for instance displayed prominently, even if they are not used at all.

Kaspersky Pure Installation

The installation of Kaspersky Pure offers options to customize the software program. Users who want to do that need to check the Custom Installation option on the welcome screen. Computer users who prefer the full package without customizing the security software can simply click next without checking the box.

The second decision that users have to make during installation of Pure is whether they want to join the Kaspersky Security Network. If they do Kaspersky Pure will automatically submit information and files / part of files to Kaspersky for further analysis.

Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) is an online service infrastructure that helps to protect the users, speeds up the product’s response to new malware, and minimizes false positives. Quality of these services depends on quantity of participants of KSN.

Users who have selected custom installation in the first screen can now remove modules from the installation. They may for instance want to remove parental controls from the software if they live without children or minors.

The installation does not take long and an activation screen is displayed in the end. Users with a Kaspersky Pure license can enter the license to fully activate the software, everyone else can opt for a trial of the software that offers all features of the product and expires after 30 days.

One interesting option is the ability to password protect Kaspersky Pure with a admin password. This can be helpful to prevent unauthorized attempts to disable or modify settings.

The installation wizard displays additional options to the user afterwards. Users need to select a protection mode. The options are to let Kaspersky Pure make most of the decisions (which means less prompts for user input), or make the decisions individually which means more control and prompts obviously.

Kaspersky Pure displays a prompt right after installation that reminds the user to update the program databases to install the latest virus definition files and modules.

A free trial version of Kaspersky Pure is available at the Kaspersky website.

Giveaway

Kaspersky donated ten licenses of Kaspersky Pure for the giveaway. The software retails at $99.95 and is good for installation on up to three PCs. For a chance to win a license you need to do the following:

Post your current security setup in the comments here at Ghacks.

We would like to know what you are currently using to protect your computer system. Winners will be randomly selected amongst all commenters who post their setup in the comments. This year we are going to announce the winners in the Ghacks forum, so make sure you check the forum, more specifically in this thread. You may also find information on next day’s software there. Good luck to all participants.

If you are running last year’s version, say Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, you are bound to use it even after the 2011 product has been released by Kaspersky. At least that’s what many users believe. The update in the software confirms their views, as it will only update the 2010 version of the product, and not the update to the 2011 version.

What many users don’t know is that it is quite possible to update from last year’s security software to this year’s release, without additional costs. The only requirement is a valid license of the security software.

Lets exemplify the process: To update Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 to Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 a user would do the following.

• Download the latest product version of the security software from the Kaspersky website
• Install the product after the download, without uninstalling Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 first.
• Reboot the PC to complete the installation.

Kaspersky automatically detects that last year’s version was installed, and will take over the license. Licenses usually run for 365 days, and the user can use the new version of the software for the remaining period without additional costs.

The same updating option is provided by software from other security software companies. It is for instance possible to update Norton Antivirus 2010 to 2011 this way, or Bitdefender 2010 to 2011.

Below are download links of the latest versions of popular security suites and programs:

• Bitdefender: Antivirus Pro 2011, Internet Security 2011, TOTAL Security 2011
• Kaspersky: Kaspersky PURE, Kaspersky Internet Security, Kaspersky Anti-Virus
• Symantec: # Norton 360, Norton Internet Security 2011, Norton AntiVirus 2011
• Eset: ESET Smart Security 4, ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4
• Avast: avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0, avast! Internet Security 5.0
• AVG: AVG Internet Security 2011, AVG Anti-Virus 2011
• Avira: Avira AntiVir Premium, Avira Premium Security Suite, Avira AntiVir Professional
• Panda: Panda Global Protection 2011, Panda Internet Security 2011, Panda Antivirus Pro 2011

Please note that we have not tested updating all software programs listed above. It is however very likely that updates to newer versions are supported by all of them, considering that this increases the likelihood of the customer staying with the company for another year, once the license runs out. If you are not sure, contact your company to get an official response before updating the software.

Update: Users who want to be on the safe side need to uninstall the installed product first, reboot the PC and install the new version on the next startup.

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.

The virus, discovered by Kaspersky Labs, is believed to be the first booby-trapped application for the operating system.  In a security advisory, Kaspersky say “ the fake media player was most prevalent among Russian Android users. The risk to Android owners worldwide is believed to be low.”

Needless to say there are a huge number of smartphone users who, though app stores are installing large volumes of programs on their phones without really knowing if they are hiding any malicious payloads.  This is a problem that’s only going to get worse over time.

“We can expect to see a corresponding rise in the amount of malware targeting that platform,” said Denis Maslennikov, mobile research group manager at the firm.

There are a significant amount of Java applications that behave in this way, as the BBC has proven recently with it’s own malicious app to prove how easy it is to write such code, but this is the first believed to have been written specifically for the Android operating system.

Both Apple and Google monitor the apps that are available for download through their app stores and Microsoft have also said they will do the same with their forthcoming Windows Phone 7 Operating System.  Somehow though this virus has still made it through the testing process.

A spokesperson for Google told the BBC…

“Google has a system in place that can revoke malicious applications and stop them running on handsets.  Our application permissions model protects against this type of threat.  When installing an application, users see a screen that explains clearly what information and system resources the application has permission to access, such as a user’s phone number or sending an SMS.  Users must explicitly approve this access in order to continue with the installation, and they may uninstall applications at any time.  The spokesperson said the firm advises users to “only install apps they trust”.

Security software in particular is offering two, three or sometimes even more different versions of their products to their customers. There is usually a basic edition, an advanced edition and a complete edition.

Kaspersky Internet Security was until recently the flagship product of Kaspersky with Kaspersky Antivirus being the basic software program. Kaspersky now has released Kaspersky Pure which adds features on top of the Internet security product.

Kaspersky Pure has the following additional features (or improves already existing ones):

• Identity Protection
• Advanced Parental Control and monitoring of user’s Internet access, PC and application use and communications
• PC tune-up
• Password Manager can create, encrypt and store logins, auto-complete forms and has an inbuilt virtual keyboard
• File Shredder uses multi-pass technology to make deleted data unrestorable, even with sophisticated software
• Data Backup & Restore assures your data’s integrity. Set schedules, restore points and select backup media
• Data Encryption maximizes security. Create, store and transfer data in password-protected, encrypted containers
• Single-point protection management for other computers in home network

Many of the tools that are added to security applications like Kaspersky Pure are also available as free third party applications. Including those features on the other hand can be beneficial for users who have not heard of those before. It could also be interesting from a security point of view considering that all the tools are created by the same developer and not multiple ones.

Computer users who want to try out Kaspersky Pure can download a 30-day trial version at the official Kaspersky website. Additional information about the security software are provided on the Pure profile page.

Is the program worth the $79.95? It depends on multiple factors. Computer users who want one program for all security, privacy and recovery purposes might say yes while users who believe in free software will likely say no.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The installation itself offers a smooth user experience with customization offered to advanced users who can block various modules (like the parental controls or the virtual keyboard) from being installed on the computer.

One interesting aspect of the installation is that it does not require a reboot in the end which still is a requirement of many security programs.

The main interface of the security program is divided into a left sidebar, several header and footer links as well as the main area that will display varying contents depending on the sidebar menu that has been selected by the user.

The first stop that advanced users should make is to the settings of the program. It is in here possible to configure the various modules and functions that are offered by Kaspersky Internet Security 2010.

Users who have not customized their installation can for instance disable features of the program that they do not need. It does not make sense for example to use parental controls on a one-user system or for users who solely rely on Gmail for their emails to activate the local anti-spam protection. It is however generally suggested to keep most modules enabled to ensure that the system is properly protected.

The settings can be easily adjusted or customized extensively. One prime example would be the file anti-virus module. A slider changes the security level of that module from the default setting (optimal protection) to maximum protection settings for hostile environments or minimum protection for best performance.

The settings button opens a new menu where the user can customize the settings of the selected protection mode further. It is for instance possible to change the type of the scan, disable heuristic analysis, scan only new or changed files or include archives and installation packages in the scan.

Users who might have tampered a bit to much with the settings can use the build in restore option to restore the settings to their defaults. The most interesting aspect of the settings from a user’s perspective is the level of customization that Kaspersky is offering. The software can easily be configured to protect the computer system of the user exactly how that user wants it to. Inexperienced users on the other hand can rest assured that the default settings are optimized for most computer systems.

The main interface is divided into a sidebar with five menu buttons, a header and footer with various links and the main area pane that changes depending on the user’s sidebar selection.

My Protection

My Protection displays the protection status of the computer system. It links to a new tabbed window that displays the various protection modules that Kaspersky is offering and their status giving the user an overview over the status of each module. The window is divided into the three tabs Files and private data, System and applications and Online activity.

My Security Zone

Displays a log of application activities on the computer system. Applications are divided into trusted, low and high restricted as well as untrusted. Application lists (like those currently running or started on system startup) can be displayed by clicking on the Application Activity link in the menu.

Here it is possible to terminate applications, change their trust level and to configure specific rules for those applications. Those settings again are very extensive ranging form allowing or disallowing the application to read, write, delete or create file and system Registry information over specific rights like starting or stopping processes to network rules to allow or disallow specific (or total) network activity.

One interesting option in this window is the ability to display the programs that have been started in the last week or this month for an overview of all those programs and the option to create rules for some of them.

The My Security Zone menu contains additional options including the newly integrated Safe Run mode. Safe Run offers to run specific programs in a sandbox so that they will have not access to the core operating system and its files and settings.

Scan My Computer

This menu can be used to manually scan the computer system in various ways. Options included are to perform a full or quick scan, an objects scan or a vulnerability scan.

My Update Center

Will display if the databases are up to date. It is possible to check for an update manually or to roll back to a previous database version in case of corruption.

Security+

Can be used to create a rescue disk, run a privacy cleaner, parental controls and the virtual keyboard.

Verdict

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 comes with several additional features like the safe run mode. It is an all-in-one security software suited for users of all experience levels but especially for advanced users who like to customize their security solution.

Christmas Giveaway

We are giving away ten Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 licenses. Leave a comment below and let us know about your current security setup for a chance to win one of those licenses.

The problem that he sees with today’s form of identification – which is IP based – is that it is sometimes not possible to identify the person behind the connection at a specific time thanks to Internet cafes or hacked computers.

Most users will probably say bollocks and move on. Others will find flaws in his suggestion. If you look at real life examples you will notice for instance that people are anonymous there as well. You can phone someone from a public phone anonymously, you can send someone a letter without revealing your name. You can shop anonymously and talk to people without revealing your identity.

What’s your thought in the matter? The full interview is available at the Zdnet Asia website.

The following links point to antivirus software programs that can be downloaded as trial versions. These trial versions can be used for either 30 days or 90 days without payment.

Which antivirus software developers are offering 90 day trials?

• McAfee VirusScan Plus [link]
• McAfee Internet Security [link]
• McAfee Total Protection [link]
• Norton Antivirus [link]
• Norton 360 [link]

Which antivirus software developers are offering 30 day trials?

• Kaspersky Antivirus [link]
• Kaspersky Internet Security [link]
• Bitdefender Antivirus [link]
• Bitdefender Total Security [link]
• Bitdefender Internet Security [link]
• ESET Smart Security [link]
• ESET Nod32 Antivirus [link]
• Trend Micro Internet Security Pro [link]
• Trend Micro Internet Security [link]
• Panda Security Antivirus [link]
• Panda Antivirus Pro [link]
• F-Secure Internet Security [link]
• F-Secure Antivirus [link]

Please let us know in the comments if we have missed a product.

Some notes: This article does not rate the antivirus software programs. There might be free programs out there that are comparable to the listed antivirus products. The only problem with this method is that users need to install different antivirus software regularly. This not only means more work for the user but also the requirement to get used to new software products.

Many antivirus companies are running promotions every now and then that offer longer trial versions for download. This will obviously help tremendously.

Any thoughts or ideas?

The report then needs to be uploaded to the GSI Parser website once the report has been generated. The online parser will analyze the report and display various information about the computer system in the web browser.

The report is divided into various tabs on top. A summary is displayed on the first page to give the user information about possible problems. The detailed reports in the other tabs usually consist of files and paths plus some additional information like the name of a program or developer. Some details can be clicked on to get more details in a popup window.

Kaspersky’s GSI Parser displays many information in the various tabs which might sometimes be hard to interpret for inexperienced users. They are usually a good start to perform additional research on search engines to find out more about a specific file or problem.

So called anti virus removal tools have been created to effectively remove traces of anti virus software from the computer system. They usually run a series of processes that delete files, Registry settings and other parameters or options that have been installed by the antivirus software during installation.

Below is a collection of anti virus software removal tools that have been created by the developers of the programs to aid their users if they encounter difficulties uninstalling it.

• AntiVir Registry Cleaner
• Avast Removal Tool
• AVG Remover
• Bitdefender Uninstallation Tool
• F-Secure Uninstallation Tool
• Kaspersky Removal Tool
• McAfee Consumer Products Removal
• Microsoft One Care Uninstall Cleanup Tool
• Norton Removal Tool
• Panda Anti Virus 2008 Uninstaller
• Symantec Corporate Products Clean Up Tool

Did we miss antivirus software uninstallation tools in the list? Let us know in the comments.

The emphasize of the analysis lies on vulnerabilities. The module can scan the default program folders of a Windows installation and will check the installed software against a software database on the Internet. It will display all software programs with known vulnerabilities. Not all locations are scanned by the module. A full system scan on the other hand will include the application vulnerability analysis for all files of a computer system.

The module will list all vulnerable applications of a computer system in a table. The table includes the name of the software program, the severity of the vulnerability and a link to a website containing more information. A double-click on the link will open the security advisor in the default browser that contains details about the security vulnerability including affected software products, the impact if the vulnerability would be exploited and a link to additional information.

The scanner is not working perfectly all the time. It did for instance report a vulnerability in Open Office 3 that only affected Open Office 2.0 to 2.4. Kaspersky’s application vulnerability analysis is nevertheless a step in the right direction. While the operating system itself is still a main target for attackers many tend to exploit security vulnerabilities in common applications (web browsers, email clients, office suites) as well. It is probably safe to assume that other companies will include a similar module in their applications in the future.

AVG Remover has been specifically designed to remove the antivirus software program AVG Antivirus from a computer system. It will remove all parts of the AVG installation from a computer system including all Registry settings and files on disk. The program has been designed by AVG software developers as a last resort. They let us know that the AVG Remover tool “is the least option to be used in case the AVG uninstallation / repair installation process has failed repeatedly”.

The software program could therefor prove to be useful to remove AVG after a system crash or some other catastrophe that rendered the default uninstaller useless.

Similar tools exist for Kaspersky software in the form of KAV Remover and the Norton Removal Tool.

The removal tool is compatible with Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0\7.0\2009, Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0\7.0\2009, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Servers. If the removal tool is run on a 64-bit operating system it can only remove Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 and Kaspersky Internet Security 2009.

KAVRemover can be executed right after the download has finished. It opens up a captcha that has to be identified correctly before the removal starts. A reboot of the computer is required after the removal process has ended.

The product check can be skipped at the command line in case there are traces left on the system of a Kaspersky product that the check did not discover automatically.

The syntax would be to run kavremover9.exe and add the product that should be removed as a parameter. Here is the parameter list:

• kav6
• kav7
• kav2009
• kav2009x64
• kis6
• kis7
• kis2009
• kis2009x64
• kav6fs
• kav6wks

The command kavremover9.exe kis2009 would remove all traces of Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 from the system.

The approach has a few advantages but also a disadvantage. The advantage is obviously that you can use it to remove known viruses, trojans, worms and other malicious software even if the computer cannot be booted into the operating system anymore. And since it is a standalone client it is not dependent on an installed anti-virus client but can be used on any computer that can be booted from CD. This also means that the program is independent from the installed operating system.

The disadvantage of the approach is that the virus definitions cannot be updated that easily and that it normally means that the full boot disk would have to be downloaded and burned to CD again meaning that this would have to be done regularly to stay up to date.

The good news is that you can download the Kaspersky Rescue Disk freely from an Kaspersky FTP and burn it to CD or DVD using a CD burning software like Nero.

The computer has to boot from the media and the boot sequence can be set in the computer BIOS. Make sure that the computer checks the DVD drive for a bootable device before it pulls the data from the hard drives.

The interface of the Rescue Disk is straightforward. It basically allows you to scan the computer for malicious software and offers ways to remove any that are found. This does not give a guarantee that the computer can be booted again after the cleanup though. A damaged file normally does not get repaired by anti-virus software.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus sells for $39.95 regularly and is considered by many magazines to be one of the best antivirus solutions available. The key works with the English version of Kaspersky as well so don’t worry about that. The key will be send to your inbox after finishing the registration at the Chinese forum.

Raymond posted a nice registration walkthrough and I recommend that you check out his website and use it as a guide to make your way through the registration process. Once you got the serial number you can download Kaspersky Antivirus 7.0 and use the serial number that was send to you to activate the software.