Antivirus Uninstallers – Remove security software cleanly
Computer security software like anti-virus and firewall programs are notorious for leaving behind file and registry traces when uninstalled. I have found that using the in-built uninstaller via Start > Control Panel > Add\Remove Programs first and then followed by the official clean-up tool released by the respective vendor is quite effective in removing the software cleanly.
Free Anonymous Web Proxies – What are they?
Basically an anonymous proxy hides your IP and protects other personally identifiable information being leaked on to the Web, thus protecting your online privacy. An anonymous web proxy lets you surf the web anonymously in your browser with out needing to install any software locally. You can use the service from any computer as they are web based.
Microsofts Do and donts for Passwords
November 30, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, Security
"The three basic things to remember when creating a strong password are the following:
1. Use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. Also, remember that some dictionaries used in attacks have a "l33t" mode, which allows common letter/number-to-special character substitutions (like changing a-@, i-1 ,o-0 and s=$, for example, password = p@$w0rd). Therefore, mix them in different ways so that they are not predictable.
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Panda Burning Incense worm due for a comeback
November 30, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Malware, Recommended Reads
"A computer worm that China warned Internet users against is an updated version of the Panda Burning Incense virus, which infected millions of PCs in the country three years ago, according to McAfee. The original Panda worm, also known as Fujacks, caused widespread damage at a time when public knowledge about online security was low, and led to the country’s first arrests for virus writing in 2007. The new worm variant, one of many that have appeared since late 2006, adds a malicious component meant to make infection harder to detect, said Vu Nguyen, a McAfee Labs researcher.
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How to check Websites/Blogs/Web pages for Malware
November 28, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Featured, Website Security
The web today is not a benign place. There are many bots (automatic programs) that are constantly scouring the Web looking for a vulnerable computer. Once the bots find one, whether a home computer or a Web-server, they try to compromise the computer by surreptitiously installing its payload. In the case of a Web-server, it writes code so that the compromised Website is used for nefarious activities like Spam, Phishing and installing Malware on visitors computers. One of the popular way the hackers propagate their wares is by Drive-by-Downloads through malicious websites.
New Bios attack renders anti-virus useless
November 28, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Antivirus, Recommended Reads
"A new form of attack that installs a rootkit directly onto a computer’s Bios system would render anti-virus software useless, researchers have warned…The researchers devised a 100-line Python script that could be flashed onto the Bios to install a rootkit. Because the Bios software activates before any other program on a computer when it starts up, normal anti-virus software would be unable to detect it.
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8 Best Practices to Avoid Malware on Facebook and Twitter
November 28, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, Security
"Thanks to the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it’s a given that malicious hackers will devise ways to exploit the sites’ numerous users in order to infect their computers with malware. This unwanted software is designed to do a number of terrible things ranging from identity theft to turning computer into remote-controllable "zombie" machines.
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Dumb code could stop computer viruses in their tracks
November 23, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Malware, Recommended Reads
"ON THE day a new computer virus hits the internet there is little that antivirus software can do to stop it until security firms get round to writing and distributing a patch that recognises and kills the virus. Now engineers Simon Wiseman and Richard Oak at the defence technology company Qinetiq’s security lab in Malvern, Worcestershire, UK, have come up with an answer to the problem.
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A Security Wish List for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9
November 23, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Browser Security, Recommended Reads
"Just what is in store for Internet Explorer 9 from a security perspective remains unknown. But in light of Microsoft’s announcement, some security pros shared their thoughts with eWEEK about what they would like to see in the upcoming version of the Web browser.
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Microsoft denies backdoor in Windows 7
November 23, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, Security
"Microsoft today denied that it has built a backdoor into Windows 7, a concern that surfaced yesterday after a senior National Security Agency (NSA) official testified before Congress that the agency had worked on the operating system. "Microsoft has not and will not put ‘backdoors’ into Windows," a company spokeswoman said, reacting to a Computerworld story Wednesday.
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