Kaspersky Lab warns of new 'Twitter worm'

MANILA, Philippines - Kaspersky Lab, a developer of secure content and threat management solutions, is warning users of a Twitter worm which redirects users to a rogue anti-virus application.
The recently discovered Twitter worm takes advantage of the microblogging site's shortened links, which are obscure compared to the original uniform resource locator (URL) or link address.
Hackers are able to lure a user into their infected URLs since a user doesn't know what it contains, said Kaspersky Lab malware researcher Nicolas Brulez.
Upon clicking the link, a user will receive a warning that his computer is running "suspicious applications."
He will then be asked to "remove all threats" and download a "Security Shield" rogue anti-virus, which will then infect the computer with malicious programs.
As the Twitter worm continues to spread, Kaspersky urged Internet users, particularly those with Twitter accounts, to be more careful when clicking on truncated links and when downloading programs, even anti-virus software.
The company is also offering a "heuristic analyzer" which can help detect this kind of threat.

Fraud Theft by Rouge Anti-Virus Software

Fraud theft has many faces – none of which are pretty – but perhaps the most insidious is that of Rouge Anti-Virus Software scams.

One of the newest virus threats online comes to your computer as a true “wolf wrapped in sheep’s clothing.” System Tool 2011, and other such malware, is being e-mailed to computers all over the world, causing damage and bilking its victims out of hundreds of dollars.

The Scam

Unless you work, live, and breathe for computers, you probably aren’t familiar with online theft information regarding the term “rogue” anti-virus software until you become a victim. This is not optimal way to learn about the deleterious effects it can have on your computer and bank accounts.

Rogue anti-virus software is spread over the Internet the same way other viruses are: in e-mail attachments, as a part of a shareware software bundle all with the help of a Trojan. (Trojans are software packets that sneak inside your hard drive hiding within another download, much the same way the actual warriors hid inside the horse.) One of the most successful, and most damaging, of these rogue anit-virus programs is System Tool (also known as systemtool and System Tool 2011).

Rogue anti-viruses have no affinity for malware, Trojan, or other harmful programs’ removal because they are in and of themselves malware. Their real and only purpose is theft fraud by capturing your credit card information under false pretenses. This qualifies rogue virus software as identity fraud theft scams at their finest.

Antivirus, the perfect Christmas gift: AFP

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has urged Australians to buy antivirus for their loved ones for Christmas to give them the gift of protection from Internet malicious threats.
In a joint release with the Australian Bankers Association, the AFP said that given the number of computers in Australia, antivirus was a present which probably wouldn't go astray.
"With almost half of Australia's population being active internet users, a practical idea for a Christmas gift might be antivirus software for the household computer," it said.
The release then warned consumers to be watchful when buying presents online, investigating retailers before buying products from them and not showing information to online retailers they don't need.
"Cyber criminals and internet fraudsters don't take holidays and neither should internet shoppers' vigilance when it comes to online safety," the release said.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com.au/antivirus-the-perfect-christmas-gift-afp-339307789.htm

AAAntivirus.com Announces Kaspersky Antivirus has Raised Prices to a Troubled Market Sector

CAMPBELL, Calif., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- AAAntivirus.com chooses to maintain pricing levels acceptable to the market conditions while competitor, Kaspersky Antivirus has decided to raise prices for EDU/GOV/Non-Profit, official Oct 1 2010, by 41%.

According to CEO Roy Miehe of AAAntivirus.com, the company will not be following competitors in raising prices due to the current state of affairs with the economy.

"Some competitors are taking advantage of tough times, with the layoffs in the IT departments in the sectors affected by this enormous price increase they are sometimes left with no alternative but to be held captive to renewing competitor's products without doing a full investigation of the products and pricing available to them."

This is where AAAntivirus.com comes into play providing their technical knowledge and purchasing power to assist this sector in providing EDU/GOV/Non-Profit sector alternatives.

Beyond price, security should be the main concern when purchasing an antivirus program. In October 2010, IDG News announced that Kaspersky's website had been victimized by hackers. AAAntivirus.com remains a secure antivirus software solutions provider, only providing the best product for their budget.

Given the recent price increase and vulnerabilities with Kaspersky, Miehe suggests that the public should "seriously reevaluate their current antivirus program and find an application which will be cost-effective and reliable in protecting their network and home computers."

AAAntivirus.com manages over a million seats of antivirus software world wide and has received numerous awards from major manufacturers starting with Trend Antivirus USA partner in 2003, Kaspersky Partner of the year 2005 and 2006, Panda Security largest SaaS Cloud Partner 2008 and 2009, currently one of Norman Antivirus largest US AV Partners.

About AAAntivirus.com services

1. Hosted Microsoft Exchange up 24x7x365
2. Managed Firewalls (Watchguard)
3. Managed Desktop/Servers
4. Managed Antispam mail solution SaaS based
5. And of course Antivirus Software we manage 1.5 million seats world wide
6. Security Consultants
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aaantiviruscom-announces-kaspersky-antivirus-has-raised-prices-to-a-troubled-market-sector-105449008.html

McAfee Launches Digital Information Security Initiative

McAfee announced it has unveiled its "Security Connected" initiative, enabling partners, developers and customers to apply a sustainable approach to securing digital information.
McAfee has announced the first two of four new connected security platforms.
1. McAfee Endpoint Security 9
2. McAfee Security Management 5


Security often is being driven from different silos within businesses, from mobile devices, PCs, and tablets, to mission-critical networks, hosted applications, servers, cloud services, virtual machines, and databases, bringing dozens or hundreds of different security technologies and disparate management paradigms with them.

McAfee said its Security Connected components include: -Proactive security through built-in integration and intelligence -Global Threat Intelligence: Threat research and content capability to deliver predictive threat analysis, reputational scoring, cloud delivery and intelligence in depth to power connected security technologies.

-Broad portfolio of countermeasures: Integrated security for PCs, Mac, smartphones, tablets, storage, embedded, silicon, network perimeter, datacenter, web gateways, mail security, content, and so on with a choice of on premise, SaaS, or hybrid delivery models.

-McAfee Connected: program is aimed at helping partners worldwide ensure product and service compatibility with McAfee solutions. The program's testing process ensures that the third-party hardware, software and services that customers choose perform well, and are compatible with, McAfee technology.

The Best Antivirus Software for 2011 (So Far)

Symantec and Trend Micro have yet to weigh in, but there are already some powerful premium AV options available.
The summer of 2010 isn't even over yet, but the 2011 antivirus utilities are pouring in already. Significant players are still waiting in the wings, it's true. Norton's 2011 product releases are imminent, as are Trend Micro's. Spyware Doctor and others won't be far behind. But quite a few of 2011's antivirus apps, both commercial and free, have already sprung up. Among others, Bit Defender Antivirus Pro 2011, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011, and Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 and Webroot AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper 2011 are all available and have already been through my testing. If you're looking to buy antivirus, today, the results show that there are already some solid choices available.
Antivirus means a utility that protects against all kinds of malicious software, not just viruses. Trojans, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, adware, scareware—a proper antivirus must handle all of these.
Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 includes a fully-functional personal firewall and can monitor other Panda installations on your network. BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 provides full remote management across the network as well as a top-notch antiphishing module. BitDefender and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 both scan for security vulnerabilities, though BitDefender takes the concept a bit farther.
Ad-Aware appeals to both with a choice of simple or advanced mode. BitDefender goes even further. Not only can its users choose basic, intermediate or expert view, they can build a personal collection of their most-used tools.
Webroot AntiVirus with Spy Sweeper 2011 totally focuses on keeping everything as simple as possible. It updates automatically, scans while the system is idle, and interacts with the user through a completely redesigned interface. All the detail a tech-savvy user might want is available, but it's hidden when not needed.

McAfee & Facebook Announce Collaboration

In a very significant announcement top social networking site, Facebook and Internet Security and Antivirus solutions provider, McAfee have announced a collaboration to work together. Facebook has a user base of 350 million users. Under the terms of the deal, Mcafee will provide free subscription of its Internet Security Suite software to the Facebook users for six months.
Facebook and McAfee are also working towards creating a custom scanning and repair tool which will be made available as free download or might be sold at discounted prices to Facebook users.
The interesting facet of the partnership is that Facebook will be using the financial accruals from this partnership to bring more benefits to its users. They will not be taking any share of revenues from McAfee. McAfee users can buy the products after expiry of the six month trial period. McAfee will be buying advertising from Facebook.
Social networking sites have always been targeted by hackers. Presently the scanning tool using English language is available in eight countries to Facebook users. Other languages are under development.