A screen shot of a false online virus ad used by a new retrovirus that tricks users into uninstalling their computer's antivirus software. Credit: Symantec

There’s a new breed of malicious malware program spreading across the Web that tricks users into uninstalling the legitimate antivirus software on their computers. Computer experts have long been aware of the existence of such malware programs known as retroviruses that can kill or disarm security products. When activated, they unleash a world of hurt on the user’s computer and finances.

Called "AnVi Antivirus," the latest retrovirus was discovered by the response team at the security software developer Symantec. The virus is introduced through a software Trojan, which can be picked up by visiting rogue Web sites that show up in search results, through peer-to-peer file transfer or opening an infected email attachment, said Kevin Haley, Symantec’s Director of Product Management for Symantec.

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"It’s introduced a new twist," he told TechNewsDaily. "It uses the software’s own uninstall program. This is what makes this one different."

Disabling defenses

The first sign of infection is the display of a message box on the computer screen that asks you to uninstall your existing legitimate antivirus programs because the software is “uncertified and will degrade the computer’s performance."

The box asks you to click "OK" to begin uninstalling the program. It doesn’t make any difference whether you click on the box or not, or whether you try to stop the process by clicking the "close" button. The uninstaller of the antivirus product still executes.

To do this, the malware roots around in your Windows registry to find and launch the uninstaller for your software, Symantec said. The AnVi Antivirus is equal-opportunity malware; it goes after many well-known Security Products by Symantec, Microsoft, AVG, Spyware Doctor and Zone Labs.

The hurt continues after your legitimate antivirus program is uninstalled. "The really bad news is you absolutely have no other anti-virus software," Haley said. "You’re wide open to any other malware out there."

Calling home

The retrovirus will then try to connect your computer to malicious websites to download the AnVi Antivurus, which is the newest member of the malware fraternity that attempts to lure users into opening their wallets to pay for bogus software and Surrender Sensitive Credit Card information . Once it downloads to your computer, AnVi Antivirus announces its presence by launching its installer window and a companion window that offers pricing options for the fake antivirus software.

If you fall for this ruse, you’re left without antivirus protection, a slightly lighter wallet and credit card details at risk.

The antidote to this and other malware attacks, said Symantec, is have legitimate antivirus software and keep it up to date.

Source:- technewsdaily.com

There are currently many anti viruses on the market but that does not mean that they are all good. It is now becoming hard to determine which one will give you the best computer security. This is not good news for many people who believe in downloading free antivirus software from the internet since many of them are not good for computer security.

It is therefore good, to have in mind some of the most important features of what a good antivirus can offer and these may include the following;

Registry monitoring. The registry stores a record of all programs which are installed on your computer. Some malicious programs may copy themselves to the registry and then to your operating system which may lead you to lose everything on your computer. Therefore, an antivirus which monitors the registry will be a better one

Password protected setting. A good antivirus should ideally have settings which are password protected, there are some computer virus which copy their codes on anti viruses especially those with old definition updates. Password setting will help you against such threats.

Block web content. The best antivirus software should have an option to allow or block web content which you may not need. This will give you an opportunity to deny sites which may be dangerous from downloading on your computer. It will even give you an opportunity to set your security setting to the levels you may want.

Other features of a good antivirus include:
Real time scanning
Suspicious application detection
Cyber crime blocker and
Good firewall

Source: http://goo.gl/zfc7t

If you are like most people, you often receive emails forwarded by well-meaning relatives, and other associates that warn you about the latest virus threat, and urging you to send the warning to as many other people as possible. These warnings are nearly always false, and play on the fact that many people are afraid of something happening to their computer, coupled with a lack of knowledge of what viruses really do. These false warnings spread like wildfire because we all want to be helpful and warn our own friends before something terrible happens to them!

This article will reveal a few simple things to look for to help you determine if a warning you receive in email is real or is a hoax. Hint: They are nearly always a hoax!

Hoax virus emails share a number of common themes. By looking for these attributes you can quickly determine the validity of the email. Below is a copy of an actual email that I recently received:

This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.

Source: http://goo.gl/pVZI1

Kaspersky Lab has produced new anti-virus software specifically for mobile phones.

The new Anti-Virus Mobile software will cover Windows Mobile and Symbian phone and be officially launched next week at the RSA Conference 2007 in San Francisco.

It includes signatures downloaded to the devices over their Internet connections, either via WAP or the Net. The updates can be installed using a scheduler or by hand. It includes screening of spam sent via SMS and can restrict incoming messages according to a blacklist or whitelist (banned or approved).

More malware screening will be added as it becomes more apparent which exploits mobile hackers choose to use, said the company CTO Eugene Kaspersky. “We don’t know which way the criminals will go. With new technologies, it is probable there will be new attacks.”

At the moment, Kaspersky says, neither makers of mobile devices nor service providers are taking responsibility for blocking threats. But he predicts that in the future, the security model will mimic that for computers: hardware providers, service providers and customers all will have specialised offerings for mobile computing.

So far, Kaspersky says he has seen viruses that send SMS messages from smart phones to numbers that charge the sender. As more businesses, including banks, offer services via smart phones, criminals will pay more attention.

Source: http://goo.gl/eMeCK

Looking for the best antivirus software is not an easy thing to do. There are many kinds of antivirus programs, and computer users have different preferences and needs. In fact, if you ask someone what he thinks is the best antivirus software he may reply he does not know. Or he may reply that he is using what he thinks is the best software, even if he has not tried other software before. Indeed, how do you know if your antivirus program is the most excellent?

But first, why do we need good antivirus software? We need to make sure that our computer is in good shape, and that it will not crash anytime soon. This is especially true if we use our computer for hours every day. Also, we need to make sure our files our safe from harmful viruses and users who are not supposed to have access to them. Currently, we hear about news about malicious programs that steal our personal information such as credit card number, social security information, and email passwords. The best antivirus software will protect us from all these threats, and it will make sure that we can use our computer safely and securely.

So what is the best antivirus software? First, it should be easy to use. If the software promises an easy installation, it should have a clean and easy-to-use interface. It should also be easy for all computer users to understand. It should not complicate simple instructions and prompts. Also, it should be efficient and effective. But there are many programs out there, so how will you know that one is the best antivirus program? Search for reviews and look for test results by independent agencies that certify antivirus programs. In addition, make sure that your computer is compatible with your antivirus program.

And since the antivirus program is all about protection, the best software must be able to protect your computer from all kinds of threats: viruses, spam, adware, phishing attacks, worms, Trojans, keyloggers, and more. It must also spot malicious programs in all the nooks and crannies of your hard drives. And nowadays, since viruses and malware are commonly found on the internet, the best antivirus software must be able to block suspicious sites, specifically pop-up sites.

Source: http://goo.gl/PNtOp

As indicated in the preceding section, a polymorphic virus can modify each of its many parts. In the past, the detection of polymorphic viruses has called-for a detections algorithm. That algorithm had to be specially developed, so that it could note the presence of each individual virus.

That old approach did not encourage the development of broad-based anti-malware. What computer users really needed was a unified array of software tests, tests designed for use with a different type of antivirus software. They needed tests that could work with polymorphic anti-virus software. Fortunately, software developers have finally become aware of that need.

That explains why a few daring software companies have now joined forces. Together they are trying to improve the technology used for testing software. They are striving to assemble a collection of tests, and to provide the public with a clearer interpretation of test results.

The operators of two websites, Anti-Malware Test Lab and AV Comparatives.org, have initiated development of a group of integrated tests. Each test will provide computer users with an anti-virus solution to malware intrusions, intrusions into a personal computer’s registry.

Those two companies, working together, hope to have new anti-malware solutions ready by December of 2008. The release of that software should put an end to the limitations currently facing each computer user. The release of that new software should provide computer users with anti-malware that is based ready to deal with polymorphic viruses.

In order to underline the benefits that the planned anti-malware should deliver, this article concludes by focusing on keyloggers. That is the name for a particular virus, one that captures keystrokes, mouse clicks, file openings and visits to various websites.

At the present time, a computer user must look to three different products, if he or she wants to fight keyloggers. At the present time, a computer user can feel safe from keyloggers when he or she has obtained a firewall, an anti-virus program and an anti-spyware program. The latter two programs must be updated on a regular basis.

Still, those computers users who have spent money on those three products can not always rest easy. Those three products only work against keyloggers the have a known signature. A new keylogger with a new, yet undetected signature will escape the protection offered by those three products.

source: http://goo.gl/5HDk1

McAfee has extended the AntiVirus Plus Software offer for Facebook users who ‘like’ McAfee.

Facebook users simply click “Like” on the McAfee Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mcafee), go to the “McAfee 4 Free” section, and choose their country from the drop-down menu in order to download a six-month subscription to the McAfee® AntiVirus Plus software.

According to McAfee, the “software protects users’ PCs from online threats, viruses, spyware, other malware, and includes the award-winning McAfee® SiteAdvisor® web site rating technology. After the six-month McAfee AntiVirus Plus subscription period, Facebook users may be eligible for special discount subscription pricing.”

The special discount is not defined or listed on the McAfee site.

McAfee AntiVirus Plus (3 user) sells for around $71 locally. The 2011 release includes new features such as a refreshed Home screen, an Idle feature which delays full scans until the PC has been idle for a preconfigured amount of time, and better integration with Microsoft Windows 7 firewall.

McAfee has also improved Alerting and Microsoft Outlook 2010 integration, moving the anti-spam tool to an Outlook tab instead of on the toolbar to align with Outlook 2010’s look and feel.

McAfee has been using facebook to connect with existing users for over a year in an attempt to educate facebook users about Internet security. McAfee maintains that users need to be more diligent around security on social networking sites, when engaging in chat and opening emails.

“We have seen an absolute huge rise in malware worldwide over the past 12 months, probably more than the previous five years combined,” said David DeWalt, McAfee’s chief executive. “We are seeing a lot more malware specifically designed and targeted at large social networking applications. These are just the trends in the industry.”

McAfee also offers a 7 day trial of WaveSecure from its facebook group page. WaveSecure is a McAfee application for Android, Blackberry, SymbionOS, WindowsPhone and handsets which can run java applications, including the Sony Ericsson Vivaz and Samsung Jet.

Similar to the MobileMe functionality offered by Apple for iPhones, WaveSecure allows users to backup, restore, lock, locate and even remotely wipe a handset. Meantioned in lifehackers ‘Top 10 Strategies for Getting Back Your Lost or Stolen Stuff’ Wavesecure costs $19.90 (USD) per year.