Seven of the 10 safest countries in which to surf the Internet are in Africa, with Sierra Leone rated the safest, according to a study by the Internet security firm AVG.
Researchers compiled a list of virus and malware attacks by country picked up by AVG security software, with data from more than 127 million computers in 144 countries to determine incidence rates of such attacks. Sierra Leone's average incident rate was one attack for every 692 Web surfers. The study was conducted the last week of July. (See also "Top Standalone Antivirus Software for 2010.")
After Sierra Leone, Niger fared well with one in every 442 surfers likely to be attacked while online.
Although specific factors were not mentioned for considering Sierra Leone as one of the safest in the world, it could be the result of the low level of Internet users in the country. Though the low broadband penetration and Internet use in African countries have been cited as the major factors for the safest record, AVG Chief Research Officer Roger Thompson wrote on his blog that the research should serve as a warning to those who are travelling to other countries with plans to use the Internet.
The Caucasus region was the most vulnerable for online attacks, while by country Turkey, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have the highest rates of virus and malware attacks. The U.S. ranked ninth with one in every 48 Web surfers at risk, while the U.K. was 30th with a rate of one in 63.
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Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.1.2
Version 1.1.2 of Panda Cloud Antivirus was just published. You can get it from http://www.cloudantivirus.com.
This minor release includes some basic fixes:
* Fix for error 1603 during install or upgrade from previous versions.
* Fix for behaviour blocker FPs of WMP, VLC, OpenOffice, fubar2000, etc.
* Corrections of certain string translations (italian, japanese, etc.).
* Search reset fix during installation.
* Fix for problems with outdated Silverlight installations.
* Updated traybar notifications to show that they come from PCAV.
Users of the Free Edition can upgrade to this new version by simply downloading the new installer and executing it. The installer will uninstall the previous version and install the new one after a reboot.
Users of the Pro Edition do not need to upgrade to this new version as their installation will be upgraded automatically and transparently as needed.
Article source
This minor release includes some basic fixes:
* Fix for error 1603 during install or upgrade from previous versions.
* Fix for behaviour blocker FPs of WMP, VLC, OpenOffice, fubar2000, etc.
* Corrections of certain string translations (italian, japanese, etc.).
* Search reset fix during installation.
* Fix for problems with outdated Silverlight installations.
* Updated traybar notifications to show that they come from PCAV.
Users of the Free Edition can upgrade to this new version by simply downloading the new installer and executing it. The installer will uninstall the previous version and install the new one after a reboot.
Users of the Pro Edition do not need to upgrade to this new version as their installation will be upgraded automatically and transparently as needed.
Article source
'Freemium' antivirus firm Avast gets funding boost
The security vendor Avast has received a $100m investment from private equity firm Summit Partners, in exchange for a minority stake in the company.
Avast chief executive Vince Steckler described the $100m (£64m) deal on Monday as "a vote of confidence in our disruptive 'freemium' business model", which sees the vendor giving its product — including updates — for free to millions of non-corporate users.
The company's current model is based around providing its antivirus program, which contains similar features to competitors' paid-for offerings, to home users for free. As with rival antivirus firm AVG, this is done in the hope that those customers will then upgrade to a paid-for premium version.
Avast also provides a number of business-tailored products that attract an annual subscription fee in exchange for security features. The firm's freemium model has already netted the security specialist approximately 100 million registered subscribers, according to a statement from the company.
"[This approach] is already upsetting the traditional antivirus market," said Steckler. "Instead of paying for advertising or installation on new computers, Avast continues to experience dramatic growth as fans of Avast recommend our products to their friends. Freemium is the wave of the future... We have no plans to change our approach and conform to the classic retail positioning model."
As part of Monday's deal, Scott Collins, managing director of Summit Partners, will get a seat on Avast's board of directors. ZDNet UK asked Avast how big Summit Partners' minority stake was, but the company would not divulge this information.
Article source
Avast chief executive Vince Steckler described the $100m (£64m) deal on Monday as "a vote of confidence in our disruptive 'freemium' business model", which sees the vendor giving its product — including updates — for free to millions of non-corporate users.
The company's current model is based around providing its antivirus program, which contains similar features to competitors' paid-for offerings, to home users for free. As with rival antivirus firm AVG, this is done in the hope that those customers will then upgrade to a paid-for premium version.
Avast also provides a number of business-tailored products that attract an annual subscription fee in exchange for security features. The firm's freemium model has already netted the security specialist approximately 100 million registered subscribers, according to a statement from the company.
"[This approach] is already upsetting the traditional antivirus market," said Steckler. "Instead of paying for advertising or installation on new computers, Avast continues to experience dramatic growth as fans of Avast recommend our products to their friends. Freemium is the wave of the future... We have no plans to change our approach and conform to the classic retail positioning model."
As part of Monday's deal, Scott Collins, managing director of Summit Partners, will get a seat on Avast's board of directors. ZDNet UK asked Avast how big Summit Partners' minority stake was, but the company would not divulge this information.
Article source
25% Of Malware Spread Via USB Drives
Forget the firewall. About 25% of malware today is designed to spread via USB storage devices that connect directly to PCs. The number comes from Panda Security, which recently surveyed 10,470 small and midsize companies -- those having up to 1,000 computers -- in 20 countries. Roughly half said that their organization had been infected by malware at least once in the previous year, and in the United States, 27% said the origin was a USB device.
"Much of the malware in circulation has been designed to distribute through these devices," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. "Not only does it copy itself to these gadgets, but it also runs automatically when a USB device is connected to a computer, infecting the system practically transparently to the user. This has been the case with many infections we have seen this year, such as the distribution of the Mariposa and Vodafone botnets."
Comparatively speaking, Panda found that 21% of malware originated via email and 14% from downloads or peer-to-peer networks. Infection-wise, the report also found that in the United States, the number of organizations reporting a malware infection over the past year increased slightly from 2009 to 2010, from 44% to 46%. In Europe in the same timeframe, however, infections declined from 58% to 49%.
Viruses are still the most seen type of malware, accounting for an average of 45% of the malicious code that makes its way inside the network. Spyware, meanwhile, accounts for 23%. According to the report, however, 13% of small and midsize businesses don't have any security systems in place, with 57% of them saying their organization didn't regard security as a priority. For companies with security in place, they overwhelmingly (97%) do use antivirus software, with about one-third using free antivirus software aimed at home users. Personal firewalls are also quite popular, while anti-spam technology is not.
Article Source
"Much of the malware in circulation has been designed to distribute through these devices," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. "Not only does it copy itself to these gadgets, but it also runs automatically when a USB device is connected to a computer, infecting the system practically transparently to the user. This has been the case with many infections we have seen this year, such as the distribution of the Mariposa and Vodafone botnets."
Comparatively speaking, Panda found that 21% of malware originated via email and 14% from downloads or peer-to-peer networks. Infection-wise, the report also found that in the United States, the number of organizations reporting a malware infection over the past year increased slightly from 2009 to 2010, from 44% to 46%. In Europe in the same timeframe, however, infections declined from 58% to 49%.
Viruses are still the most seen type of malware, accounting for an average of 45% of the malicious code that makes its way inside the network. Spyware, meanwhile, accounts for 23%. According to the report, however, 13% of small and midsize businesses don't have any security systems in place, with 57% of them saying their organization didn't regard security as a priority. For companies with security in place, they overwhelmingly (97%) do use antivirus software, with about one-third using free antivirus software aimed at home users. Personal firewalls are also quite popular, while anti-spam technology is not.
Article Source
Low-threat worm caused 'most significant breach' of U.S. military net
The most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever was carried out in 2008 by W32.SillyFDC, a low-level-threat worm that got into the network via a thumb drive plugged into a military laptop.
Is the U.S. the nation most vulnerable to cyberattack?
At the time, a variant of the worm found its way into classified and unclassified military networks and took months to eradicate.
This despite the fact that generic W32.SillyFDC worms had been discovered the year before, and security companies had long since figured out how to deal with them. Removal was ranked "easy".
The incident made public this week by a high-ranking Department of Defense official alarmed the Pentagon. "This previously classified incident was the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever, and it served as an important wake-up call," says William J. Lynn III, an udersecretary of defense, in an essay published in Foreign Affairs.
The hack, which was publicized at the time, led to a ban on use of thumb drives that the military has just started to lift in the past 10 months, says John Pironti, a security consultant with IP Architects.
Despite being a variant of a well-known and low-risk worm, the malware could have been more dangerous than it might seem at first glance, he says.In discussions with military clients since the incident, he gleaned that the variant -- known as W32.agent.btz -- lodged itself within the network where it was smart enough to wend its way into a classified network. This requires a level of knowledge about sensors and defenses within military networks.
"It propagated well before it was detected," Pironti says. "This was not something off-the-shelf. It was something fresh and very interesting."
Still, corporate IT security professionals had a leg up on the worm if they had commercial antivirus software. For example, Symantec posted an advisory on the worm Feb. 27, 2007, in which it says that its then-current antivirus software would identify and remove it.
W32.SillyFDC removal was ranked easy by Symantec, its damage level potential was ranked medium and its overall threat rating was very low.
The worm is capable of replicating itself to removable drives and mapped drives and can download files. It exploits the AutoRun feature in Windows that lets executables run automatically when a drive containing them is accessed.
The worm copies itself to the system disk of the affected computer where it creates files or modifies the registry so the executables run whenever Windows starts up, Symantec says. It infects removable drives that get plugged in later with copies of itself that then run on the next machine the thumb drive is plugged into.
Its capabilities include downloading files from particular URLs, lowering security settings, altering Safe Mode settings, bypassing Windows firewalls and disabling Task Manager, Registry Editor and other system software, Symantec says.
Cleaning an infected machine could be accomplished by disabling System Restore, updating antivirus definitions and running a full system scan, Symantec says.
Article source
Is the U.S. the nation most vulnerable to cyberattack?
At the time, a variant of the worm found its way into classified and unclassified military networks and took months to eradicate.
This despite the fact that generic W32.SillyFDC worms had been discovered the year before, and security companies had long since figured out how to deal with them. Removal was ranked "easy".
The incident made public this week by a high-ranking Department of Defense official alarmed the Pentagon. "This previously classified incident was the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever, and it served as an important wake-up call," says William J. Lynn III, an udersecretary of defense, in an essay published in Foreign Affairs.
The hack, which was publicized at the time, led to a ban on use of thumb drives that the military has just started to lift in the past 10 months, says John Pironti, a security consultant with IP Architects.
Despite being a variant of a well-known and low-risk worm, the malware could have been more dangerous than it might seem at first glance, he says.In discussions with military clients since the incident, he gleaned that the variant -- known as W32.agent.btz -- lodged itself within the network where it was smart enough to wend its way into a classified network. This requires a level of knowledge about sensors and defenses within military networks.
"It propagated well before it was detected," Pironti says. "This was not something off-the-shelf. It was something fresh and very interesting."
Still, corporate IT security professionals had a leg up on the worm if they had commercial antivirus software. For example, Symantec posted an advisory on the worm Feb. 27, 2007, in which it says that its then-current antivirus software would identify and remove it.
W32.SillyFDC removal was ranked easy by Symantec, its damage level potential was ranked medium and its overall threat rating was very low.
The worm is capable of replicating itself to removable drives and mapped drives and can download files. It exploits the AutoRun feature in Windows that lets executables run automatically when a drive containing them is accessed.
The worm copies itself to the system disk of the affected computer where it creates files or modifies the registry so the executables run whenever Windows starts up, Symantec says. It infects removable drives that get plugged in later with copies of itself that then run on the next machine the thumb drive is plugged into.
Its capabilities include downloading files from particular URLs, lowering security settings, altering Safe Mode settings, bypassing Windows firewalls and disabling Task Manager, Registry Editor and other system software, Symantec says.
Cleaning an infected machine could be accomplished by disabling System Restore, updating antivirus definitions and running a full system scan, Symantec says.
Article source
What Is McAfee Really Worth?
Intel announced its acquisition of McAfee for $7.68 billion in cash a few days ago. Rising market share for McAfee’s enterprise security software, as opposed to a flat forecast by Trefis, could push up the Trefis estimate for McAfee’s intrinsic value by around 11%. We estimate that security software for businesses accounts for around one-third of McAfee’s value.
Trefis members have created forecasts for two key drivers of McAfee’s stock over the last week: (1) McAfee Share in Security Software for Businesses Market and (2) McAfee Share in Antivirus & Security Software Market. The member forecasts suggest that McAfee Share in Security Software for Businesses Market will trend higher than the estimates of the in-house team of analysts at Trefis, while McAfee Share in Antivirus & Security Software Market will trend in-line.
McAfee competes with Symantec and TrendMicro in the enterprise as well as consumer antivirus market. We currently have a Trefis price estimate of around $32 for McAfee’s stock, about 31% below the current market price of around $47.
Read more here...
Trefis members have created forecasts for two key drivers of McAfee’s stock over the last week: (1) McAfee Share in Security Software for Businesses Market and (2) McAfee Share in Antivirus & Security Software Market. The member forecasts suggest that McAfee Share in Security Software for Businesses Market will trend higher than the estimates of the in-house team of analysts at Trefis, while McAfee Share in Antivirus & Security Software Market will trend in-line.
McAfee competes with Symantec and TrendMicro in the enterprise as well as consumer antivirus market. We currently have a Trefis price estimate of around $32 for McAfee’s stock, about 31% below the current market price of around $47.
Read more here...
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