Fortinet goes virtual

Fortinet is introducing virtual versions of four of its physical appliances that are designed to protect traffic as it moves between virtual machines.

FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer and FortiMail appliances will be compatible with VMware virtual environments, the company says, extending security as well as management and reporting to the traffic traveling among VMs.

FortiGate is the company's unified threat management (UTM) appliance that performs a range of security functions including firewall, VPN and intrusion detection. FortiGate software will be deployable on VMware VMs. It will be licensed for two, four and eight virtual CPUs.

One feature of FortiGate physical appliances is virtual domains, the ability to create separate firewall and administrative domains within one appliance. Virtual domains are supported within virtual FortiGate instances, the company says.

FortiManager is the management platform for Fortinet appliances, FortiAnalyzer is the analysis and reporting tool, and FortiMail is the e-mail security scanner.

In each case the functionality will be the same as for the appliances. Because instances of the products run on VMs within physical machines, they can filter and report on traffic among the guests on the host machines, Fortinet says.

Other vendors offer security software for deployment on VMs including Catbird, Reflex Systems, Check Point, Altor, Stonesoft, Vyatta and others. Cisco is expected to announce virtual security platforms soon.

FortiGate Virtual Appliance starts at $9,995 for a two CPU version, $14,995 for the four CPU version and $29,995 for the eight CPU verstion. FortiManager Virtual Appliance, with a license of 5,000 devices/120,000 FortiClient agents, costs $22,495. FortiAnalyzer Virtual Appliance will become available in Q4, and FortiMail Virtual Appliance is due in Q1 2011. Pricing for them has not been set.

Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.

Source : Network World

ZoneAlarm announces its Vista-compatible firewall

Checkpoint has released an updated ZoneAlarm 7.1 that's designed to work with Windows Vista's architecture. This is the first true two-way firewall for the Windows Vista environment. Windows Vista includes the Windows Firewall, however, it blocks only inbound traffic, allowing all "except where excepted" outbound traffic. This may seem like a fine distinction, but it can be huge. If you acquire a remote-access Trojan on your Windows Vista machine, Microsoft may not flag the outbound traffic.

Checkpoint explained its delay in releasing this product in an e-mail. "Rather than rush to market with a patchwork solution when only a small fraction of our users were actually using Vista," the company said, "we decided to invest in the long-term." This includes building the product on Microsoft's Windows Filtering Platform API, rather than continuing to use the soon-to-be outdated TDI API. Not only does this provide ZoneAlarm with more stability under Windows Vista, but it means Checkpoint won't have to rewrite its code when TDI does expire.

ZoneAlarm continues to provide a free version in addition to its paid versions. Its Internet security suite continues to use best-of-breed third-party products such as the Kaspersky antivirus engine and MailFrontier antispam filters.

Source: news.cnet.com

Tips to Protect Yourself If You Are Online Gamer

Gamers could have a greater risk of being exposed to online threats. Here are some tips to help keep you safe.

Online Gaming

Online gamers are as likely as anybody else to encounter scams and malware attacks. In fact, because gamers often spend a considerable amount of time online, they may even be more likely than most users to be exposed to an attack. Further, the camaraderie that exists in close-knit gaming communities makes it all the more likely that people will be tempted to click on a link sent by another competitor – especially as they may be thinking more about the action at hand than potential risks. In a recent newsletter, Australian security company PC Tools explained how attacks can work:

• Seed pirated copies of popular games with malware. Most recently, cybercrooks abused public interest in StarCraft II, targeting gamers downloading from a BitTorrent site. Several .exe files were malicious, and contained the ability to inject code, log keystrokes, and capture passwords.


• Attempt to gain access to a gamer’s personal information (usernames, passwords, even credit card information) by pretending to share a common interest. Take advantage of known vulnerabilities in software or operating systems to spread various forms of malware (viruses, worms, trojans, and the like). Once one computer has been infiltrated, an entire network could be next.

PC Tools also provided some hints on how to keep safe while gaming:

• Don’t get zapped: Get both signature-based and behavior-based anti-malware protection. Signature-based antivirus software proactively screens incoming and outgoing emails, Internet downloads, zip files and hard drives. Behavioral-based protection provides efficient and proactive protection against Internet threats such as viruses, keyloggers, rootkits and trojans, as well as new and unknown threats.


• Turn on your shield: A firewall will prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network and will also make sure that unauthorized programs don’t take up your bandwidth while you play.


• Play smart: Don’t supply other players with your personal details or click on any links they offer you, limit the amount of personal information you supply the game’s administrator server, and don’t share your game password or your account credentials with other gamers –- fellow gamers and hackers can cheat!


• Do your homework before you play: Research the game’s hacking history on the Internet before you subscribe to an online game to identify the security risk.

If you’re a parent of kids who are into online games, there is an additional point you need to consider. It’s not unusual for kids to look for ways to avoid paying for games, and that can put their computers at risk – they may end up downloading compromised files or end up visiting malicious, malware-serving websites. I’ve seen computers belonging to young family members that have been infected with a smorgasbord of malware (yes, Ben and Izaac, I am talking about you!), from password-stealing Trojans to malware that causes pop-up ads for gambling and porno websites. Now, if a kid is doing this from their own computer then, depending on your moral standpoint, you may or may not consider it too much of an issue. If, however, a kid is causing the family computer – one that’s used for online banking and other financial transactions – to be compromised, it can be a real problem (example). Installing an antivirus program and keeping it updated will certainly help, but it’s still not a sure-fire solution as there is always a risk that it may not detect a new strain of malware.

The best advice is not to share a computer with your kids but, of course, this is not an option for everybody. If you do need to share a computer with your kids, here are a few hints that may help keep you – and your money! – safe:

Set rules. Tell your kids that they are not allowed to download cracked/pirated software and explain why.

• Password-protect your antivirus program so it cannot be disabled.


• Educate yourself. Learn the risks and learn to recognize warning signs (for example, if your 13 year old has installed WinRAR, you’ll probably want to ask why!).


• Block it completely. If you’d prefer to simply block your kids from playing online games, you can do so using the excellent and no-cost OpenDNS or other parental control software. Additionally, you can use User Accounts to prevent your kids installing software without your permission (Why use a standard user account instead of an administrator account?)


• Talk to them. Make sure that you understand what your kids use the computer for and make sure that they understand the risks associated with certain types of activity.

Has your computer ever been compromised as a result of online gaming? Or do you have a security tip to share? Leave a comment and let us know!

Source: sync-blog.com

Group Releases Guidelines for Future AV Software Tests

A coalition of security companies and researchers have agreed on guidelines for how security software products should be tested, which may help put an end to long-running disputes about different testing methodologies.

Two sets of guidelines covering principles for testing security software for performance and testing entire security suites were adopted by the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) at its latest meeting in Helsinki.

The guidelines are part of a series of documents on AMTSO's Web site aimed at introducing a set of standards broadly agreed through the industry as appropriate for ranking the effectiveness of security software.

Security companies have bickered over tests run by organizations such as AV-Test.org and Virus Bulletin and others, which regularly test and rank security software.

Among the contentious issues are the age of the malicious software samples used to test antivirus programs. Companies that failed to detect certain kinds of malware have argued in the past that the samples weren't threats any more and that they had removed the signatures from their databases.

Other companies have countered that their failed test wasn't accurate since other technologies in their software would have stopped the particular threat. Some antivirus testing programs perform static testing, where an antivirus engine is run against a set of samples.

But many security companies have incorporated other complex ways to detect malware. One such method, known as behavioral detection, checks to see how malware behaves on a computer.

The new guidelines are voluntary, but many testing organizations have agreed to go along with them, such as Virus Bulletin, AV-Comparatives, West Coast Labs and ICSA Labs, said David Harley, an AMTSO board member and director of malware intelligence for ESET. AV-Test.org will also use the guidelines, according to Andreas Marx, who founded the company.

"We're just trying to get people to think harder their methodologies so that they actually make sense," Harley said. "It doesn't mean you can't do things different ways, it just means you have to try and conform to a rationality."

Virus Bulletin has contributed to the guidelines covering performance testing, said John Hawes, technical consultant and test team director.

"We've already started implementing some of the ideas developed while discussing and designing this document, with some major expansions to the performance data we report in our comparatives in recent months and more improvements on the way," Hawes said. "We're also hard at work developing a new style of test which will allow us to measure the full range of features in many of today's security solutions."

AMTSO has reached agreement with many security companies, but the nonprofit organization is still viewed with some suspicion by other consumer organizations outside of the security industry that do security software testing, Harley said.

AMTSO's membership comprises mostly vendors, but the organization will work to communicate that the standards that have been developed are sound and can be trusted to provide more accurate test results, Harley said. "That's something we are going to have to work on," Harley said.

Source: pcworld.com

Fake Anti-Virus Software

While Trojans and bots are the most prevalent forms of malware circulating the web, cyber criminals’ use of rogue anti-virus software is steadily increasing.

So claims Sunbelt Software, which released its list of the top 10 malware threats in April. The rankings were largely unchanged from March apart from the entry of a loader for a rogue security product named SecurityTool.

The FraudTool.Win32.SecurityTool (v) threat took the final place in the top 10, removing Virtumonde from the list.

A recent report from Google claimed that fake anti-virus software now accounts for 15 per cent of all malware on the web.

“Trojans and bots are very prevalent. We also have an indication that rogue security products continue to spread," said Sunbelt Software research centre manager Tom Kelchner.

"In recent months many security researchers at antivirus companies have been noticing a slow but steady increase in rogue activity. It's becoming a very significant source of income for the bad guys,” he added in a statement.

Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT was ranked as the most prevalent form of malware threat by Sunbelt, with a 33.74 share, far ahead of Exploit.PDF-JS.Gen in second place on 3.41 per cent.

Source: itpro.co.uk

5 Tips for protecting Windows 7 with Anti-Virus Program

An anti-virus program or software is a critical part of any Microsoft operating system that interacts with other systems, especially if it is connected to the Internet and works with browser, email, or instant messenger traffic. It looks like everyone has his or her favorite anti-virus solution and it is different from everyone else’s. For personal desktop systems, however, there are some rules of thumb that seem to be fairly universal among security experts:

Don’t run two anti-virus programs- Running two anti-virus applications at the same time is just asking for trouble. Whether it is because their real-time scanners fight over access and between the two of them can slow your PC to a crawl, or because one might misidentify virus signature files maintained by the other as actual virus infections, many problems can crop up that make using two desktop anti-virus programs effectively incompatible with each other.
Scan the entire Windows 7 PC- A real-time scanner is not enough. You should also make sure you perform full-system scans frequently, and automate the process with a scheduled nightly scan if possible. Real-time scanners only finds an incoming virus before it infects your PC if it happens to pass through a point of access that the scanner can effectively protect, and even then sometimes something might get through before there is a virus signature available for your Anti-Virus program.
Get Anti-Virus with a real-time scanner- You require an on-access, real-time scanner to ensure that some of the most common infection vectors for viruses and worms are checked live, to prevent an infection from spreading when your system first encounters the virus or worm. Real-time scanning can be a real burden on system performance, and there may be times when you would want to disable it to increase your performance, but you need to be very careful about that. Surfing the Web and checking email are not the times to turn off your anti-virus real-time scanner for extra performance.

Install your Anti-Virus program before connecting to the Internet- Any Microsoft Windows system should have anti-virus program installed before connecting to the Internet. We have seen malware insinuate itself onto a computer in less time than it took to download anti-virus software to use on the system. If you have not seen that, and you use that as evidence you do not need to worry about anti-virus until after you have opened a browser and visited to a Website where you can download Anti-virus software.

Don't trust default Anti-Virus program- Norton and McAfee, once among the most trusted anti-virus programs for Windows users. Now a days, most home desktop security experts recommend that any system that comes with any default anti-virus program get something else installed instead, as quickly as possible.
Other factors can play a vital role in protecting against virus infection, of course. A good firewall good user practices when browsing the Web, checking email, or downloading files and even Microsoft Windows 7 User Account Control can help sometimes.

PC Security is not difficult

These days, computers are essential for every person to fulfill basic needs. Computers come under the contact of virus when they are connected to Internet. I have experienced this when I purchased a brand new computer. As I am a gaming freak, I decided to get a new Internet connection in order to download games available online. I searched games on the net and download the executable files of the desirable game. My computer took couple of minutes to download the game and then I installed the game. After the game was installed, I observed something penasty with my computer. Some applications stopped working, blue screen of death problem and Windows freezed suddenly. My computer had been infected by severe viruses present in the executable file of game.
So I searched on Internet about virus attacks and I came to know about the various methods to avoid virus threats in your computer. Some basic practices, which I have exercised in order to prevent virus threats are mentioned below.
• Make sure that disks and files you run on your computer should be authentic.
• Don’t try the disks which have been used in other computers and don’t download files from unauthentic websites as well as avoid opening e-mail attachments without scanning.
• Download the antivirus software in order to detect the virus present in your computer.
• Install updates from the antivirus software website. Then the antivirus software will be able identify the virus and delete it.
• Download and install any software patches or other programs that will help you eliminate the virus. Or follow any instructions you find on deleting the virus manually.
• Try to scan all the files with the extensions .doc, .com, .xls and .ppt etc with antivirus software. Virus mostly present in the files with these extensions.
By following the above-mentioned instructions, I removed some infections from my computer but my computer was not yet completely free of malicious programs. Then I decided to go for technical support providers in order to make my PC secure. Everyone needs PC security to avoid unauthentic access to the data stored in the computer.
So if you find any difficulty while removing severe viruses from your computer then go for technical support firms who provide dedicated technical support to protect your PC against the virus attack. Their Microsoft Certified technicians will access your computer remotely and resolve the issue within fraction of seconds. So imagine the world with unlimited hassle-free Technical Support 24/7/365.

Laptop & Notebook Computers - Enjoy computing with Acer

Acer offers a wide range of laptops, notebooks, and desktops and satiates the requirements of both the professionals as well as homer users.
Features:
The latest laptop series- Acer Aspire 8940G comes with dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM support, Dolby optimized Acer CineSurround sound system, Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution, etc. This laptop is integrated with Acer Instant On Arcade, Acer Bio-Protection, Acer Crystal Eye, Acer Launch Manager, Acer eRecovery Management, Adobe Reader, NTI Media Maker, etc.
Usability:
With the use of Acer Aspire 8940G, you can get exciting entertainment experience due to the Blu-ray optical technology. You can easily connect with anyone, because of its built-in webcam, stereo microphones, and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Limitations:
While working with the Acer laptop, you can face any technical issue like, blue screen error, system crash, hard disk failure, driver conflict, etc. In such a condition, you should go for Acer support provider, so that, your system can become fit and healthy once again.
In case, you face any technical issue with your Acer laptop, you can contact any service provider for assistance. Many technical service providers offer remote support for all Acer laptops. Services offered through remote support are enlisted as:
• Installation, re-installation, and un-installation of software
• Troubleshooting software errors
• Configuring settings for Office suite, Internet, e-mail, etc.
• PC Optimization
• Data backup
• Virus and spyware removal
All the above services are offered through remote connection. While accessing online support for your Acer laptop, tech expert will access your system via online and will diagnose your system. Thereafter, they will perform the necessary steps to resolve your technical issues related to Acer laptop.

SEE MORE -
Antivirus Support
Asus Support

Firewall Configuration

A firewall is a device or a set of devices, which can be implemented in any of the hardware, software or both. All the messages passing through the firewall are verified to meet some level of security criteria.

It acts as a computer security barrier, which analyzes all the incoming and outgoing traffic to and from your computer or network based on the firewall settings. There are some common types of firewalls like: Application level gateway, Packet filtering firewall, Circuit gateways and Hybrid firewall.

Application level gateway firewall works on the application layer of the protocol stack. It works more intelligently than the packet filtering firewall. Packet filtering firewall examines the information contained in the header of the message packets.

There are some factors based on which the filters can be added or removed from the firewall:

1. IP address

2. Ports

3. Protocols

IP address: Every computer connected to Internet has a unique IP address. The firewall configuration can be customized to block any IP address so that your computer will not allow any kind of communication to take in between.

Ports: The firewall can be configured to allow or block messages from any port number.

Protocols: There are some commonly used protocols like IP, HTTP, TCP, FTP, and SMTP etc., which can be included in the firewall filter.

Some operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows offer built-in firewalls that are turned on by default to block all the incoming threats from Internet. There are several other third party firewalls available. You can choose any one the firewall to replace the default firewall in Windows.

Install Anti-virus

With the increasing pace of Internet usage worldwide, the rate at which the Computer Security systems are being infected is also increasing. Not only the users connected to Internet are infected, but the non-Internet users are also being attacked at the same rate with the use of infected portable storage devices like floppies, CD/DVD, USB flash drives and other for transferring files, data, and other documents among different computer systems.

There has been a tremendous growth in the number of malicious codes developed and spread on Internet. There has been a growth in the virus, spywares, Trojan horse, worms, adware, key loggers and other similar threats. To tackle with this increasing growth of virus and other malicious code on Internet, anti-virus software are simultaneously developed and updated.

In today’s scenario the anti-virus software comes bundled with several additional programs such as firewalls, and spyware removal tools so as to provide a higher level of security to the computer users.

The first line of defense to protect your PC is to install some good anti-virus software carrying the feature of automatic update. The reason behind installing anti-virus software with the automatic update feature is to get the latest protection against the newly released viruses and other malicious codes. The next step is to update the anti-virus with the latest virus definitions.

The install anti-virus software compares the binary code of the content stored on the computer hard disk against the database of virus definitions. When the anti-virus software detects the similar binary code of the virus on the hard disk then it report it as the presence of virus. So, if the virus definition database is updated with the latest virus definitions then your computer system will remain protected against the latest virus attacks.

Common computer problems and Easy fixes

If you have computer, then you have probably face these computer problems before. Once you purchase a computer, you must accept that sooner or later it will eventually crash due to a virus or some other massive error. If someone told you that your computer will last more than a decade, don’t believe it because it is just a myth or another sales pitch. But of course, you should take care of it if you want it to last for its third year without any defects. However, there are many people that would prefer to buy a new computer than spend some time trying to fix or figure out the problem with their laptop or desktop.
Usually you will need some kind of maintenance because your computer will tend to lose its original speed and performance. Well, here are some if the common problems that a computer user usually experience. Most of the time the biggest problem that your computer has is YOU – the owner or the user. There are many people that neglect the first signs of computer problems. You shouldn’t neglect those simple maintenance tasks that can enhance or prolong the life of your computer.
1. Computer speed or performance has slowed. There are several reasons why this happens to your computer. Lack of maintenance, fragmented data, corrupted registry, spyware, and unnecessary loading of computer programs and services can surely affect your PC speed and performance. Managing your programs and cleaning your registry can easily boost your computer’s performance speed up to 30%.
2. Computer system freezes and blue screens of death. You need to do some serious diagnostic procedures to effectively know the problem with your computer. Computer virus or spyware are maybe some of the reasons to your computer. Update your anti-spyware removal immediately to avoid this kind of problem and thoroughly scan your computer to see if it has any viruses or spywares. If you find that your computer is free from spyware then updating your hardware drive is the next step. Hardware drives makes it easier for your computer to effectively communicate with other hardware components. Without an updated driver the CPU locks up and may cause problems when you are using your computer. If that doesn’t work try to increase your Computer RAM to help avoid computer freezes. By increasing the RAM you get more use out your computer's computing power.
3. The computer keeps on rebooting again and again. This kind of problem is usually associated with hardware issue. Faulty power supply is usually the cause of this problem. Dirty or defective cooling fan is another reason why your computer is rebooting spontaneously. When your computer is trying to cool itself when the fan is defective it automatically switches off. Dust that accumulated in your computer can trap the heat inside which makes it hotter. What you should do is to clean the fan and make sure that it is running properly. Do not forget to check your power supply.
4. Noises and vibrations. This one is almost certainly that you have hardware issue. High pitched noises can be caused by electronic components. Whatever the reason, you conduct a small investigation. Unplug your computer and remove the case and run the computer to discover the origin of noise. If a loose wire or faulty fan is not the one that is making the noise then it may be time to call a computer tech to help you with your problem.
5. Your browser home page changed itself. It is known as "high-jacking" which is also caused by a Spyware installed on your system. The spyware in your computer installed a java script into your web browser that tells your browser to change settings hence changing the default home page of your browser. What you can do is to run an anti-virus or spyware program to remove the spyware from your computer. All of the problems stated in this article can be avoided easily by simply maintaining your computer.

Microsoft support, Microsoft technical support, Microsoft access support, Microsoft product support, Microsoft windows vista

The windows system Registry has been called the most important part of any Windows PC operating system (OS), but you probably didn’t even know it exists. There is a good reason for that. Microsoft doesn’t want you messing with it. Like so many other features in Windows, Microsoft chose to hide information considered too powerful to be left in the hands of mere mortals. Only the wisest of gurus can be entrusted with such knowledge.
The registry controls everything and a single mistake can have devastating consequences on the entire OS. Installed programs and applications will write important data into the registry. User defined data and configurations are also stored.
The data is tracked through a tree of folders and it’s called “keys” that branch off the registry nodes. Every key can have sub keys nested in multiple levels. Its data known as “values” are stored in the keys and sub keys. Groups of related keys, sub keys and values are known as hives.
Applications can modify the keys by changing the values, adding new keys or deleting existing ones. More recent versions of Windows will back up the registry and in the event of a problem, will ask you if you want to use the “Last known good configuration.” This was an option that began in the old Microsoft Windows vista days.
The good news is that such configuration issues related to the registry will not affect your important data like documents, photos, etc. The bad news is that many times the problem that caused the crash in the first place may also be saved in the backup versions of the registry.
Many software programs exist to examine registry the keys and make any necessary repairs. These programs can even check your registry for unused keys that clog your system. Removing these keys can significantly improve performance.
For more information on the Windows Registry, check out the Microsoft software support program.

Are you looking antivirus support to remove spyware embedded in PC?

Are you looking antivirus support to remove spyware embedded in PC? The typical computer purchase usually comes with some form of installed antivirus software, but it is worth noting that these programs cannot deal with a wide variety of threats such as adware and spyware simply because they cannot detect and destroy them.
Antivirus support program is capable of detecting them while they run. However, you may also want to take note that different programs have different ways of scanning, with some scanning the system memory that the applications use while others scan the files directly to try to detect malware.
Another way Spyware generally costs the user a lot of time not only by slowing down the PC but also displaying many pop up advertisements that distract the user. Also, people tend to spend a lot of time looking for solutions to spyware removal problems online. There are many programs online that can help you scan your computer system for malware and viruses, but not many can permanently get rid of all the detected malicious software.
Some people want to try removing spyware on their PCs manually but usually do not end up with very good results. Some even end up deleting the wrong entries and damaging their computer permanently.
Are you looking for Spyware Remove?
Find Spyware & Adware Removal support on the market now at http://www.iyogi.ca/virus-removal-support/ first!

Computer install to get the desirous software

In today’s computer world no software is the ultimate one. As developer are working deliberately to give the best to the users. Hence, computer install is an essential part, both for beginner and the experts.
For critical software install user can take the help of reputed organization who are offering remote support for installation purpose. But, you must be aware of some general installation procedure so that you don’t have to frequently call them up.
Let’s get acquittal with installation of some important software program on your computer.
Installation for Security software and web browsers
Users can make use of CD/DVD of the latest security software like Windows Defender, Spyware Doctor, No adware and so on. For browser you have plenty of options, you can go for Firefox, Opera, IE 8. If you have the internet connectivity you may go for online download from authentic sites. General steps can be followed as:
STEP 1. Download and save the startup program to a desired location.
STEP 2. Run the setup file and proceed on following the prompts.
STEP 3. Accept the agreement and enter the suitable key words.
STEP 4. Click on “Finish.” Restart your system.
Communication has been revised well with the latest email clients. Programs like email client can be installed internally from the web browser.IE 8 have been designed to automatically launch your default email client.
However, if you have the ambition to install a different email client on your computer, you can change your default client in the browser's Internet Options menu. Proceed as follow:
STEP 1. Explore the Internet Explorer.
STEP 2. Navigate on to the "Tools" menu and select "Internet Options."
STEP 3. Select the "Programs" tab.
STEP 4. Click the button "Set Programs." Select "Set Your Default Programs" from the window that appears.
STEP 5. Select your email client from the list of programs on the left side of the screen. Next, click "Choose defaults for this program."
STEP 6. Check the box next to "Mailto" and click "Save."
Hence, you have got your preferred email client installed on your computer. Hope, that the above computer install article would be useful for you.