Virus Hoax

Affordable Protection

2007-07-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

Affordable Protection

Information on your computer can be lost in a variety of ways; your keyboard is used as a piano by your children, your cat decides to use it as a mattress, lightning strikes, or a virus interferes. Backing up the contents of your hard drive is, therefore, imperative. Regularly backing up your files and storing them in a separate location means that if your computer crashes, you will likely be able to recover most, if not all, of your information.

A backup can be performed using a USB drive, CD, or DVD; but it would be so much more convenient to be able to create an exact copy of your hard disk. That is, a backup of all your files, programs, and user settings. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, Acronis may be worth checking out.

Acronis True Image 10.0 is a disk-imaging utility software. It enables the user to copy their entire hard drive (including data and operating system files, personalized settings,etc), onto another disk or disk partition. Acronis is also functional and user-friendly. It utilises wizards to easily instruct the user in how to back up and restore their computer. Highlighted features include:

Secure Zone – allows data to be saved to a special hidden partition located on the hard drive. This effectively eliminates the need to purchase an additional hard drive.

PC Cloning – allows the user to upgrade to a new system disk without having to reinstall the operating system and applications, or configure user settings.

Acronis Snap Restore - Incredibly quick restoration of the PC from an image. The user can begin working again while the system is still being restored.

It is possible to test-drive this product for free, and, if you're unhappy with it, Acronis will provide a 30-day money back guarantee. Once you have decided to purchase the product, it can be downloaded for $49.99. With Acronis True Image Home 10.0, you can feel safe in the knowledge that important information such as your personal documents and family pictures are fully protected.

Bust Spam

2007-07-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bust Spam

Spam. Nobody likes, wants or needs it. No, we're not referring to the canned meat, but to the unsolicited, annoying, and often inappropriate messages that inundate our email by the dozen. Most email providers utilise some form of spam filtering, however they never appear to do a great job of discriminating between emails that are welcome, and those that are decidedly not. It therefore becomes more and more important to rely on some form of additional spam filtering product. One such filtering system aimed at Outlook and Outlook Express users has had very positive reviews based on its excellent detection, and low rate of false positives - that is to say, you receive those emails that you wish to receive, and the spam ends up where it belongs.

This system is known as Cloudmark Desktop, (previously called SpamNet and SafetyBar). It utilises a unique community-based filtering process. Users report new spam, which results in the spammer being placed on a blacklist within minutes. From then on, other members will not receive that particular spam. Cloudmark similarly applies this process to phishing email scams.

The interesting part of this process is the manner in which Cloudmark creates a digital reputation model of reporting spam. Users begin with a neutral reputation, which increases if they are among the first to identify spam. On the other hand, a user's reputation decreases when they falsely report spam. This results in an automated, highly scalable system that is very resistant to tampering.

Another advantage of the software is that it is easy to use; it installs quickly and efficiently, and does not depend upon the user to configure its settings. Cloudmark blocks more than 98% of spam from reaching inboxes, and this is reflected in its popularity; there are over one million users worldwide.

The cost of the program is $39.95 for a one-year subscription, which is renewable each year. For those interested in test driving the product, a free 15-day trial period for both Outlook and Outlook Express is available.

2007 Virus Hoax Security Report

2007-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

2007 Virus Hoax Security Report - What should we expect?

Much is happening in the information security space. 2007 should be especially interesting in this regard. Below is a list of things to keep an eye out for in 2007; some good and - unfortunately - some bad.

The good news:

For many reasons, we have grown more serious about our security. Organizations are tightening their security as a result of new privacy laws. More consumer privacy laws should be passed in the coming year, which would most likely result in the tightening of security systems.
The requirements for authentication are increasing in an effort to close security holes. Corporations are requiring substantially more authentication to access secure systems (this can be seen as negative as well as positive).
The range of sophisticated programs that enable us to be more secure will continue to improve. Competition is strong in the security industry, which cultivates an atmosphere of innovation.
ISPs are now assuming more responsibility in order to help us with our security. AOL's recent commercials are a hopeful indication that others will follow suit.

And now for the bad news:

Securing our networks is an expensive exercise. As companies are globalizing their organizations, they are feeling the financial burden of making them more secure. Things will get worse before they improve.
As mentioned in the 'good news', authentication requirements to access secure systems are increasing. This can also be a negative, as it can inconvenience the end user; not unlike airport security lines.
Hackers are becoming more sophisticated. Botnets are becoming more complex, and therefore more difficult to catch and stop. If you search for botnets online, you'll notice they are responsible for a range of problems; and this is merely the beginning. The number of viruses and malware in existence is staggering.
Spammers continue to come up with more innovative ways to fill our email boxes. Unfortunately, this is not a trend that will stop anytime soon.