Since AVG is one of the most popular free virus scanners our readers use, this tip is simply a reminder that the free edition of version 9 is now available. The new release boasts a faster scanner and phishing protection:

The new 9.0 edition is faster, safer and easier to use. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition gives you free rock solid protection for your basic security needs. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner in AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition runs up to 50% faster than earlier versions and doesn’t get in your way. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition also delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques, which can quickly and accurately determine whether or not a web page is hosting a phishing attack. Additionally, version 9.0 comes with basic anti-rootkit protection to ensure protection against sophisticated hidden threats.

AVG 9 supports Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. If you are an AVG user, go ahead and plan on upgrading.

As I wrote in a tip not too long ago, Microsoft recently released Security Essentials which is their free anti-virus offering. While there are several free anti-virus programs you can choose from, there is a stipulation in most that says you cannot legally install the free product on any machine used for commercial purposes, which would include home offices.

Microsoft Security Essentials, on the other hand, allows for this:

Use. You may install and use any number of copies of the software on your devices in your household for use by people who reside there or for use in your home-based small business.

If you note in the title, the * indicates that while you can use this software on home office machines you cannot use it for corporate/enterprise deployments as this would not fit the terms of the license. If you want something totally free for any environment, the only package I know which fits this bill is the open source ClamAV.

Regardless, this flexibility does separate Security Essentials from the free pack and may be worth further consideration if this is an important item for you.

For those of you who carry USB drives with utilities to help diagnose and clean other people’s machines, a utility you might want to take a look at is Dr. Web CureIt.

This is a FREE anti-virus and anti-spyware utility based on Dr.Web Anti-virus scanner, which will help you quickly scan and cure, if necessary, a computer operated by MS Windows 95OSR2/ 98/Me/NT 4.0/2000/XP/2003/2008/Vista/7 without installation of the Dr.Web Anti-virus.

Since the utility does not require installation, you could have it on your flash drive and run it as needed. This can be an ideal suppliment/alternate scanner to run in the event the machine already has anti-virus present.

If you are looking for an anti-virus product to use or want to know how the one you use stacks up to the competition, relying on publications or reviews available on the respective product’s web site probably isn’t the best idea (seeing as there is a clear agenda). Instead, you might find the site AV-Comparatives useful.

The listing of the products compared include most all the major players. Additionally, their results are compiled and released fairly regularly, so you may want to check back often to see if the product you are using is slipping.

Of course it goes without saying, any review is going to be somewhat subjective no matter what the source.

Anti-Virus programs traditionally work based on a database of known viruses which are scanned against files on your computer. Simply put, an anti-virus program needs to be specifically told exactly what to look for to identify ‘Virus X’ (which is why your AV program does routine definition updates). To compliment this type of protection check out ThreatFire.

ThreatFire is a “zero day” scanner meaning it can detect malware strictly by behavior instead of a database. The theory behind the program is actually quite solid as this is similar to how the most effective spam detection systems work. The description from their web site explains how the protection works:

ThreatFire uses advanced patent-pending technology to detect signs of malicious behavior commonly used by malware threats. [...] By constantly monitoring the activity on your PC ThreatFire’s ActiveDefense technology is able to hunt down and paralyze threats that are too new or too clever to be recognized by traditional security software.

ThreatFire is free for personal use. Business/commercial users have to purchase the Pro version which is competitively priced.

As with any major upgrade of a program, there are usually several customizations and settings you have to review to get the program to behave the way you are accustomed to. AVG Free version 8 is no different. The new version boast a new interface as well as new features which included the controversial (rightfully so) link scanner component and the infamous general “annoyances” / “bloat”.

Of course, with a few tweaks you can trim down AVG. This post in the TweakGuides forum does a great job of pointing out the changes you can make. After reviewing the changes myself, I cannot say I disagree with any of them and would second everything the poster recommends.

As with any new version, you cannot expect it to be exactly the same as the previous one, but you can [try to] make it behave the way you prefer.

I have written in the past about a single file virus scanner for those of who either choose not to run an anti-virus program or want to check a file against a product other than the one installed. While this is useful, you are still limited to checking it against only a couple of engines. If you are looking for a more comprehensive test, then check out VirusTotal.

VirusTotal is a single file scanner which checks files against over 30 anti-virus engines. You can easily send a file to VirusTotal by either emailing or uploading the file directly to get the scan results.

The specifications, from VirusTotal’s web site points out:

• Free, independent service
• Use of multiple antivirus engines
• Real-time automatic updates of virus signatures
• Detailed results from each antivirus engine
• Real time global statistics

This is definitely a pretty neat idea for doing just about everything you can to protect yourself from what you suspect is a harmful file.

When the popular free AVG 8.0 anti-virus product was released recently, it used a ‘pre-scanner’ of sorts on web search results which, ironically, was somewhat virus-like. This scanner led to an significant amount of junk traffic and bandwidth usage which web masters had to deal with.

After some complaint AVG has corrected the problem and is rolling out versions which will address this issue (here is a very unofficial announcement). I use AVG 7.5 on my home computer and was holding back consideration of upgrading until this problem was addressed, as I did not want to knowingly cause ‘web-spam’. I’m still going to wait until support for 7.5 ends, but at least now I know it is web friendly.

For those of you who like the convenience of an all-in-one security package (typically anti-virus, anti-spyware, spam filtering and a firewall), PC World’s rating of the top packages would be a good read.

I know many people on the forums here prefer to use a combination of various free programs to accomplish the same tasks. However, I personally believe the all-in-one’s are a good purchase for novice computer users who don’t have a “geek” to fall back on. A restrictive computer is much safer for someone who has no concept of computer security compared to a wide open one.

It sounds like something straight out of Hollywood. A horde of merciless souls invading our world and wreaking havoc where ever they go. They are everywhere, and they are seemingly unstoppable. As far-fetched as this may sound, in a way, it is true.

Zombie BotNets are real, are everywhere and pose a real threat. What are they and what can be done to stop them? Continued