As many readers may know, I am not a big believer in anti-virus programs as an essential program for computer protection, however I ultimately had to cave due to customer VPN requirements and installed Microsoft Security Essentials. But enough about me and onto an interesting article with some statistics about the effectiveness of AV programs. From the...

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...

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...

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/...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...