virus

The bottom line: After the last version's radical new interface that brought this security stalwart into a visual comparison with its competitors, Avast looks to the future with version 6's edgy improvements.

Review:

Editors' note: Portions of this review are based on CNET's review for Avast Free Antivirus 6.

Avast made great strides in its previous update. Version 5 set the stage for the modern, massively popular, and free security suite with a new interface that ditched a quirky, late-'90s jukebox style for a more polished look. Easier to navigate, it also became easier to add … Read more

Viruses are small. Very small. There are millions of types, and the 5,000 or so that have been studied in detail are typically between 10 and 300 nanometers (one-billionth of a meter) in diameter.

Because the wavelengths of visible light range from roughly 300 to 800 nanometers, viruses aren't exactly visible under normal lighting. Only optical fluoresce microscopes can see inside a virus, and then only indirectly, using dye, which cannot actually penetrate a virus.

So the "microsphere nanoscope" developed by scientists at the University of Manchester's School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Civil Engineering in the U.K. and described in the journal Nature Communications is remarkable on two counts: It breaks the world record of direct imaging under normal lights by 20 times, viewing objects as small as 50 nm wide, and what's more, the tech behind it imposes no theoretical limit in the size of feature that can be seen.

This incredible jump in capacity could allow humans to see inside human cells and even live viruses for the first time, which in turn could give us many new insights into their structures and behaviors.… Read more

In February, the uber trendy Icecreamists boutique in London began serving a scoop of ice cream straight from the supple breasts of London mother Victoria Hiley. Her milk was screened at what parlor founder Matt O'Connor calls a "leading medical clinic" before being pasteurized and served in a martini glass with lemon zest and vanilla pods for 14 pounds, or about $22.50.

Not for long. News of the unusual dessert, dubbed Baby Gaga, swept across the Interwebs, and when two people complained to Westminster Council (perhaps notably, both were men), officers removed the product from the … Read more

Legitimate Android apps are being compromised by phony versions that masquerade as the real thing but deliver a payload of malware, according to a Symantec blog published yesterday.

Found on unregulated third-party Android markets, malicious versions of legitimate apps like Steamy Window are difficult to distinguish except for their tendency to request permissions that are more excessive than usual, says Symantec. But once installed, these apps carry a new piece of Android malware dubbed Android.Pjapps.

Even running the app doesn't raise a red flag to the user as the fakes closely look and act like the legitimate versions. … Read more

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Google blames a Gmail problem on a software update

Facebook plans to resume personal information sharing

AT&T launches location-based deal alerts on mobile devices and announces it will sell the 3G Kindle in its stores

A new app lets you video chat with your Facebook friends

FlyRuby helps you book a private jet online

An Android virus called Steamy Window will run up your text message bill without you knowing it

Google introduces the Trike, a custom-made … Read more

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook asks permission to change its privacy policy

Skype tweaks Skype To Go, letting you make international calls as local ones

Sony drops the price of the PlayStation Portable to $129.99

A Chinese version of Groupon is announced

Motorola sues TiVo for alleged patent infringement in its DVRs

Motorola is sued for using the name Xoom on its new tablet

New York Sen. Charles Schumer wants HTTPS to be the default security setting on major Web sites

A man in Florida is arrested for allegedly planting viruses in Whac-A-Mole arcade games

A … Read more

Microsoft has plugged a hole in its antivirus and antispyware software that could allow an attacker authenticated on the local system to gain LocalSystem privileges.

The fix for the privilege escalation vulnerability is included in an update to the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine. Since the malware protection updates are automatically applied, most end users and administrators won't need to do anything, Microsoft said in its advisory, issued yesterday. The update should be applied within 48 hours of the advisory release, or by the weekend.

The vulnerability is rated "important" for Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows … Read more

The bottom line: After the last version's radical new interface that brought this security stalwart into a visual comparison with its competitors, Avast looks to the future with version 6's edgy improvements.

Review: Avast made great strides in its previous update. Version 5 set the stage for the modern, massively popular, and free security suite with a new interface that ditched a quirky, late-'90s jukebox style for a more polished look. Easier to navigate, it also became easier to add new features.

Make no mistake; Avast 6 adds features both big and small. Some that had previously … Read more

Just the other day, I got about 50 Facebook Wall posts from my cousin - all of which were the same message, repeated literally 50 plus times. I almost clicked on the first message since it was from my cousin, of all people, but then I saw another Wall post come in that looked exactly the same. So, I knew his account was hacked. I tried to delete them one by one, but it kept coming throughout the day and night for a few days, so I gave up. I guess they are here to stay. I'm still hoping … Read more