freeware

Lightweight security from Panda Cloud AV

Panda Security continues to build better features into the company's Cloud Antivirus lightweight security suite, as a Web filter for URL scanning joins the existing protection tools. Watch the First Look video to see how it all fits together in Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.3.

Major security bug fixed in Firefox

Mozilla is advising fans of Firefox to update the stable version of the browser after it released a patch for a security bug marked "critical" today.

Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Firefox 3.6.12 patches a heap buffer overflow that could allow for remote code execution. Mozilla notes that the bug affects the current version 3.6 branch of Firefox, the legacy version 3.5 branch, and could potentially affect Thunderbird users who load Web pages in the RSS reader.

The bug has not been found in the upcoming version 4, currently in beta development and … Read more

Web filter joins Panda's Cloud Antivirus

Editor's note: Panda Security is offering free license keys for Cloud Antivirus Pro 1.3 to users who register using this download link. You'll be required to enter your name and e-mail address to receive the license key, which is good for one year. Also note that during the registration process, the checkout cart will state at some point, "Your card hasn't been charged yet." This is apparently a cart template and does not affect users who are taking part in the license key giveaway.

Panda Security continues to build better features into the company'… Read more

Tools and techniques for printing folder contents

There aren't many of us left who remember using PCs before Windows arrived. While I don't pine for the good old days of DOS, I was comfortable operating those old machines from the command line.

Back then, I frequently had to print a list of the files in a folder. Doing so was as easy as copying the list to a text file that I opened in my text editor and printed from there. This trick still works via the command prompt built into Windows.

Instructions for using commands to print the contents of a folder--including various command … Read more

Chrome moves to version 7 on schedule

Google recently adopted an accelerated release cycle for its Chrome browser, pushing out a new stable release every six weeks. Google Chrome 7.0.517.41 for Windows, Mac, and Linux introduces the majority of Chrome users to features that have been available to beta and developer's build users for several months, as well as fixing hundreds of bugs that affected the browser's stability.

The list of new features that have been added to Chrome 7 stable is a short one. The HTML5 parser has been updated, and the stable branch finally received the HTML5 file application programming … Read more

How To: Clean malware from your PC

There's little out there that can cause a rage seizure like a malware infection. Yet as annoying and dangerous to your privacy as they are, malware infections can be removed from your computer. We've written up a FAQ to help guide you to safety, and in the How To video above, we'll show you some concrete steps first for making sure that you actually have been infected, and then for how to eradicate the infection.

The best Internet Explorer security add-ons

Big things are brewing in the browser industry, which is good news for all Web denizens, regardless of your browser preference. At the same time, your current browser can probably be made safer through the proper application of the right security add-ons.

Top browsers in a state of continuous enhancement Google's Chrome browser continues to garner much of the attention of the computer press two years after its release--and for good reason. Frequent, automatic updates and a clutter-free interface are two of the many features that set Chrome apart from the competition, as Stephen Shankland describes in his DeepTech blog.… Read more

AVG 2011 banks on better performance

The never-ending mantra chanted by security suite vendors sounds a lot like "faster scans, easier to use, better performance," and AVG has released a new version that it says accomplishes all three. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2011, available today exclusively from CNET Download.com, looks and feels like an overall better program.

The new AVG Free has a faster installation process. It's not as zippy as the minute-long installations that some of AVG's competitors offer. I found that the program can go from completed download to ready to use in about 5 minutes. A big contributing factor … Read more

Victimized by a 'legitimate' drive-by download

I know very well to uncheck the preselected software offers that accompany so many program updates these days. In August 2009, I edited a story by Susan Bradley in the Windows Secrets newsletter describing how Sun Microsystems, Apple, and Microsoft were making money by pushing unwanted software on unsuspecting customers.

So I have only myself to blame for the half-hour I wasted this weekend making sure my laptop's antivirus protection was active and up-to-date. That doesn't make me feel any better about Adobe preselecting the download of McAfee's Security Scan Plus freeware along with the Flash Player … Read more