security software

New Microsoft study says your software is counterfeit

In a new IDC white paper commissioned by Microsoft, cleverly titled "The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software: How Pirated Software Can Compromise the Cybersecurity of Consumers, Enterprises, and Nations...and the Resultant Costs in Time and Money" ( full PDF), there's a boatful of interesting statistics around "the prevalence of malicious code and unwanted software -- such as viruses, Trojan horses, keystroke-capturing software, authentication backdoors, and spyware -- in pirated software and on the Web sites and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks where such software is found."

"[U]sing information from a 10-country survey of … Read more

Crave giveaway: Symantec's Norton 360 Multi-Device suite

Congrats to Jonathan P. of Lawton, Okla., for winning an Element Case Sector 5 for the iPhone and a Joule II for the iPad in last week's giveaway. Now, some good news and some bad news. First, the bad: It's getting to be that time of year when online holiday-related scams proliferate faster than big-box deals. The good? This week's giveaway is here to help.

We're giving away a copy of Symantec's new Norton 360 Multi-Device security suite. A couple of months back, CNET highly recommended Norton 360. The Multi-Device version of the software simultaneously … Read more

Norton 2013 offers good Windows 8 support, but struggles on benchmarks

Review: Symantec has moved Norton 360 to the same release schedule as Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus, making them into a three-tiered strategy for consumer security. Norton AntiVirus is the entry-level product, with Norton Internet Security occupying the middle rung and Norton 360 aimed at people who want the most bang for the most buck.

Notoriously slow to respond to trends, the consumer security field is surprisingly not taking Windows 8 lying down. Norton and many of its competitors are optimizing their suites for Microsoft's new operating system ahead of its release, and Norton is combining that strategy … Read more

Get your choice of 9 Windows security suites for free

When it comes to security software, there are plenty of perfectly good freebies. Avast Free, Microsoft Security Essentials, Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition...the list goes on and on. You really can safeguard a PC without spending a dime.

That said, why not use a full-featured, support-backed security suite if you can get it for free as well? Every so often I see a deal on one such suite, but today, Newegg has nine Windows security programs for free (after rebate).

Scroll down just a bit and you'll see the various choices, all of which show their regular prices … Read more

Two free Mac antivirus apps compared

Recent malware attacks targeting Macs haven't tarnished the machine's reputation as the safer alternative to a Windows PC. But for many Mac users, the Flashback Trojan has dispelled the myth of Mac invulnerability.

The most recent Java-based iteration of Flashback appears to be easy to catch: just visit the wrong Web page and your machine's infected, as Josh Lowensohn describes in his Flashback FAQ.

The FAQ explains that Flashback's creators may have exploited Apple's go-it-alone strategy. Apple refuses to preinstall Adobe's Flash player, so Mac users are prompted to download and install the plug-in … Read more

Ad-Aware 10: Something completely different

The bottom line: The new owners of Lavasoft have revamped Ad-Aware to the point where it has almost nothing in common with its predecessors besides function. It's a good reboot, but it's not out of the woods yet.

Review: While the name Ad-Aware remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, everything from the user interface to the code powering Ad-Aware 10 is entirely new.

More so than any recent version of Ad-Aware, the suite is usable, lightweight, and worthy of your attention.

Installation The installation is straightforward, although it still does opt you in … Read more

Ad-Aware 10: Something completely different

The bottom line: The new owners of Lavasoft have revamped Ad-Aware to the point where it has almost nothing in common with its predecessors besides function. It's a good reboot, but it's not out of the woods yet.

Review: While the name Ad-Aware remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, everything from the user interface to the code powering Ad-Aware 10 is entirely new.

More so than any recent version of Ad-Aware, the suite is usable, lightweight, and worthy of your attention.

Installation The installation is straightforward, although it still does opt you in … Read more

Ad-Aware 10: Something completely different

The bottom line: The new owners of Lavasoft have revamped Ad-Aware to the point where it has almost nothing in common with its predecessors besides function. It's a good reboot, but it's not out of the woods yet.

Review: While the name Ad-Aware remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, everything from the user interface to the code powering Ad-Aware 10 is entirely new.

More so than any recent version of Ad-Aware, the suite is usable, lightweight, and worthy of your attention.

Installation The installation is straightforward, although it still does opt you in … Read more

Get Norton 360 5.0 3-user for free

Happy 2012, everyone!

New year, new outlook. For example, while in the past I've championed freeware security tools over their pricey commercial counterparts, I'm starting to think there's something to be said for the latter--especially for less tech-savvy users. (You know who you are. :)

Expiring today, Newegg has Norton 360 5.0 3-user edition for free after a $45 mail-in rebate (PDF). That includes shipping of this boxed copy of the software.

For those unfamiliar with it, Norton 360 offers robust protection against the likes of viruses, spyware, phishing, identity theft, and rootkits.

It also provides automated … Read more