Posts Tagged ‘online security’

Better Security With Windows 7

November 23rd, 2009

Microsoft claims that Windows 7 is the safest operating system it has ever built. Is this a mere puff or is there some substance to the claim? In fact there are some strong security features incorporated into Windows 7 which can make a big difference.

1. The core kernel of the Windows 7 operating system has been enhanced and strengthened. Specifically two techniques, Space Layer Randomisation and Data Execution Prevention are very effective at preventing virus attacks at a low level and result in a stronger computing environment.

2. User Account Control (UAC) has been improved. UAC prompts consist of a dialog box seeking users’ permission to continue or stop whenever an important system-level change is about to be made. In Windows Vista the feature became unpopular because of the frequency of the prompts. This led many users to turn UAC off altogether and thus it lost its potential as a security enhancer. Now in Windows 7 the user can taylor the level of alerts to suit thier own tastes and strike a balance between staying secure and useability.

3. Windows 7 comes with Internet Explorer 8. The headline feature here is ‘protected mode’. This relies on various security features of Windows 7 to prevent malicious code from running in the browser.

4. The Windows Security Center has been replaced with the security section of the new ‘Action Center’. This provides quick information regarding the status of important security components on your PC: firewall, spyware, and virus protection. It also keeps you up to date on the status of Windows Updates, Internet security settings, and UAC settings. All the basics you need to know really.

Has Microsoft made a more secure opertaing system? Windows 7 does improve the security of PCs with better controls and protections out of the box and upgraders can look forward to a number of important security enhancements.

For more info on Virus Removal and Antivirus Software, visit http://www.virusremoval.org

3 Tips for Better Online Security

October 16th, 2009

Profix maintains Computers and solves Computer problems in Newry, Co.Down. Over the years a lot of knowledge has been gathered with regard to how average PC users tackle the issue of internet security. The majority of people have a bad habit of ignoring problems (Shutting down the PC at the fist sign of trouble and assuming that things will be OK tomorrow) and also of neglecting some basic security guidelines. As you might expect, this kind of attitude will land you and your computer in trouble. Here are some simple tips to follow to avoid problems.

1.Keep all of your Software updated with Secunia’s Free Online Software Scanner. Our experience in the Computer Repair/Maintenance field over the last 10 years shows that most computer users are slow to update their software or dont bother at all. Is this a problem? Yes, very much so. Old software is highly likely to be vulnerable to attack by hackers. These vulnerabilities must be fixed by installing the latest version of the software. The problem is that with so many different installed programs, keeping track of their status can become a chore. This is where Secunias free online Scan will help. It will check 70 of the most common programs for vulnerabilities, including Windows Updates Firefox, Messenger, Zonealarm and Java. Check it out: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/

2. Strengthen all of your password. Change them regularly and make them better. Add a number or two and at least one capital letter. Use zeros instead of O’s and 3’s instead of the letter ‘E’. Using this rule, the word ‘online’ would become ‘0nlin3′. These simple tricks will result in a much more ‘hackproof’ computer. If you doubt that you could remember a new complex password, think again & have more faith in yourself. Use a simple rhyme. For example, the password ‘kth0w’ could become ‘keep the hackers out now’!

3.Watch what you download on file sharing sites. A vast amount of viruses get spread through these sites and a lot of the time you wont know until it has already infected your computer. Not to mention that the content is more than often illegally copied!

If you take a few minutes to consider these areas each month, you will have a much better chance of staying secure and virus free. The odds will be stacked in your favour and you may not have to visit your local computer repair shop as often.

For more information, visit ProFix’s site here: Computer Repair Newry. If you live in or near Newry contact ProFix for assistance with any Computer problems!

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Spyware Blocker Review

August 16th, 2009

If you are looking for a good spyware blocker then Malwarebytes is something you should have a look at. Malwarebytes Antimalware is one of the most prominently used spyware blocker in the security industry today. Why is this? Firstly, Malwarebytes Anti Malware is pretty advanced and it contains a spyware removal engine and spyware definition database which is able to detect the latest rogue spyware. It only seems like a few months ago when Malwarebytes was actually struggling to stay up but after some immense effort by the developers, Malwarebytes stands as one of the best spyware blockers in the internet industry.

When you look at Malwarebyte’s navigation and design, it is not the best you will come across. To summarize its design and theme, it is quite dull and the color consists of red or grey. Of course, the color theme is not a really important factor but navigation definitely is. Unfortunately, Malwarebytes Anti Malware also performs poorly in this factor. When you first load Malwarebytes, you will see a window with various tabs across the screen. These tabs may be slightly confusing for computer users at beginner levels because some of them lead to content which contain technical terms. The tabs should be simplified further to aide these computer beginners.

In terms of its detection rate, you will not find many more spyware removal tools which outperform the Malwarebytes Anti Malware. Despite Malwarebytes having a poor design, its detection rate is five stars and it can detect any of the latest rogue spyware which hits the net. You will be able to detect prominent rogue spyware like AntivirusBEST.

In terms of its removal rate, it is just as good as Malwarebytes Anti Malwares detection rate. You will find no problems in removing any spyware infections or Trojans which Malwarebytes detect. This is the beauty of this anti spyware blocker. It may look bad from the outside but it does what its functioned to do with clear perfection.

When you discuss the impact Malwarebytes Anti Malware has on the computer then you will get varying responses. This is mainly because people have different computer specifications therefore it is hard to rate whether Malwarebytes has a huge impact on the computer performance or not. I found that with a decent laptop with a memory of 2GB ram and 2.0 GHZ processor, Malwarebytes did not affect my computer performance by that much although it was noticeable when I ran a whole screen program.

Support-wise, Malwarebytes really lacks in guiding users. They may have an excellent detection rate but their support system is pretty poor to say the least. You have to rely on unofficial Malwarebytes forums to discuss your Malwarebytes results.

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