Anti-Virus

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

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

A Kaspersky researcher has discovered a fake antivirus warning linked to ads on ICQ, which is popular in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The ad that showed up in the ICQ window was for a women's clothing company called Charlotte Russe and clicking on the ad directs to the company's Web site, said Roel Schouwenberg, a senior antivirus researcher at Moscow-based Kaspersky.

Around the same time the ad was displayed another pop-up appeared in a new browser from "Antivirus8," that said suspicious activity was detected on the system and it encouraged the user to download the program, … Read more

The Conficker worm may have been squashed, but this nasty piece of malware is still squirming around millions of computers around the world.

Those were the findings of the Conficker Working Group, a collection of antivirus vendors and several other parties that joined forces in 2009 and 2010 to try to stomp out the worm.

Releasing a "Lessons Learned" document (PDF) yesterday, the CWG claimed success in ultimately stopping Conficker from communicating with its creator, thus preventing it from updating into newer and more dangerous variants. The group seemed especially proud of the way the various organizations and … Read more

Unwrapping a brand new laptop or desktop PC is undoubtedly an exciting holiday moment. Unfortunately, most systems aren't really ready to go out of the box. The collection of hints and tips below mirrors what I do for almost every new laptop I unbox (usually a couple of new ones every week). Follow along with the first few hints, then pop over to our list of essential free software for new PCs and install whichever ones you think you'll need.

Note that these tips are written with Windows 7 in mind, but they should work with older versions … Read more

We've all heard about fake antivirus programs, also known as scareware. These programs falsely claim that your computer is infected with malware and prompt you to buy a product that will do nothing for you, except put your credit card number into the hands of criminals.

Well now there are fake disk defraggers that masquerade as applications that fix disk errors on a computer. In a post today the GFI Labs (formerly Sunbelt Software) blog Dubbed the programs FakeAV-Defrag rogues and said they had names like HDDDiagnostic, HDDRepair, HDDRescue, and HDDPlus.

It would appear that the scammers are trying … Read more

UPDATE January 7, 2010: This bundle has SOLD OUT and is no longer available. Check out our Software Deals page. for other great offers!

Got a new PC?

If you are one of the millions of shoppers in the market for a new computer this holiday season, you won't want to miss CNET download.com's "New Year, New PC" bundle. We've teamed up with AVG, IObit, Smith Micro and Foxit to offer you this exclusive deal for a limited time only - a $170 worth of software essentials for just $30. That's a total … Read more

Security expert Sophos has announced its latest antivirus product for Mac owners, and it's completely free. Sophos has created a home version of its popular corporate Mac antivirus solution, offering Apple users a simple and elegant way to stay virus-free.… Read more

Two security software makers are complaining about Microsoft using its update service to deliver its free antivirus software to Windows users who don't have such protection on their computers.

No, it's not 1998. And we're talking about allowing customers to choose whether they want the software, rather than bundling a particular browser--say Internet Explorer--on Windows.

Microsoft began making its Security Essentials software available to customers through its Microsoft Update service as an optional download on November 1 for U.S. customers and October 19 for U.K. customers. It offers the download only to customers who do … Read more