Computer bug malware, Viruses, Spyware, Worms,affecting Apple Mac operating system OS

Do Mac users need to start running extra security software to protect themselves from malicious software, aka malware?

The good news is that Macs will be unaffected by the Conficker worm you may have read about, which may be infecting Windows computers as you read this. However, Mac users can hardly afford to be complacent.

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What Is Malware?
"Malware" is the general term for viruses, spyware, worms, and other digital nasties which Windows users are perpetually defending themselves against. It is, broadly speaking, software you didn't intend to be placed on your computer. As with human diseases, symptoms may or may not be visible. But malware can steal your personal information, provide a conduit for spam distribution, attack websites in concert with other hijacked computers, or just simply wreak havoc on your computer while distributing itself to others. Do not want.

How does malware get on to your computer? It can arrive transparently, via specially constructed web sites designed to exploit security flaws -- aka bugs -- in browsers. It can be inadvertently agreed to by you when you don't read the fine print before clicking "Agree" when you install software. Most often, it is the result of a rogue email attachment, or a deceptive link to a web site that you click.
This is why it is absolutely necessary for Windows users to run security software products intended to protect their computer from these intruders. These require yearly subscriptions to stay up to date with the latest threats. The problem is that the medicine is sometimes as worse than the disease; most security packages make themselves all too visible, flashing incomprehensible warnings on a regular basis, slowing down your computer while they scan everything in sight, and generally keeping you in a constant state of alarm, which, of course, is intended to get you to resubscribe and upgrade. (And don't even get me started on the fraudulent "security" packages which are themseves malicious software.)

Malware and the Mac
But what does this have to do with the Mac? Well, once upon a time, before Mac OS X, when dogcows roamed the earth, there was in fact malware which targeted Macs, and many users did indeed use anti-virus software (which, it's worth noting, was annoying and intrusive even then). But for most of this decade, Mac users have had the luxury of living in a state of blissful obliviousness to the unpleasantries of malicious software and the crud needed to avoid it. The fact is that in the nine years of Mac OS X's existence there has simply not been any kind of major outbreak which has hurt Mac users. This was one of the #1 reasons to buy a Mac, even if you consider all other things being equal.

Lately, however, there's been a lot of reporting that Macs are vulnerable and will be targeted by rogue software, if they haven't been already. This year, pirated copies of Apple's iWork '09 infected a number of Macs, permitting them to be secretly controlled, under the hood, by unseen others across the internet. (This is an extreme example of getting what you pay for.) It's not a real virus, in that it doesn't spread or exploit a flaw in the system; it would never happen to you if you didn't, ahem, install software you didn't pay for. All the same, it means there are compromised Macs out there. Is it the tip of the iceberg?

Yes, it is, except that the iceberg will be more of a large popsicle. In other words, we really don't see the Mac universe teeming anytime soon with the level of byte disease that the Windowsphere unfortunately does. But that doesn't mean that Mac users can afford to be sanguine about their seemingly secure computers. Maybe Macs will never have the same quantity of evil software, but all it takes is one well-crafted piece of nasty code to cause a lot of users a lot of pain.

We've Changed Our Tune
Why have we changed our tune about this? Well, we believe Macs have remained off the bad guys' radar screen all this time for two reasons. The first is the comparatively tiny market share. If the point of your software is to spread itself, why target 5% when you can target 90%?
But the second reason is that in order to write any kind of software for a Mac, good or bad, you needed to, well, buy a Mac. That's means dropping real money just to be able to write some nasty software for it. You couldn't just download a free copy of the operating system on the internet and install it on your PC...except that that's no longer true. You can, in fact, find modified copies of Mac OS X which will install on ordinary PC's. This means that as Apple's brand visibility and market share grows, it is now much easier for malware creators in corners near and far to target their products.
Quite honestly, we still have a hard time telling Mac users that they absolutely have to have anti-malware software installed. The truth is that right now there is no genuine malware threat to mainstream Mac users. We're still in Eden. You can still open your email without fear. But in our gut, we feel the coming of age of Mac OS X, into the mature operating system that it now is, comes with a loss of innocence. Yes, a Mac user can do without extra security software. But I can't say with confidence that will be true in a year.

We hope we haven't alarmed you -- that isn't our intent (to the contrary, we hate the way the manufacturers of security products stoke the coals of users' technological fears). But we feel we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't let you know what was out there. We feel sure Mac users will never have anything approaching the depth and variety of malware problems that Windows users have had. But at the same time, it's unlikely that Mac users will be able to live without anti-malware software indefinitely.

Software Solutions
If you have a Mac, and you are thinking that you want to start running security software, there are a few titles to choose from, and we don't endorse any one of them (at least not yet). With that said, Intego VirusBarrier is the leader in the space; it's been around for quite a while, is reasonably well received, and the company is exclusively focused on Macs. Some of the big guns from the PC world -- Norton, McAfee, and Sophos -- have also re-entered the Mac fray after dropping out for a bit. Finally, ClamXav is free, and performs basic scanning with quarantining of apparently infected files, though no actual file repair or virus removal.

A final word of warning to users who run Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion to run PC software on their Macs: you're just as vulnerable as you would be on a real PC, and even your Mac files are vulnerable if you make use of shared folders to access the "Mac side" from within the PC. You should run anti-virus software in your virtual machine. A decent free one is at http://free.avg.com.

Copyright 2009 Ivan Drucker.

Ivan Drucker
Mac Expert
IvanExpert Consulting http://www.ivanexpert.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ivan_Drucker/385239

Mac, malware, viruses, spyware, worms, antivirus, antivirus software, security software 

understanding computer online internet antivirus security software programs in the market

Nowadays more and more people are using a computer. A lot of them use it at their work place, but an increasing number of computer users have also discovered the need to have a computer at home. At the same time the number of Internet surfers increased. This is a good thing because people are realizing the advantages offered by the world of technology. As soon as they discover this, they start using computers and the Internet more and more, but at the same time not considering the threats that are coming in from all sides. They should know that if you don't protect yourself, nobody will. 

These threats are now coming from everywhere and they are growing in number and complexity. First threats of this kind were the viruses. At first, viruses were not that harmful. They were designed to perform a simple task, like flashing a single message onto the user's computer screen. Also the spread rate was slow, because not many people were connected to the Internet. But now the majority of viruses are programs intentionally written to obstruct with, or harm other programs or computer systems. And they are spreading very fast.

Read and share our guide review on top-best antivirus software for your complete online protection on https://onlinevirusprotection.blogspot.com.ng/2016/03/top-three-best-computer-antivirus.html 

Many companies and people have had a lot of troubles because of these viruses. And so the need for antivirus software was born. At first one very simple antivirus appeared and this was enough. Now, as the threat is growing antivirus software are becoming a lot more complex. Some of them have also included a firewall so to better protect the users. In order to increase the competition, other antivirus software producers have also come up with a wonderful idea: to offer free scan online. This was a big help for people that are frequently using a computer mostly for their personal use, meaning it is not attached to a network and uses the Internet only from time to time. Now, they don't have to spend a lot of money to buy antivirus software that will be used very rarely.


Most of these antivirus programs have to be bought in order for you to use them at their full capacity. Also you have the option to test a so called "free trial version". These trial versions include all or most of the software's features, and are available to be checked out by the user for a short period of time, usually 30 days. After these 30 days, the program can no longer be used. Other antivirus software producers use another method; they offer a free trial version that you can keep forever. But it is not fully operational, meaning some of the options of the program cannot be used as they are not activated. After you have tried a program and you consider it is fit for your need, then you'll have to buy it to protect your computer at its full capacity.

Lately, viruses are mostly spread through e-mails because this is the most common use of the Internet. Also, e-mail viruses are easier to develop. E-mail viruses make use of the ability of having macros or scripts implanted in word documents, spreadsheets, HTML pages, and are programmed to run when the document is opened. But how does an e-mail virus works? When an e-mail with an infected document or program is received, the user unknowingly opens a document/program, which in turn executes a code to open the e-mail directory and to send a copy of itself as an e-mail attachment to a certain number of addresses. Some of the recipients of the e-mail open its attachment and the process repeats itself.

This is where the antivirus program comes in. This program is set to check all incoming and outgoing messages and their attachments. If an e-mail is detected to have a document or program infected with a virus the program offers several possibilities to deal with the threat: delete the e-mail, put it in quarantine or try to disinfect it. Most of the times, these choices are left to the user's decision. It is up to the user to set the program in such manner to best fit his needs. But not all viruses are coming by e-mail. A few of them use security errors in the operating system or your Internet browser to be launched automatically. But if you keep your antivirus and all the other programs updated, there will be a small chance of being infected via this route.

Nowadays, most viruses are spread in the form of e-mail attachments. This is because some of the worst recent viruses relay on recipients that throw away common sense and launch a deadly e-mail attachment. Commonly the attachments are with extensions that include .bat, .com, .exe, .pif, .scr, and .vbs. Sometimes to avoid the filters of antivirus software, virus creators enclose their malicious code in a .zip or .rar archive file. The file might even have a password to full antivirus programs that scan inside archives. And obviously, the password is included in the message as an image for the convenience of the naive user. As a simple but reliable rule, you should never open an attachment that you didn't expect to receive, even if it came from someone you know. Also, make sure your e-mail software is configured so it will not automatically open attachments.

Another common way of spreading viruses is file sharing. Many viruses spread themselves throughout open network shares. You can protect your computer not sharing files or directories over the network. But if you don't have a choice and you have to share your files, you are still able to reduce the risk of being infected by installing antivirus software and keeping it updated. Other ways to become infected with viruses are downloading files or software from the Internet, instant messaging or even web pages.

If the file you are downloading or the computer you are downloading it from is infected with a virus, there is a big chance that your computer will also become infected with the virus. As for the instant messaging, the major risk comes from accepting files from other users on the network. This risk can be minimized by configuring your antivirus software to scan all incoming files and also configure your other programs not to automatically accept files, and not to automatically execute the files you accept. Certain viruses are known to infect web servers. If you visit a website from an infected server, your computer could be infected with the same virus, but this is a very rare method of infection.

There are many different threats that are targeting the computers. Although they are very different, all of them are popularly called viruses. A virus by definition is a self-replicating file, not considering whether it is malicious or not. Another type of the so called viruses are worms; they circulate mainly through e-mail but also spread through a network. A worm is aware he is located in a network and uses it for replicating itself. Trojan horses (or trojans) are mostly used to insert some remote tools into a system in order to give the attacker free access to that system, without the user's knowledge. Most Trojan horses cannot replicate automatically.

With the increased number of Internet users, the existing threats are also raising as now there are many more computers to attack and more people that don't know to stay away from these threats. But the antivirus software producers are making it easier for us. There is a lot of antivirus software which cover a lot of threats. All we have to do is install one.

Mike Ber is the owner of the Canadian Domain Name Portal called http://www.Every.ca He is also a contributing author to Canadian Computer Magazine [http://www.computermagazine.ca] and [http://www.developer.ca] website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_Ber/8857

antivirus, software, security, anti virus, firewall, personal security, spyware 

how to prevent hacker and ensure your cybersecurity

Let's face it, we all get lulled into a false sense of security when we don't hear about major cyber security breaches in the news. As long as we update our anti-virus and don't open unknown emails and don't click on links from sources we don't recognize we're safe, right? Really nothing could be further from the truth. Hackers are always upping their game finding ways around and through holes in the system. These days they have even gotten quite good at creating links and sometimes emails that look convincingly real leading to websites that appear to be authentic.

Read and share our guide review on top-best antivirus software for your complete online protection on https://onlinevirusprotection.blogspot.com.ng/2016/03/top-three-best-computer-antivirus.html 

Some of the things we don't realize or think about is the fact cyber crime still costs better than $100 billion annually on average whether we see it in front page news or not. This isn't just large businesses and banks that are being breached, but everyday users and individuals are probably at even a higher risk. Anytime you have a connection to the internet through any device your data can be compromised.

Virtually all devices are vulnerable to costly attacks, but there are a few that are more susceptible than others. Devices that use Flash, Adobe Reader or Java can be more at risk than others due to software vulnerabilities. If your devices use any of these you want to make sure you stay up to date on the most recent releases and upgrades which may address some of these. We assume our antivirus will automatically keep us safe and have very little interaction with it. This isn't always the case. It is always a good idea to run a manual check-up and make sure your antivirus is updating itself weekly.
The social media we all know and love can also create big opportunities for hackers. One of the most common tricks hackers will use is to create a dummy account of somebody with a large social network. This way the malicious links they send to social media appear to becoming from a trusted source. Be sure to check friend requests and links from friends before clicking on anything.

Any device that you own that connects to web pages or the internet makes you a potential target. Hackers may seem to be laying low and lurking in the background, but they are always hard at work finding ways to get your information. Make sure that you keep your antivirus software up to date and take proactive measures to keep your information safe. If you are yet to experience it, waiting until after the fact can be a nightmare and at times take years to recover from.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Philip_A_Soluri/2248394

Read and share our guide review on top-best antivirus software for your complete online protection on https://onlinevirusprotection.blogspot.com.ng/2016/03/top-three-best-computer-antivirus.html 

 

Web Security,Cyber Crimes,Hackers,Malware,Spyware,Antivirus

computer viruses that can be harmful for your System Spyware, Root kit, Trojan Horse, Malware and spyware viruse

5 computer viruses that can be harmful for your System

Virus is malicious software that is developed to infect computers and can even invade sensitive information inside your computer. The mention of the word “Virus” is itself very scary and enough to cause concern to your mind. Each day, we hear about these viruses but unaware about what they exactly are and how they work. Before we understand about which all type of viruses can be dangerous to your system, we must understand what is the reason why these viruses attack? With the right kind of knowledge about these viruses, you will be able to know how to Protect Your Computer from virus and keep your system free from virus attacks.

Reasons why deadly viruses to attack:

Computer viruses are designed to exploit the vulnerabilities in operating system of your PC or laptop. It can gain access to your system via networked access or from other hardware or software access. The purpose of these software bugs are to breach the internal information, drives, folders or even gain financial access inside your system. Computer viruses protection has become a key concern with the increase in number of virus attacks on system. In order to damage the system, viruses modify the system code, create files, or even damage the computer functioning by making it slow in operations or stopping the complete operation. This hampers the functioning of computer in proper ways. Before it is too later, it is imperative to install antivirus software that can help protect your system from these viruses. 

Malware and spyware viruses are the most notorious bugs that cause one of the most common types of damages on internet over the years. We often come across various new types of credit card thefts these days. Viruses have been built by hackers to access your personal information in system thereby causing concern of credit card protection. With the usage of internet growing, the flow of information is also causing high rate of virus infections spreading on internet. Below are some of the categories of antivirus software that should be kept in mind and understood. 

With the right kind of knowledge about these viruses, you will be able to know how to Protect Your Computer from virus and keep your system free from virus attacks.

 

·        Trojan Horse- this type of internet virus is one of the most common and spreads after downloading an infected file from email, internet or by transferring an infected file from another hardware device.

·         Worm – Another virus that has caused a lot of concern over the years is worm. It is a type of malware which self-replicates without any user intervention. It can cause disruption of communication, network or normal functioning of system by creating copies of folder or files. 

·         Root kit- It is a computer bug that modifies the system files and allows the hackers to access computer system without notifying or getting detected by your system. It can cause modification of your key system files so it is important to get rid of this virus from your system. 

·         Backdoor exploitation- the name says it all. This virus is designed by the hackers especially to of more attacking your computer system. It can infection in systems and exploits the system security.

·         Spyware- These are one of the most common type of infection that targets the performance of your system. It can come inside your system causing changes in your system. However these can be easily removed from system with usage of proper antivirus software. 

In order to get rid of these viruses, it is important to understand how to buy antivirus software online from a recognized company so that it can take care of advanced malware and spyware attacks. Apart from this, it is important to keep your system updated with latest software installed. 

With the right kind of knowledge about these viruses, you will be able to know how to Protect Your Computer from virus and keep your system free from virus attacks.