Are you the unofficial IT person for a small office? Then you've probably heard this before if not said it yourself: "My PC is running really slow and acting really weird." In cases like those, some kind of malware (viruses, adware, rootkits, etc.) is almost always to blame. If only...
Ever come across a program or file that you think is legit and useful but your onboard anti-virus program flags as suspect? Before you give up on it, run it through one of the online scanners that LifeHacker suggests to see if you're dealing with malware or just got a...
Our first batch of Evernote beta invitations barely lasted 24 hours. Thankfully, the company was generous enough to give us 100 more! If you're still interested in taking the whiz-bang information-capture service for a spin, just drop us a line at bizhacks@gmail.com. As before, we promise not to use your e-mail...
In brief: Email filtering is now starting to be used by bloggers to block and delete PR spam before it even reaches the intended recipient There really haven't been many consequences to spamming journalists with unwanted PR pitches -- until now. ...
John Lilly, the CEO of open-source giant Mozilla, has called Apple's ethics into question. He claims Apple is sneaking its Safari browser onto PCs by tucking it into a software update for iTunes and Quicktime (when you go to update the two, a box to also download the new Safari...
We asked the question yesterday, will March Madness topple the economy? Heck, does this veritable virus threaten Western Civilization itself? Perhaps all life on Earth? Well, maybe not. But, like it or not, it's a part of our office lives for the next couple...
Silver kills bacteria, viruses, and werewolves on contact. So while supply is low and demand is high, companies like Silver Wheaton and Pan American Silver are strengthening their mettle and might even outperform gold. Blasphemy.
The day was probably same as any other day for a Philadelphia lawyer who was working on a settlement case between big pharmaceutical player Eli Lilly and the U.S. Government. Eli Lilly was in talks with the federal government over marketing improprieties related to their bipolar drug, Zyprexa. The...
Did a strange file attachment just land in your inbox? Or maybe you downloaded some software and don't want to run it without being absolutely positive it's virus-free. Enter VirusTotal.com, a free service that employs nearly three dozen anti-virus scanners to spot-check individual files. All...
Spam, the scourge of inboxes everywhere. Until recently, I used SpamArrest -- a server-side challenge/response system that worked quite well for the most part -- to keep it out of my inbox. But I'm a cheapskate (no, seriously, I have a whole blog to prove it), so I decided to try some...
No matter how many firewalls, virus protection software programs and anti-spam devices are protecting your computers the enemy can invade. Face it; the spammers are just more driven by profit, and the virus creators wily and one step ahead of those who provide software to protect the portals. "Legitimate" spammers...
One of my favorite bloggers from Ars Technica has uncovered another stat that will shock and surprise. Jacqui Cheng cites Barracuda Networks' recent analysis of 50,000 email customers. Its findings show that 90-95% of all email is spam (and, no, it's not the kind that goes good with eggs...
Computer viruses are a growing threat on the Internet. They cost organizations hundreds of millions of dollars every year. In 2007, there are thousands of viruses that can affect— even cripple—your computer. If current security updates are not installed on a computer, it’s possible to get a virus just by...
Online phishers are able to cull financial account numbers, personal data, and consumer info. A recent study by YouGov on behalf of CloudMark, Inc. also found that 42% of adults feel that their trust in a brand would be greatly reduced by a phishing attempt using that brand's identity. ...
Picture a consumer typing in a domain name that intends to reach you. Instead, the consumer slips up in typing the address and ends up with a goody bag full of spyware, viruses, and trojan horses on their computer. That hypothetical occurrence is far more common than you may think....
Flu season is almost upon us. In preparation, business travelers might be stocking up on Airborne--those little pills that promise to keep you from catching anything floating around an airplane cabin. But the news out this weekend is you needn't bother. And not just because those pills are a little...
This year marks the first of the Computer Security Institute survey's 12-year history in which inside employees are the leading cause of network security problems [PDF]. The organizations polled experienced a $350,424 loss on average -- more than twice last year's average loss. The CSI received...
According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, cybercrime accounts for a net loss of $67 billion every year. What's the breakdown? The biggest taker is identify theft, which nets criminals $49.3 billion a year. Phishing picks up a measly $1 billion (what a pittance, eh?)How can you ensure the bots...
You know you need bulletproof security to keep your PC safe from viruses, spyware, phishing attempts, and the like -- but did you know you can get all the software you need free of charge? Computerworld rounded up 15 security programs -- firewalls, rootkit killers, anti-virus utilities, etc. --Â all of...
Windows Defender was released in October 2006 as a download for Windows XP and 2003. Now it's also built into Windows Vista, making it more convenient to protect your computer against spyware threats. Here's a look at Defender's key features and options.