Windows Defends

The Windows 8.1 update detected that my ZoneAlarm for Windows 8.0 was not compatible with 8.1. It then took the below actions.

1. Disabled ZoneAlarm
2. Enabled Real-Time Protection using Windows Defender
3. Displayed an Action Center notice about ZoneAlarm.
4. Gave a link in the Action Center notice directly to the ZoneAlarm web page about the incompatibility and fix status

Congratulations, Microsoft! Great job of:

• Defending the customer's computer
• Alerting the customer to a security issue with their software
• Displaying crucial information about the customer's product
• Providing a direct link to the customer's Anti-Malware app developer page about the issue and its status

Wow! These update-related actions are a truly excellent  automatic adjustment to a bad security situation. After reading the Action Center notice, I opened Windows Defender and fully expected to have to manually set it up. It was already running real-time protection!

This is one of the best customer-oriented software behaviors I have seen in a long time. Again, kudos to Microsoft for a job well-done.

Beware Antivirus 2009

Beware of fake antivirus software. And beware of a pop-up notice that you have a virus or "might have" a virus (unless the pop-up notice comes from software you already own).

A type of software that tricks you into installing it, then demands payment "or else" is called ransomware. And it's spreading.

One nasty piece of ransomeware seems to be a legitimate program called Antivirus2009. But after you install the software, it encrypts several document types. Then when you try to open one of the encrypted files, it pops up an alert and offers to sell you FileFix Pro 2009, which it says can decrypt the file.

So you get duped into downloading the fix. But it decrypts only one document. After that, it demands that you pay $50 to buy the software to decrypt the rest of your files (that the Antivirus 2009 encrypted).

Beware of "something for nothing". Be paranoid. Check out reviews of software at trusted sites before you download and install any.

Does that email pass the smell test?

We get lots of email messages every day. How do you tell what's a fake (and likely to try to hurt you) and what's not? Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute produced a set of checks that are still valid. It's the KREVS "test".

• The Know test. Do you already know the sender?
• The Received test. Have you received safe emails from the sender before?
• The Expect test. If the email has an attachment, were you expecting to get it?
• The Virus test. Does the message pass a virus-check? (Make sure your Antivirus program also checks your email messages).
• The Sense test. Does it look right? Are there unexpected misspellings? Does it "smell" in any way?

If an email messages fails any of the above tests, delete it. Even if an email messages passes all 5 tests above, it still might be malicious. Be paranoid; the "bad guys" really are out to get you. Criminal attack attempts using email are increasing rapidly.

If the email is from a person you already know, still be careful. Call them and see if they really sent any unexpected attachment.

Microsoft Malware Protection Center

Microsoft offers a security portal page called "Microsoft Malware Protection Center". It lists and links to the top 10 most active malicious software families, most active family variants, most active email threats, and spyware/adware removed from PCs.

The site officially launches in "early July", but the links to threat information are already active.

Free Anti-Rootkit software

Rootkits are nasty buggers. Antivirus software doesn't detect them and they can be a bear to detect and destroy.

Now comes Anti-Rootkit Free from Grisoft, makers of AVG Antivirus Free Edition.

A test of the fast scan on a home computer took 10 minutes. The interface is attractive yet very simple to use.

Comodo offers free security suite

Comodo offers several free security-related software products to protect your PC:

• Comodo Firewall Pro. Comodo Personal Firewall 2.0 got the PC Magazine "Editor's Choice" award in 2006.
• Comodo Antivirus
• Comodo AntiSpam
• Comodo iVault (protect passwords to various programs and web sites, credit card information, and more.

I use the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite. And free programs rarely rate as high as ones you pay for. But it appears that Comodo is a decent choice if you need to save cash.