AVG posts

Filed under: Security, Windows, Freeware

Six free antivirus programs made for your Windows 7 system

by Lee Mathews Oct 24th 2009

Yesterday, I showed you a pain-free way to get rid of excess software that comes bundled on new systems and replace it with high-quality free programs. Those of you who want a bit more choice than what Ninite offers will probably do your installs manually -- so let's take a look at some antivirus options for your Windows 7 system.

There are plenty of pay-for programs you probably already about, like Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky and Trend Micro. I'm going to focus on the free options -- of which there are many!

Hey, you just paid for an OS or a whole new computer -- why not save a few bucks if you can?

Tags: antivirus, avast, avg, avira, comodo, free, malware, MSE, security essentials, SecurityEssentials, trojan, virus

Filed under: Security, Social Software, web 2.0

Bad guys now launching attacks through hacked Facebook apps

by Lee Mathews Oct 19th 2009

Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook can already be dangerous places. Things like short links and bogus messages from friends with compromised accounts put unsuspecting and under-prepared users at risk.

Now, AVG's security researchers have discovered a new threat on Facebook. For the first time, they've found hacked Facebook apps. According to AVG, the apps are being used to launch drive-by attacks which target vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash. AVG reports finding seven hacked apps, but they admit there could well be more.

First things first: if you're not running up to date versions of either of those, download them right now. Here's the link to Flash and here's one for Reader. Using anything but the most current version could leave you open to attack.

The attack works like this. Visit the Facebook page for any of the hacked apps and click to install. Instead of the normal process, the page will try to push a poisoned PDF document to your machine. Once open, the infected PDF infects your system with a bogus antivirus application - which are often notoriously difficult to remove.

I've mentioned fake antivirus programs like these before on Download Squad. If you've been infected, you can try the tools listed on this post to clean up your system.

To keep from getting infected in the first place, make sure you:

have a good antivirus program installed and that it is fully updated
update browser plugins like Java, Flash, and Adobe Reader as soon as you are prompted to do so
install any critical Windows updates that are available
check comments on new apps before you install - others may have already been infected and left a post on the wall!

Tags: adobe, avg, facebook, facebookapps, flash, hack, hacked, pdf

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows

AVG releases version 9 - Free version to drop on October 15th

by Lee Mathews Oct 5th 2009

AVG 9 is finally here -- and like other 2009/2010 antivirus suites the emphasis in the new version is on speed, performance, and minimizing the impact on system resources.

Even the install process has been streamlined, with developers reducing the number of tedious, finger-numbing mouse clicks from 22 to 11. Thank you, AVG, for doing this. It's a little thing, but no techy enjoys tapping "next" nearly two dozen times.

Grisoft says scanning speeds have been increased by as much as 50% and that version 9 also reduces Windows boot lag by 10 to 15%. The firewall is more intuitive and has been made less intrusive -- another small but welcome change.

The paid versions are available now through the AVG web site, and we've been told that the much-loved free version will be good to go in ten days.

If you're a believer in free antivirus, your preferred version will be up for grabs on October 15th. Keep your browser tuned to free.avg.com -- that's where the download will appear when it goes live. Of course, you'll also be able to read about the release here at Download Squad.

Tags: antimalware, antivirus, avg, protection, secutiry, trojan

Filed under: Google, Search, Humor

Google suggest proves that a lot of people want Norton, McAffee, and AVG off their PCs

by Lee Mathews Aug 20th 2009

Google suggest - sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it's way off the mark. For the guys at Sophos, it's a source of mild amusement. Why?

Well, take a look at the YouTube clip they generously shared with the world. Among the top suggestions when you type "remove" in for the first word of your query? Apart from annoying pests like Antivirus 360 and Antivirus 2009 (both fake antivirus malware) you'll also notice AVG, McAfee, and Norton.

What does it all mean? Obviously a lot of people are searching for information on how to get rid of those programs. Norton and McAfee - well, those two are apps we love to hate. But AVG? Really?

Sure. It's a not-uncommon problem with AVG that something gets bunged up with the installer and you need to remove your current version completely in order to install the new version.

Tags: avg, google-suggest, mcafee, norton, removal, search, uninstall

Filed under: Audio, Fun, Security, Apple

We love to hate iTunes, and apparently so does AVG

by Lee Mathews Jul 25th 2009

There have been more than a few complaints about iTunes over the years on DownloadSquad. We've said it sucks, we've called it one of the five most annoying programs around. It's been blasted for pushing other Apple apps we don't want and requiring us to re-download the whole 80Mb installer every times Apple farts out a new patch or wants to block some smartphone.

Within the last 24 hours, AVG has taken iTunes abuse to another level. Actions speak louder than words, after all, and an antivirus deciding to classify iTunes components as trojans? That's hard core.

AVG reports two core files - iTunes.dll and iTunesRegistry.dll - are infected with Small.BOG. As Inquisitr points out, that name doesn't appear in any other major antivirus provider's databases. Now, it's possible that AVG picked up on something nasty going on before every other provider in the world. It's much more likely, however, that this is a giant screw up.

And of course, that's exactly what AVG is reporting. If you run both programs, it's your call. If you hate iTunes, go ahead and let AVG burn it to the ground. If you'd rather not screw things up, make sure you choose not to quarantine the files and update your definitions right away. Based on what's been posted in the AVG forums, the new defs correct the problem.

[via Inquisitr]

Tags: avg, false-positive, itunes

Filed under: Weekend Review

Download Squad Week in Review

by Brad Linder Apr 26th 2008

It's been a busy week for anyone obsessed with operating system upgrades. Microsoft released Windows XP SP3 to manufacturers, Canonical launched Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, and OpenSUSE 11 came one step closer to release. But this week's software news wasn't all operating systems, all the time. Here are a few of our favorite stories from the week that was:

DRM strikes again: MSN Music customers left in the dust

In case you haven't heard, DRM kind of stinks. Sure, copyright holders want to be able to profit from their music by making sure you don't make copies for all of your friends. But when companies like Microsoft come out and tell you they won't support your licenses after August, it just means you can't listen to music you've already paid for on multiple devices anymore.

AVG Free 8 adds anti-spyware protection

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Well, lots of people. But anyone who's tried AVG Free knows there is such a thing as a good anti-virus application. The latest version adds a bunch of new features like anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, and linkscanning protection.

Tags: avg, avg-free, bill-gates, chilirec, drm, microosft, msn-music, mythtv, rss, ulteo

Filed under: Security, Windows, Freeware

AVG 8.0 Free released, now with protection from spyware

by Brad Linder Apr 24th 2008

A few months ago, Grisoft updated its AVG anti-virus suite to version 8 and bundled linkscanning, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit software to boot. Now Grisoft's popular freeware anti-virus application is getting some of the same features. AVG Free 8 is out, and not only does it protect your system from viruses, but you get spyware detection as well.

AVG Free 8 doesn't have all of the features you get in the commercial version of the application. There's no rootkit protection or linkscanner. And there's no email or instant messaging integration. For those features you'll have to shell out $35 or $55 for the standard or "internet security" versions. But as freeware antivirus applications go, AVG is packed with features like real-time protection, daily updates, and complete system scans at regularly scheduled intervals.

Update: As several readers have pointed out in the comments, when you install AVG Free 8, you will likely find a bunch of advanced features like linkscanning and email protection. The AVG web site has a comparison chart showing that these features are included in the commercial version but not the free version. It's not clear if Grisoft is including free trials of these functions or if the chart is wrong.

Tags: anti-spyware, anti-virus, antivirus, avg, avg-8, avg-free, avg-free-8, security

Filed under: Security, Windows, Freeware

Avira updates AntiVir free anti-virus suite

by Brad Linder Apr 15th 2008

Avira has released AntiVir Personal 8.1, a free antivirus appliation. Like popular free antivirus applications from Grisoft and Avast!, Avira offers a free basic security suite in the hopes of convincing some users to spring for a commercial version. The main difference between Avira and the competition, as far as we're concerned, is that Avira AntiVir will occasionally pop up nagware asking you to upgrade.

Pop ups aside, Avira AntiVir is pretty powerful, and the latest update brings a few improvements like increased scan speed and a redesigned visual interface. Another new feature, which isn't available in the free version, is the ability to create a system rescue CD.

Unlike some other antivirus applications, you can install AntiVir without uninstalling or even turning off your current antivirus program, which is always a plus.

[via gHacks]

Tags: antivir, antivirus, avg, avira, grisoft

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Troubleshooting

AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 coming tomorrow

by Simon Kerbel Feb 27th 2008

AVG is ready to pull the trigger on their new Anti-Virus suite, AVG Anti-Virus 8.0. From first looks, it's going to be a pretty major update.
For starters, AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 will offer more than its standard Anti-Virus protection. Popular tools AVG Anti-Spyware, AVG Anti-Rootkit, and LinkScanner, previously stand-alone applications, are now integrated into AVG Anti-Virus 8.0. The code base has seen a significant overhaul as well, in the hopes that inevitable system slowdowns caused by AVG's real-time protection will be lessened.

AVG Anti-Virus remains one of the most popular free Anti-Virus solutions on the market, and this update will no doubt solidify their dominance. At the time of this writing, however, it's not exactly clear if the free edition will be updated at the same time as the paid edition, so if you aren't one for waiting, you might have to pay to see 8.0.

The full version of AVG will continue to offer an enhanced feature set, including tech support, greater scheduling capabilities, and support for newer multi-processor core chips.

Look for the update Thursday.

[via CNETnews]

Tags: antivirus, AVG, update

Filed under: Weekend Review

Download Squad Week in Review

by Brad Linder Dec 29th 2007

The time between Christmas and New Year's is what folks in the biz typically like to call a slow news period. But in the fast-paced world of technology (cue the Quantum Leap-them song styled synth pop), the news never stops. Here are some of the stories you might have missed if you were spending too much quality time with the family this week.

Flipping the Linux Switch: The GNOME Desktop Environment
So there's this operating system called Linux. You may have heard of it. It's kind of like Windows or OS X, but it's highly customizable, stable, and runs on all kinds of machines. Linux has come a long way since the days when you had to understand and love the command line in order to use it at all. But unlike Windows or OS X, Linux presents users with a choice of graphical user interfaces. Our resident Linux guru Kristin Shoemaker will help you decide which desktop environment is right for you. In part one, she looks at GNOME. Stay tuned for part two, an in-depth look at KDE coming soon.

The world ends on January 19, 2038: Thank Unix!
Remember how the world ended in Y2K? You know, power went out around the world, airplanes fell from the sky and all the nuclear warheads stored in government bunkers just up and exploded. Oh right, yeah, that never happened. But if you're looking for another potential disaster to worry about, look no further than 2038. That's when Linux machines will start to party like it's 1901. Of course, there's about 30 years to fix this problem, so you might not need to invest in a bomb shelter just yet.

Tags: adobe, adobe-reader, adobe-reader-lite, aol, avg, avg-pro, gnome, kde, linux, netscape, netscape-navigator, unix, y2k, y2k38

Filed under: Security, Windows, Commercial

Download AVG Anti-Virus Pro for free

by Brad Linder Dec 26th 2007

We wouldn't be surprised if you only know AVG for its free anti-virus software. Along with Avast! Avira, and a few other companies that don't start with the letter A, AVG provides a full-fledged virus protection suite free of charge. But AVG also provides a "professional" version of its software that comes with some advanced features like extra scanning and scheduling options.

For example, the free version only lets you schedule a single virus database update per day, and one computer scan a day. You can schedule multiple events with the Pro version. You also get higher speed downloads with the Pro version.

AVG Pro usually goes for $29.95, but Computeract!ve is giving away free licensed copies through Jan 17, 2008. Good luck getting their download link to work, but fortunately CyberNet has pointed us to a couple of mirrors.

Tags: anti-virus, avast, avg, avg-professiona, avira

Filed under: Internet, Security, Utilities, Web services

NanoScan: 1 minute online virus scan

by Brad Linder Jun 4th 2007

You know how most anti-virus/anti-spyware software can take up to an hour to run, bogging down your computer in the process? Turns out there's a faster (if slightly less thorough) way to give your computer a quick checkup.

Panda NanoScan is a browser-based program that scans for viruses, trojans and spyware. Since the database sits on Panda's servers, there are definitions for you to download. You just need to install a 400kb plugin the first time you run NanoScan with Internet Explorer or Firefox.

NanoScan doesn't search every single file on your computer for malware. Instead it takes a look at all your active processes and a set of crucial files and folders. The result is a blazing fast inspection, which takes just about a minute to run. If you want a more complete scan, you can run Panda TotalScan, which is larger, takes longer, but performs a more thorough search.

The service also collects anonymous user data and displays the results online.

Now the downsides. There's no support for Vista yet, although it's in the works. Also, NanoScan and TotalScan find problems, they doesn't fix them. Obviously these browser-based solutions also don't offer real time protection if you download an infected file. So they're not replacements for a PC-based anti-malware program like AVG Free.

Edit: TotalScan does have a disinfect feature. You have to register (free) in order to activate it.

Tags: avg, avg free, AvgFree, malware, nanoscan, panda, spyware, totalscan, trojan, virus

Filed under: Security, Text, Utilities, News, E-mail, Freeware

AVG 7.5 Free Edition released

by Ryan Carter Oct 21st 2006

What Anti-Virus software do you use? McAfee, Symantec, or one of the wide-spread commercially available AV programs? Perhaps you are a bit more savvy and you use something else, Avast, Kaspersky, BitDefender, Windows Defender, or F-Secure. If you use AVG Free Edition (which includes an email scanner and free daily virus definition updates), a new upgrade is out now, version 7.5, which is a major update to the very-good AV system brought to you by Grisoft. I've been using AVG and have had my parents, friends, and family using AVG for several years now. I find that it has everything I want, and not much I don't want. If you need a new AV client or a good one that installs quick and updates itself for someone you know (like grandma), AVG really isn't bad. If you have a free Anti-Virus client you like better than AVG, I would love to find out why.

Tags: AVG, edition, free

Filed under: Security, Windows, Commercial

CNet rates the anti-virus apps

by Jordan Running May 29th 2006

What's the best anti-virus solution? Well, I dunno, but CNet does-it's running a review round-up of six major anti-virus apps: AVG Anti-Virus 7.1 Professional, CA eTrust EZ Antivirus 7.1, F-Secure Internet Security 2006, Kapersky Internet Security 6, McAfee VirusScan 2006, and Trend Micro PC-cillin 2006. The results may surprise you (I always wonder if I should put spoiler warnings on these things): PC-cillin comes out on top with a score of 7.8/10, followed by Kapersky and F-Secure in the low sevens. McAfee is surprisingly low, coming in fifth with a 6.0, and AVG brings up the rear with a 5.8. Head over to CNet to see full reviews for each product.

Tags: antivirus-anti-virus, avg, etrust, f-secure, fsecure, kapersky, mcafee, pc-cillin, security, trendmicro, virusscan

Filed under: Security, Linux, Freeware

Grisoft debuts free AVG antivirus for Linux

by Jordan Running Jan 10th 2006

"With its growing popularity, it is only a matter of time before the Linux operating system becomes more widely targeted by virus and malware writers." That's how the press release from Grisoft announcing AVG Free for Linux starts. While perhaps a bit premature, it's free and probably welcome protection for the most paranoid sysadmins.

Tags: antivirus, avg, free, grisoft, linux

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With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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AVG posts

Six free antivirus programs made for your Windows 7 system

Bad guys now launching attacks through hacked Facebook apps

AVG releases version 9 - Free version to drop on October 15th

Google suggest proves that a lot of people want Norton, McAffee, and AVG off their PCs

We love to hate iTunes, and apparently so does AVG

Download Squad Week in Review

AVG 8.0 Free released, now with protection from spyware

Avira updates AntiVir free anti-virus suite

AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 coming tomorrow

Download Squad Week in Review

Download AVG Anti-Virus Pro for free

NanoScan: 1 minute online virus scan

AVG 7.5 Free Edition released

CNet rates the anti-virus apps

Grisoft debuts free AVG antivirus for Linux

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