Fraud is now at record levels, with more than five million scams costing Brits a mind-boggling £9bn each year. We’re urging the government to take the lead and ensure companies safeguard us all from scams.
MoneySavingExpert.com Utilities Free Antivirus Software
Nick Durrant | Edited by Steve Nowottny
Updated 6 September 2019
Every computer connected to the internet is vulnerable to viruses, but you don't have to pay to stay safe while you surf. It's possible to get legal, professional-quality antivirus software and other protective programmes for free. Here's our rundown of the best free antivirus and free internet security software.
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Free Antivirus Software cllick
https://www.moneysavinge...ee-anti-virus-software/
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The banks say 'if you don't have it, you could be liable'
If you're not protected and someone gets hold of your passwords, or accesses your bank account or other financial products, you may find it harder to get your money back.
The burden of proof's on the bank to show you didn't act with due care, but it's best to be safe. For more on what to do if you think you've been defrauded, read the ID Fraud Protection guide.
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Does Windows 10 need an antivirus?
Well, technically, no. Microsoft has Windows Defender, a legitimate antivirus protection plan already built into Windows 10. However, not all antivirus software are the same. ... An AV Comparatives 2017 study shows Windows Defender falls behind other antivirus software in protection, usability, and
performance.24 Jan 2018
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antiivirus software (antivirus program)
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
WhatIs.com
Contributor(s): Linda Rosencrance
Antivirus software is a class of program designed to prevent, detect and remove malware infections on individual computing devices, networks and IT systems.
Antivirus software, originally designed to detect and remove viruses from computers, can also protect against a wide variety of threats, including other types of malicious software, such as keyloggers, browser hijackers, Trojan horses, worms, rootkits, spyware, adware, botnets and ransomware.
How antivirus software works
Antivirus software typically runs as a background process, scanning computers, servers or mobile devices to detect and restrict the spread of malware. Many antivirus software programs include real-time threat detection and protection to guard against potential vulnerabilities as they happen, as well as system scans that monitor device and system files looking for possible risks.
Antivirus software usually performs these basic functions:
Scanning directories or specific files for known malicious patterns indicating the presence of malicious software;
Allowing users to schedule scans so they run automatically;
Allowing users to initiate new scans at any time; and
Removing any malicious software it detects. Some antivirus software programs do this automatically in the background, while others notify users of infections and ask them if they want to clean the files.
In order to scan systems comprehensively, antivirus software must generally be given privileged access to the entire system. This makes antivirus software itself a common target for attackers, and researchers have discovered remote code execution and other serious vulnerabilities in antivirus software products in recent years.
Types of antivirus programs
Antivirus software is distributed in a number of forms, including stand-alone antivirus scanners and internet security suites that offer antivirus protection, along with firewalls, privacy controls and other security protections.
Some antivirus software vendors offer basic versions of their products at no charge. These free versions generally offer basic antivirus and spyware protection, but more advanced features and protections are usually available only to paying customers.
While some operating systems are targeted more frequently by virus developers, antivirus software is available for most OSes:
Windows antivirus software. Most antivirus software vendors offer several levels of Windows products at different price points, starting with free versions offering only basic protection. Users must start scans and updates manually and typically free versions of antivirus software won't protect against links to malicious websites or malicious attachments in emails. Premium versions of antivirus software often include suites of endpoint security tools that may provide secure online storage, ad blockers and file encryption. Since 2004, Microsoft has been offering some kind of free antivirus software as part of the Windows operating system itself, generally under the name Windows Defender, though the software was mostly limited to detecting spyware prior to 2006.
macOS antivirus software. Although macOS viruses exist, they're less common than Windows viruses, so antivirus products for macOS are less standardized than those for Windows. There are a number of free and paid products available, providing on-demand tools to protect against potential malware threats through full-system malware scans and the ability to sift through specific email threads, attachments and various web activities.
Android antivirus software. Android is the world's most popular mobile operating system and is installed on more mobile devices than any other OS. Because most mobile malware targets Android, experts recommend all Android device users install antivirus software on their devices. Vendors offer a variety of basic free and paid premium versions of their Android antivirus software including anti-theft and remote-locating features. Some run automatic scans and actively try to stop malicious web pages and files from being opened or downloaded.
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Forms of Malware
Malware has become the greatest external threat to most hosts, causing damage and requiring extensive
recovery efforts within most organizations. The following are the classic categories of malware:
Viruses. A virus self-replicates by inserting copies of itself into host programs or data files.
Viruses are often triggered through user interaction, such as opening a file or running a program.
Viruses can be divided into the following two subcategories:
– Compiled Viruses. A compiled virus is executed by an operating system. Types of compiled
viruses include file infector viruses, which attach themselves to executable programs; boot
sector viruses, which infect the master boot records of hard drives or the boot sectors of
removable media; and multipartite viruses, which combine the characteristics of file infector
and boot sector viruses.
– Interpreted Viruses. Interpreted viruses are executed by an application. Within this
subcategory, macro viruses take advantage of the capabilities of applications’ macro
programming language to infect application documents and document templates, while
scripting viruses infect scripts that are understood by scripting languages processed by
services on the OS.
Worms. A worm is a self-replicating, self-contained program that usually executes itself without
user intervention. Worms are divided into two categories:
– Network Service Worms. A network service worm takes advantage of a vulnerability in a
network service to propagate itself and infect other hosts.
– Mass Mailing Worms. A mass mailing worm is similar to an email-borne virus but is selfcontained, rather than infecting an existing file.
Trojan Horses. A Trojan horse is a self-contained, nonreplicating program that, while appearing
to be benign, actually has a hidden malicious purpose. Trojan horses either replace existing files
with malicious versions or add new malicious files to hosts. They often deliver other attacker
tools to hosts.
GUIDE TO MALWARE INCIDENT PREVENTION AND HANDLING FOR DESKTOPS AND LAPTOPS
Malicious Mobile Code. Malicious mobile code is software with malicious intent that is
transmitted from a remote host to a local host and then executed on the local host, typically
without the user’s explicit instruction. Popular languages for malicious mobile code include Java,
ActiveX, JavaScript, and VBScript.
Blended Attacks. A blended attack uses multiple infection or transmission methods. For
example, a blended attack could combine the propagation methods of viruses and worms.
Many, if not most, instances of malware today are blended attacks. Current malware also relies heavily on
social engineering, which is a general term for attackers trying to trick people into revealing sensitive
information or performing certain actions, such as downloading and executing files that appear to be
benign but are actually malicious. Because so many instances of malware have a variety of malware
characteristics, the classic malware categories listed above (virus, worm, etc.) are considerably less useful
than they used to be for malware incident handling. At one time, there were largely different procedures
for handling incidents of each malware category; now there is largely one set of procedures for handling
all malware incidents, thus nullifying the primary need for having categories.
Another problem with the classic categories is that newer forms of malware do not neatly fit into them.
For example, in the growing trend of web-based malware, also known as drive-by-download, a user’s
web browsing is redirected to an infected website, often with little or no use of social engineering
techniques. The infected website then attempts to exploit vulnerabilities on the user’s host and ultimately
to install rootkits or other attacker tools onto the host, thus compromising the host. Although the website
is infected, its malware does not infect the user’s host; rather, it functions as an attacker tool and installs
other attacker tools on the host. Web-based malware is a blended attack of sorts, but its components do
not map to the other malware categories.
The classic malware categories do not include phishing, which refers to use of deceptive computer-based
means to trick individuals into disclosing sensitive personal information.3 To perform a phishing attack,
an attacker creates a website or email that looks as if it is from a well-known organization, such as an
online business, credit card company, or financial institution. The fraudulent emails and websites are
intended to deceive users into disclosing personal data, usually financial information. For example,
phishers might seek usernames and passwords for online banking sites, as well as bank account numbers.
Some phishing attacks overlap with web-based malware, because they install keystroke loggers or other
attacker tools onto hosts to gather additional personal information.
Organizations should avoid expending substantial time and resources in categorizing each malware
incident based on the types of categories expressed above.
2.2 Attacker Tools
Various types of attacker tools might be delivered to a host by malware. These tools allow attackers to
have unauthorized access to or use of infected hosts and their data, or to launch additional attacks.
Popular types of attacker tools are as follows:
Backdoors. A backdoor is a malicious program that listens for commands on a certain TCP or
UDP port. Most backdoors allow an attacker to perform a certain set of actions on a host, such as
acquiring passwords or executing arbitrary commands. Types of backdoors include zombies
(better known as bots), which are installed on a host to cause it to attack other hosts, and remote
administration tools, which are installed on a host to enable a remote attacker to gain access to the
host’s functions and data as needed.
Keystroke Loggers. A keystroke logger monitors and records keyboard use. Some require the
attacker to retrieve the data from the host, whereas other loggers actively transfer the data to
another host through email, file transfer, or other means.
Rootkits. A rootkit is a collection of files that is installed on a host to alter its standard
functionality in a malicious and stealthy way. A rootkit typically makes many changes to a host to
hide the rootkit’s existence, making it very difficult to determine that the rootkit is present and to
identify what the rootkit has changed.
Web Browser Plug-Ins. A web browser plug-in provides a way for certain types of content to be
displayed or executed through a web browser. Malicious web browser plug-ins can monitor all
use of a browser.
E-Mail Generators. An email generating program can be used to create and send large quantities
of email, such as malware and spam, to other hosts without the user’s permission or knowledge.
Attacker Toolkits. Many attackers use toolkits containing several different types of utilities and
scripts that can be used to probe and attack hosts, such as packet sniffers, port scanners,
vulnerability scanners, password crackers, and attack programs and scripts.
Because attacker tools can be detected by antivirus software, some people think of them as forms of
malware. However, attacker tools have no infections capability on their own; they rely on malware
or other attack mechanisms to install them onto target hosts. Strictly speaking, attacker tools are not
malware, but because they are so closely tied to malware and often detected and removed using the same
tools, attacker tools will be covered where appropriate throughout this publication.
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AWARENESS
Not opening suspicious emails or email attachments, clicking on hyperlinks, etc. from unknown
or known senders, or visiting websites that are likely to contain malicious content
Not clicking on suspicious web browser popup windows
Not opening files with file extensions that are likely to be associated with malware (e.g., .bat,
.com, .exe, .pif, .vbs)
Not disabling malware security control mechanisms (e.g., antivirus software, content filtering
software, reputation software, personal firewall)
Not using administrator-level accounts for regular host operation
Not downloading or executing applications from untrusted sources.
Never reply to email requests for financial or personal information. Instead, contact the person
or the organization at the legitimate phone number or website. Do not use the contact information
provided in the email, and do not click on any attachments or hyperlinks in the email.
Do not provide passwords, PINs, or other access codes in response to emails or unsolicited popup
windows. Only enter such information into the legitimate website or application.
Do not open suspicious email file attachments, even if they come from known senders. If an
unexpected attachment is received, contact the sender (preferably by a method other than email,
such as phone) to confirm that the attachment is legitimate.
Do not respond to any suspicious or unwanted emails. (Asking to have an email address removed
from a malicious party’s mailing list confirms the existence and active use of that email address,
potentially leading to additional attack attempts.)
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Warning signs
You receive a phone call out of the blue and the caller claims to be from a large telecommunications or computer company, or a technical support service provider.
They tell you that your computer is experiencing technical problems and they need remote access to sort out the problem.
They ask you to buy software or sign up to a service to fix the computer.
They ask for your personal details and your bank or credit card details.
The caller is very persistent and may become abusive.
Protect yourself
Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came
om a trusted source.
If you receive a phone call out of the blue about your computer and remote access is requested – hang up –
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Attempts to gain your personal information
Scammers use all kinds of sneaky approaches to steal your personal details. Once obtained, they can use your identity to commit fraudulent activities such as using your credit card or opening a bank account.
Hacking
Hacking occurs when a scammer gains access to your personal information by using technology to break into your computer, mobile device or network.
Identity theft
Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using someone else's identity to steal money or gain other benefits.
Phishing
Phishing scams are attempts by scammers to trick you into giving out your personal information such as your bank account numbers, passwords and credit card numbers.
Remote access scams
Remote access scams try to convince you that you have a computer or internet problem and that you need to buy new software to fix the problem.
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What are pop-ups, and how do I stop them?
Toast popping up out of a toaster
Small internet windows that pop up on your screen can be useful, annoying or dangerous – often used by advertisers to get your attention or by viruses to trick you into clicking on them. This guide gives basic information about some of the pitfalls and how to deal with them.
Jack Schofield | 9th September 2010
Pop-ups are small windows that ‘pop up’ over the top of web pages in your internet browser.
Advertisers used them as a way to get your attention, but users soon became annoyed, leading software providers and all the major web browsers to introduce pop-up blockers. As a result, some better uses for pop-ups - for example, to display helpful information or show videos - have been restricted.
Danger lurking beneath
Less trustworthy pop-ups try to get users to click on them. This is dangerous. A pop-up may include a button that says ‘Close’ or ‘Cancel’, but there is no guarantee that the link behind the button will dismisses the pop-up.
It could trigger another pop-up or download a virus. It’s safer to close a pop-up in Microsoft Windows by using a keyboard shortcut such as Ctrl-W or Alt-F4, or by opening the Task Manager, selecting the browser programme and clicking End Task.
Some pop-ups don’t come from websites but from malware (a malicious type of software) that has been secretly installed on the user’s PC. If this happens, the PC must be thoroughly cleaned using good security software. If the PC has been used to access banking, shopping and other important sites, all passwords should be changed because they may have been compromised.
Particularly nasty pop-ups are used to sell fake anti-virus programs, which are sometimes called ‘scareware’. The pop-ups pretend to find viruses on your PC and - after you have paid up - pretend to remove it. In fact, these programs are malware and may install more malware. For further details, see the Microsoft Security page called ‘Watch out for fake virus alerts’.
To stop pop-ups in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8, go to the Tools menu, select ‘Pop-up Blocker’ and then ‘Turn On Pop-up Blocker’.
To stop pop-ups in Mozilla’s Firefox, click on Tools, select ‘Options’, and then ‘Content’. Click the checkbox next to ‘Block Pop-up Windows’. Most browsers have similar options.
Pop-ups can be helpful
Not all pop-ups are there to infect your computer. On some sites they’re used to explain something so that you don’t have to navigate away from the main window. Also, sometimes pop-ups appear when you need to download or install something from a web page. Only ever interact with these pop-ups if you trust the website they’ve come from.
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Are pop ups dangerous?
While unwanted pop-up windows can be annoying, they may be dangerous as well. Pop-up windows that websites trigger occur when you use your browser. Pop-ups that occur when you're not surfing the Web may come from a malware infection on your computer.
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By default, Google Chrome blocks pop-ups from automatically showing up on your screen. When a pop-up is blocked, the address bar will be marked Pop-up blocked . You can also decide to allow pop-ups. If you still get pop-ups after disabling them, then you could have malware.
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Block or allow pop-ups in Chrome
By default, Google Chrome blocks pop-ups from automatically showing up on your screen. When a pop-up is blocked, the address bar will be marked Pop-up blocked Pop-up blocked. You can also decide to allow pop-ups.
If you still get pop-ups after disabling them, then you could have malware. Learn how to get rid of malware.
Computer Android iPhone & iPad
Turn pop-ups on or off
On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More More and then Settings.
At the bottom, click Advanced.
Under "Privacy and security," click Site settings.
Click Pop-ups and redirects.
At the top, turn the setting to Allowed or Blocked.
Block or allow pop-ups from a specific site
Not all pop-ups are ads or spam. Some legitimate websites display web content in pop-up windows.
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Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups & malware
If you're seeing some of these problems with Chrome, you might have unwanted software or malware installed on your computer:
Pop-up ads and new tabs that won't go away
Your Chrome homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission
Unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back
Your browsing is hijacked, and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads
Alerts about a virus or an infected device
In the future, avoid unwanted software by only downloading files or visiting sites that you know are secure.
Computer Android
Remove unwanted programs (Windows, Mac)
Before you reset your browser settings on a Windows or Mac, check your computer for unwanted programs.
Check your computer for malware (Windows)
Manually remove malicious programs (Mac)
You can remove malware and other programs on your computer that you don't remember installing.
Open Finder.
On the left, click Applications.
Look for any programs you don't recognize.
Right-click the name of any unwanted programs.
Click Move to Trash.
When you're done, at the bottom, right-click Trash.
Click Empty Trash.
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if you can suggest any security improvements please comment
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