antivirus

14 Stories

Symantec Exec: Antivirus 'Is Dead'

Norton maker just assumes hackers can get through its firewalls

(Newser) - Just how thoroughly have hackers licked antivirus programs? So thoroughly that even Symantec, which essentially invented commercial antivirus, is jumping ship on the concept, the Wall Street Journal reports. Antivirus "is dead," Symantec Senior VP Brian Dye tells the paper. "We don't think of antivirus as...

McAfee in Miami: I Faked Illness

Antivirus guru says he 'played crazy card'

(Newser) - John McAfee is back in the US , regaling ABC News with his latest adventures. After he arrived in Miami, he was met by several officers. "I said, 'Am I arrested?' They said, 'No, sir, I am here to help you.' That felt the best of all,...

John McAfee Nabbed in Guatemala

Software pioneer to be expelled to Belize: officials

(Newser) - OK, this time it's for real: Software designer John McAfee illegally entered Guatemala hoping for political asylum—instead he's been arrested by Guatemalan police, who plan to send him back to Belize. He should be back in Belize this morning, a Guatemalan government spokesman says. But McAfee's...

Part of McAfee's Disguise: Tampon

Says he's at home, not in hiding, in Belize

(Newser) - John McAfee is offering more than $12,500 to anyone who can provide information in the murder of Gregory Faull, a case in which McAfee himself is wanted for questioning. The antivirus pioneer, who has been in hiding since Nov. 11, tells a Dateline reporter that he's now at...

Antivirus Pioneer John McAfee Wanted for Murder

Belize police suspect him in death of American expatriate Gregory Faull

(Newser) - Police in Belize are on the hunt for John McAfee—the man who lent his name to the famous antivirus company—because they suspect him of murder. According to Gizmodo , which just last week ran a stunning piece about McAfee's weird transformation into a jungle gangster, McAfee is suspected...

Hacker Releases Symantec Code After Extortion Fails

Anonymous-linked hacker tried to extort $50K from antivirus firm

(Newser) - A hacker has made good on a threat to release the source code for Symantec's pcAnywhere tool after failing to extort $50,000 from the antivirus company. The release raises fears that other hackers could find security holes in the product, but Symantec says it was prepared for the...

Your PC May Be Rife With Kid Porn

Victims face tough fight to clear names

(Newser) - Pedophiles troll the darkest corners of the Internet for abhorrent images—images that PC viruses let them download, store, and access on your computer until the police come knocking on your door. Lives and reputations are being ruined as unwitting users take the fall for images they were unaware of,...

Virus 'Scareware' Scams Millions
Virus 'Scareware'
Scams Millions
Oct 19, 2009 5:07 AM CDT

Virus 'Scareware' Scams Millions

Alarming virus warnings part of major rip off

(Newser) - Alarming warnings that internet surfers' computers are being invaded by a devastating virus are almost always scams used to either hack into computers or rip off consumers for phony protective software. More than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past year. Experts have...

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Tech Review
Oct 1, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!

Program performs well in stress test

(Newser) - Want a great, free antivirus program from a big software brand? OK, it’s from Microsoft, and … wait! Come back! Believe it or not, Microsoft’s new Security Essentials software is pretty darn good. AV-Test.org ran it through a bevy of tests and found the freebie performed admirably....

Conficker Worm Threat Lingers
 Conficker Worm Threat Lingers 
ANALYSIS
Apr 2, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

Conficker Worm Threat Lingers

27 tech giants have banded together to fight it

(Newser) - April Fools’ Day passed without major incident, but the Conficker computer worm is still contacting 500 websites daily from millions of infected computers, reports PC World. A conglomerate of 27 tech heavyweights—including Microsoft, Facebook, and AOL—have managed to limit the peer-to-peer worm’s communicability. But Conficker is still...

How to Find, Kill the Conficker Worm

Computer invader may cause trouble tomorrow

(Newser) - Millions of PCs have been infected with the Conficker worm, and word has it the program may cause mischief tomorrow—April Fool’s Day. But routing it out needn’t be difficult, the AP reports. Here’s how:
  • The worm blocks access to Microsoft and antivirus vendor sites, which offer
...

Tricky Virus Hits 8.9M Computers Worldwide

'Conficker' travels via networks, USB sticks; situation 'getting worse'

(Newser) - A Windows worm that emerged in October is “skyrocketing” worldwide, with some 8.9 million computers now infected, says an antivirus firm. The program, known as Conficker, Downadup, or Kido, can zoom through low-security networks, memory sticks, and any PC that hasn’t downloaded current security updates, the BBC...

The Next Big Viral Thing on Facebook: a Virus

"Koobface" spreads disguised as a friend's message

(Newser) - Once an unfriendly place for spammers and malware, Facebook today is dealing with a virus circulating among its 120 million users, the LA Times reports. “Koobface” comes disguised as a message from a friend with a subject like “You look so amazing funny on our new video,”...

Top US Execs Victimized by Devious Phishing Scam

Virus, disguised as subpoena, thought to come from Singapore or China

(Newser) - American executives are the latest targets of an incognito email virus that comes packaged as an authentic-looking subpoena demanding the corporate heads appear before a California grand jury. There have been several victims of the attack, the New York Times reports, which is thought to originated in Singapore or China—...

14 Stories