According to Microsoft, there will be thirteen updates / fixes in total and 8 of them critical. You may have heard about vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Acrobat which puts PDF files at risk.

Patches are scheduled for today for Adobe products so make sure you get them. If you have your PC set for automatic updates, they will be installed by themselves.

If you have not, in many cases you will see a yellow shield in the bottom right task tray. You should click on that shield and install the updates. If you do not see the shield, make sure to go to the windows update site and let Microsoft update your computer.

Related posts:

1. Several known vulnerabilities to remain unpatched on forthcoming Microsoft patch day
2. Security update for Photoshop CS4
3. Warning Phishing Attempts with Fake Microsoft Mail

The world’s leading company in providing the best security solution  Bitdefender has recently released BitDefender 2010.

Proudly answering to to their millions of consumers’ demand – Maximum Protection, Usability at Maximum Speed !

The latest version offers  maximum protection for home  (see new parental reporting system below) or business and secures your PC from the new and fast-evolving internet security threats such as viruses, rootkits, spam and more, gaining a step ahead of the competition.

Whats really new in Bitdefender 2010 you may ask?

1. Active Virus Control NEW!

• Programs running on your computer are monitored 24/7 and any malware-like actions are noted.  If enough malicious behaviors are detected the program that ran them is declared harmful and blocked before it can causes damage to your computer.
  

2. Usage Profiles NEW!

• New user profiles feature  that allows you to choose the profile that best suits your needs  – Typical, Parent or Gamer.  (first in the industry!)

3. Parental Reporting System (Available in Internet Security and Total Security 2010 only) NEW!

• Allows you to view what websites your children visit.

• The monitoring is made more effective as you can receive email alerts concerning each childs activity on the internet.

• You can Set Specific time intervals for your children to use internet or specific applications.
  

4. Intrusion Detection NEW!

• Bitdefender 2010 will detect and block any attempt to change critical system files or registry entries on your PC.

• Warns you about attacks performed by code injection.
  

5. Faster Scanning Time Reduced by Half NEW!

• Bitdefender 2010 now avoids scanning files that are know to be safe. Thus enhancing speed and reducing  System load.  Now achieving scan in half the time of the previous version.

6. Improved In-Product Technical Support

• You can now get answers to the most common support questions or contact technical support directly from the product using its new self-service module.
  

This is what we have all been waiting for a Security program that provides what we really need without slowing us down!

Check out more on  BitDefender 2010 here

Everybody is up for it, don’t miss out and get yourself, your PC, your home or business and your life the superior protection in the land – Purchase or Upgrade to BitDefender 2010 now!

Until Next Time

Peter – Your Online Security Guide

Related posts:

1. Watch out for fake BitDefender called Bytedefender
2. Google and Yahoo aim to increase online security
3. Gumblar – Latest e-Threat of the month

Hello Friend,

There’s a new malware on the web that is wrecking havoc in every way possible.

This drive-by-download exploit is called, Gumblar.

The latest manner of attack known from Gumblar is when doing searches on Google, it redirects Google search results to malicious sites where it loads more malware on the PC by means of drive-by-download attack that infects via PDF and Adobe Flash. Not only does it install more malwares in the PC, it also steals login details and FTP credentials thus compromising those sites owned and operated by the victim.

Since Gumblar is quite a pervasive virus its victims fall for it without knowing, Cisco came up with tips for websites and enterprises on dealing with the problem.

Tips on dealing with Gumblar Virus from Cisco

1.     Ensure you have Security for your Servers

Make sure security protection is implemented for web servers and web applications. Bitdefender have a very good mail and file server security solution.

2.     Be Aware of Pop-ups

Alert users and visitors to pay attention to pop-ups that leads to a questionnaire site.

3. Gateway Security

Organizations should install gateway security that is capable of drilling down into every Internet access request. Bitdefender Total Security 2009 is recommended.

5. Firewalls that can be analyzed

Make sure perimeters are secured with firewalls that can be analyzed.

Gumblar has outruled Conficker this month, either way, we don’t want any viruses for our systems.

We  encourage you to do timely software updates and and use up-to-date security solutions not only to be Gumblar free but completely virus-free and Safe!

If your security program is out of date you can read more about the latest and up-to date security software available in the market today.

Until Next Time

Peter – Your Online Security Guide

Related posts:

1. Conficker attacks Hospital Devices
2. Watch out for fake BitDefender called Bytedefender
3. Downadup Failed

Several online security experts has warned about the built in attack plan the worm carried. A plan that was supposed to start yesterdan, April 1st.

A major reason for the failure is supposed to be the media attention the worm got.

Perhaps our article here at Online Security Guide helped

Until next time

Peter – Your Online Security Guide

Related posts:

1. Downadup – New Aggressive Version Discovered
2. Conficker attacks Hospital Devices
3. MySpace & Facebook Virus Attack

Phishing is the use of fraudulent e-mails and Web sites to lure consumers into sharing personal and financial information. According to the most recent data from the Anti-Phishing Working Group, there were 1,125 unique attacks in April — a 180 percent increase over March (statistics from 2004). Since then it has only been growing.

Criminals are sending out millions of “urgent” e-mails trying to get unsuspecting consumers to divulge personal information such as their Social Security numbers or the passwords for their online accounts.

Some tell consumers the federal insurance on their savings accounts will be canceled unless they immediately update their personal details. Others claim to be from Internet service providers redoing their billing lists and others say something has gone wrong with a credit card transaction and that additional information is needed or the card will be canceled.

Sometimes they include links both to a website where they want consumers to divulge their information as well as links to the real credit institution website, to seem legitime.

What can you do to protect yourself against Phishing

Consumers can take proactive steps to thwart identity theft, such as:

– Regularly obtaining personal credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies and carefully reviewing the information.

– Question and correct any inaccuracies.

- Try to avoid providing their mother’s maiden name as a security feature. In many cases, identity thieves can find this information with little difficulty. Instead, consumers should substitute a name of personal significance, such as a grandmother’s maiden name, a friend or family member’s nickname, or a favorite author’s name.

– Assigning a separate password for each account requiring one. This step can help limit the amount of damage a criminal can do.

– Shredding documents that contain important personal information such as account numbers or Social Security numbers before discarding.

Examples that I got in my mailbox last week
(Links has been removed)

CitiBank Phishing

From: Citibank [user-supports09@citibank.com]
Subject: 0fficiaI Notice for aII users of Citiban

(Please note, the whole white part above is actually one big picture and one big link and it doesn’t link to the same place that it’s showing.)

From: Fleet [user-support4@fleet.com]
Subject: 0fficial Notice for all FleetBank clients!

(Probably the two examples above is from the same group since they are so similar.)

Related posts:

1. Vishing and ID Theft – New Consumer Threats
2. Phishing: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [alerts@cdcmailsystem.gov]
3. Warning Phishing Attempts with Fake Microsoft Mail

The official Google blog has now published a few tips on how to avoid phishing attempts on your computer.

In summary:

- Don’t reply to or click on links in emails that ask for personal, financial, or account information.
-  Check the message headers. The From: address and the Return-path should reference the same source.
-  Instead of clicking the links in emails, go to the websites directly by typing the web address into your browser, cut and paste or use bookmarks.
-  If on a secure page, look for “https” at the begging of the URL and the padlock icon in the browser.
-  Keep your computer’s antivirus, spyware, browser, and security patches up to date and regularly run system scans.
-  Review your accounts regularly and check for unauthorized activity.
-  Use a browser that has a phishing filter (Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera).

Read the Google article on Phishing here

For Anti Phishing PC Protection

Until next time

Peter – Your Anti Phishing Guide

Related posts:

1. Phishing – What is it and how do you discover it?
2. Phishing under the name of Wikipedia
3. Warning Phishing Attempts with Fake Microsoft Mail