Latest in malware

Malware is usually very specific in what it does to your PC, whether that's displaying ads, taking over your browser homepage and search bar, or nagging you to pay for some fake anti-virus. Hijacking however is potentially far more devastating, giving the hacker backdoor remote access to your entire PC. This is the holy grail for most hackers, so it's important to understand how it can occur and what you can do to protect yourself.
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USB drives are so pervasive in today’s world of technology, but when they first debuted, they revolutionized data exchange. The first USB flash drives had an 8MB capacity, which isn't much by today’s standards, but a far cry better than the alternatives - the 1.44MB floppy or the CD that required permanent burning. Nowadays we have USB drives that are larger than traditional hard drives.
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Everyone with an Android device should know that your private information isn’t treated as private. For example, making an app purchase may expose personal contact information, including one’s name, physical address and email address, to developers. This article explains how seven potentially deadly app permissions might hurt you and how best to avoid such calamitous installations.
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Security suites are a big deal. There are so many avenues of attack and you may one day find your computer buckling under the weight of malware and viruses. In the latter half of last year, I actually reviewed Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware Pro as part of MakeUseOf’s Rewards Program. But here’s our offer this week: we’re giving away 25 copies of Ad-Aware Pro 10.5 worth a total of $900 for FREE!
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Facebook blocked links to NBC.com and its other related sites after a multi-site compromise on Thursday. It appears that the American TV network's websites were infested with RedKit malware. The malware remained on the various sites for a few hours and users who visited the sites may have fallen victim to the malware. According to ZDNet, tens of thousands of people may be affected.
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We all know about the threat of malware. We know our PC can get infected, we know our mobile device can get infected. Sometimes, it’s even possible for our PC to infect our mobile device, but did you know your mobile device can be used to infect your PC? A new threat discovered by Kaspersky Lab researchers disguises itself as a system cleaner for Android, and when it gets the chance, infects your PC and takes over your microphone.
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There are a few ways in which you can access Clam Antivirus for numerous purposes. First, there's a front end to Clam Antivirus which you can use to perform tasks graphically. It is called Clamtk and has been featured on MakeUseOf before. By installing the graphical front end, your package manager should also pull in the Clam Antivirus engine that it depends on. The other option is to skip the graphical interface and just use the Clam engine via the command line.
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Security threats have increasingly come from new directions and that isn’t looking set to change in 2013. There are new risks you should be aware of, exploits of popular applications, increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks, malware, and scams targeting our love of social networks and photo sharing, and threats associated with viewing online videos.
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The Internet and social networks are incredible – they allow us to connect with one another in a way we have never been able to before. But in many instances, they also propose a threat. You see, we trust our friends and contacts. Therefore, whenever a friend shares something they read or use on a social network, we are much more inclined to check it out. So what do you do to prevent becoming infected with malware via social networks?
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With the ever-growing list of threats out there, one can never be too cautious. Sure you can watch what websites you visit and what you download, but even with those precautions, you should have some additional protection to back you up. You might feel that having an antivirus program is enough, but it is often recommended to have an additional program dedicated to scanning for malware.
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Sometimes, even when you run professional antivirus software and anti-malware apps, your computer may still start acting a bit screwy - leading you to wonder whether it's possible some new virus somehow made it past your many defenses and onto your computer. Sometimes it's nice to have a quick app you can run for free to perform a full system scan for all known viruses.
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If you don’t keep your computer protected, it’s very easy to get it infected – as many of you can probably relate to. There are multiple ways to keep your computer clean and your data safe. You can use your common sense to avoid catching a digital cold, and install a good anti-virus application. Another [...]
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It sucks to be constantly bombarded by computer-related threats, whether they’re spyware, malware, viruses, keyloggers, or whatever else. A popular way to combat this problem is to install an antivirus solution that sits in the background and keeps you safe. But no matter what resident solution you're using, it might not catch each and every infection. That’s where the one-time-scanner steps in.
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In cases of online identity theft, keyloggers play one of the most important roles in the actual act of stealing. If you’ve ever had an online account stolen from you - whether it was for Facebook, Gmail, a forum, or a video game - and you couldn’t explain how it was stolen, then the likely explanation is a keylogger. They’re dangerous, and no one is safe from them. What exactly is a keylogger?
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When it comes to internet security, everyone and their cousin has advice to offer you about the best software packages to install, dodgy sites to stay clear of, or best practices when it comes to passwords. Or perhaps you've never listened to others and have your own beliefs about internet security? In that case - this post is for you. Let's take a look at some of the most common beliefs - some might say myths - about internet security.
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