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Symantec: Microsoft is putting customers at risk

AVG and Avast "better" than Microsoft Security Essentials.

Symantec was "nervous" of the effect Microsoft Security Essentials would have on the threat landscape, claiming the product does not provide adequate protection and would lull consumers into a false sense of security.

Mike Plante, senior director at Symantec, attacked Microsoft for "putting consumers at risk because [Microsoft Security Essentials] doesn't block a lot of the malware attacks that these criminals are throwing at consumers".

He said Symantec was "nervous" the product would be used by consumers who are not savvy enough to realise its failings.

He also believed Microsoft's product was inferior to alternative free antivirus applications from AVG and Avast.

"Based on what we have seen from AV Comparatives and AV Tests, Microsoft's anti malware engine, at the time called OneCare, does not measure up to the other freeware players, let alone the players like Norton," Plante said.

Microsoft denied its product, which was launched yesterday, was inadequate.

Its chief security advisor for Australia Stuart Strathdee said he wasn't interested in "trading blows with our competition" and instead explained that Microsoft Security Essentials was based on its Forefront enterprise product, which he believes is sound.

"We want to expand the level of protection and expand the overall volume of consumers who are running security software. This application is basically running the same engine as our Microsoft Forefront product. We stand by that product," Strathdee told iTnews.

According to Strathdee, the product does not require any more functionality - such as heuristics - as long as users keep their operating system and applications up to date.

"The overall strategy here is very clearly, Windows 7 with IE 8 and Microsoft Security Essentials.

"It is not only just about whether the product does heuristics or if it has other functionality built into the AV product. It really is a strategy about making sure you have the latest operating system, the latest browser and some anti malware and anti virus protection built in.

"Windows Vista and Windows 7 also have Windows Defender built in. When you combine that with the security features built into IE8 you can see the overall strategy of defence in depth coming into play," added Strathdee.

Market share

Symantec's Plante dismissed any threat Microsoft Security Essentials may have on Symantec's market share.

"This market is crowded already and Microsoft is really just joining that fray. The early reviews of the product aren't that good and as a free solution [Microsoft] will be somewhat restricted in the marketing they will put behind it. I don't think this is going to change the dynamics," added Plante.

In a report published by Gartner in June, research analysts Arabella Hallawell and Neil MacDonald said Microsoft had an opportunity to alter the consumer security market but suggested the company's investment in the product would be considered a failure if it did not capture at least 20 percent of the market within two years.

Windows 7 OEM Prices Revealed

Popular online retailer Newegg divulged details today on the OEM pricing of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7.

For those of you looking to grab an OEM license of the admirable new operating system, you will be happy to know that Windows 7 comes in at a slightly cheaper price than its predecessor Vista. Newegg is offering the OEM Home Premium version of Windows 7 for only $99.99, whereas the full version is currently retailing for $199.99. OEM versions of Windows 7 Professional are available for just $134.99, which is a massive $165 cheaper than the $299.99 retail version, and $5 cheaper than what Vista's Professional OEM version would have set you back. Finally, Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $174.99, making for a $145 saving over the retail version.

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) versions of software were traditionally offered by software makers, like Microsoft, as a cost-effective way for computer manufacturers to upgrade to the the latest version. However since the collective rise of online retailers, such as Newegg, it has become staggeringly straightforward for anybody, computer manufacturer or not, to purchase OEM software.

So if you're looking to get Windows 7 on the cheap and you're not a student, going the OEM route is definitely worth your consideration; but be wary of the restrictions in place, including not being able to upgrade at all -- clean installs only, folks!

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YouTube says Warner Music videos back in months

LOS ANGELES -

YouTube said Tuesday that music videos from Warner Music Group Corp. will return to the video site in the coming months after a nine-month dispute over splitting ad revenue.

Most of the catalog of videos from artists such as Madonna, Metallica and Green Day will be available for free viewing by the end of the year.

YouTube typically gives content owners the majority of the revenue in ad-sharing deals. Under the new arrangement, Warner will get an even larger share than before because it is also bearing the burden of selling ads, which Warner will contract to an outside agency.

YouTube gains by ensuring that viewers wanting Warner music will have a reason to visit the site.

The deal also means YouTube now has partnerships will all four major recording labels — Warner, Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, Sony Corp. and EMI Group PLC — and their respective publishing divisions.

Warner had pulled all of its music from YouTube in December, saying the payments it received did not fairly compensate the company or its artists and songwriters.

YouTube's head of music partnerships, Chris Maxcy, said the multiyear deal was separate from the online music venture Vevo, which YouTube and Universal are launching later this year.

New York-based Warner said in a statement that YouTube users will be able to access videos and "other music-related content" from its artists, but also have access to a "feature-rich, high-quality premium player and enhanced channels."

Music videos on the player will be of higher quality than previous Warner videos, and likely will be viewable on YouTube's high-definition "HD" setting. YouTube is owned by Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc.

Artists will have individual channels that will allow for greater fan interaction and give advertisers a more defined demographic for marketers to target.

The deal also covers advertising that could be attached to user-generated videos that feature songs or videos from Warner artists.

Goldman Sachs analyst Ingrid Chung said in an analyst note that the deal was a positive for Warner Music Group.

She said it could drive more traffic to its artist sites and help sales of song downloads and merchandise, but kept her "neutral" rating on the shares, saying the immediate impact would be "immaterial."

Warner Music shares rose 46 cents, or 9 percent, to close at $5.62, but fell 15 cents to $5.47 in after-hours trading. Google shares closed unchanged at $498.53.

(This version CORRECTS ADDS analyst note, share prices, corrects detail about quality. Moving on general news and entertainment services.)

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Microsoft Security Essentials Available for Download

After introducing its antivirus software to 75,000 beta testers in June as Microsoft Security Essentials Beta, Microsoft has made its Security Essentials antivirus software available as a free download.

The software, initially code-named Morro, is said to protect PCs against malware, computer viruses, and spyware. Microsoft replaced its subscription-based Windows Live OneCare with Morro after discontinuing OneCare in June.

Microsoft Security Essentials is ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less-powerful PCs, according to the company. By targeting the core anti-malware features that most consumers do not keep up to date, the software behemoth said, it will provide the essential protection that consumers need without overusing system resources.

Not a Suite

The Redmond, Wash.-based company said making the software available free is about taking down cost barriers that in the past have stopped customers from purchasing up-to-date security protection for their PCs.

"Security has always been one of the big issues surrounding Windows, so it makes sense for Microsoft to make it easy as well as cheap for Windows users to be protected," said Michael Gartenberg, an Interpret analyst.

Microsoft is also quick to remind potential users that the Security Essentials software is not a security suite that provides rich PC-tuning capabilities or backs up data.

"But if what you are looking for is 'install and forget' malware protection and solid quality, Microsoft Security Essentials may be just what you have been waiting for," the Microsoft Security Essentials team wrote in an official blog. Because it's free, no registration is required and no personal information is collected, according to Microsoft.

The software, which is available in eight languages and in 19 markets for Windows PCs, runs in the background so PC users are able to work without interruptions or long waits.

Wiping Out Competition

While Microsoft said its security software is to protect PC users, the free software may also wipe out the need to pay for other security software, including those from Arbor Networks, Symantec and McAfee.

When Microsoft first introduced the beta version of Security Essentials, analysts said the move would cause sleepless nights for competitors McAfee and Symantec, who would be worried about users switching from paid-for to free software.

"Microsoft has not been troubled in the past about adding features to Windows at the expense of third parties to make Windows users' lives better, so this move totally makes sense," Gartenberg said.

The free software release comes just weeks before Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system will hit store shelves. It's unclear if Security Essentials will be tied into Windows 7 as its default antivirus software or continue as a stand-alone download.

One thing that is clear is that Microsoft will be walking a tight line if it includes the software protection in Windows 7 after facing $1 billion in fines from the European Commission for including Windows Media Player in a previous version of Windows.

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Google working on "smart" plug-in hybrid charging

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -

Google Inc is in the early stages of looking at ways to write software that would fully integrate plug-in hybrid vehicles to the power grid, minimize strain on the grid and help utilities manage vehicle charging load.

"We are doing some preliminary work," said Dan Reicher, Google's director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. "We have begun some work on smart charging of electric vehicles and how you would integrate large number of electric vehicles into the grid successfully."

"We have done a little bit of work on the software side looking at how you would write a computer code to manage this sort of charging infrastructure," he said in an interview on the sidelines of an industry conference.

Google, known for its Internet search engine, in 2007 announced a program to test Toyota Prius and Ford Escape gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles that were converted to rechargeable plug-in hybrids that run mostly on electricity.

One of the experimental technologies that was being tested by the Web search giant allowed parked plug-ins to transfer stored energy back to the electric grid, opening a potential back-up source of power for the system in peak hours.

Google has pushed ahead in addressing climate change issues as a philanthropic effort through its Google.org arm.

Reicher said Google has been testing its fleet of plug-in hybrids "pretty intensely" for the last couple of years.

"One of the great things about plug-ins is this great opportunity for the first time to finally have a storage technology," he said

Reicher said the company is trying to figure out how to manage the impact of having millions of future electric vehicle owners plugging in their vehicles at the same time.

"We got to be careful how we manage these things," he said. "On a hot day in July when 5 million Californians come home, you don't want them all plugging in at the same moment."

Reicher laid out a scenario where power utilities, during a time of high demand, could turn on or off the charging of electric vehicles. The owner of these vehicles, who have agreed to such an arrangement, would get a credit from the utility in turn.

"The grid operators may well be indifferent to either putting 500 megawatts of new generation on or taking 500 megawatts off," he said. "The beauty of plug-in vehicles is that with the right software behind them, you could manage their charging."

Apart from plug-in hybrids, Google also is working on other green technologies such as developing its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more, and looking at gas turbines that would run on solar power rather than natural gas.

The often-quirky company also said in late 2007 that it would invest in companies and do research of its own to produce affordable renewable energy -- at a price less than burning coal -- within a few years, casting the move as a philanthropic effort to address climate change.

(Reporting by Poornima Gupta; editing by Carol Bishopric) . From : news.yahoo.com

Report: HP mulls merging printer, PC units

Hewlett-Packard is considering a reorganization that would see the company's printer unit combined with its personal computer business, according to a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday.

The plans, which are contingent on CEO Mark Hurd's final approval, would put both units under the leadership of Todd Bradley, the chief of the company's PC group, according to the report, which cited people close to the situation.

HP representatives did not immediately return requests for comment on the report.

The move would be an about-face for the company, which combined the printer and PC units before in 2005 when then-CEO Carly Fiorina was looking to boost the company's struggling PC business. The company's printer business was so successful that some were calling for the company to spinoff the division.

However, just five months after Hurd took over the HP helm after Fiorina's ouster by the board in 2005, he split them up again and appointed Bradley, former chief executive of PalmOne, as new leader of its personal systems group.

Last month, HP posted a 19 percent drop in profit for the third quarter of 2009, its third straight quarter of falling profit. For the quarter ended July 31, PCs accounted for $386 million in earnings, or 12 percent of HP's profits, while the printer business generated $960 million in earnings, or 30 percent of the company's profits.

Banking Trojan steals money from under your nose

Researchers at security firm Finjan have discovered details of a new type of banking Trojan horse that doesn't just steal your bank log in credentials but actually steals money from your account while you are logged in and displays a fake balance.

The bank Trojan, dubbed URLzone, has features designed to thwart fraud detection systems which are triggered by unusual transactions, Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer at Finjan, said in an interview on Tuesday. For instance, the software is programmed to calculate on-the-fly how much money to steal from an account based on how much money is available.

The specific Trojan Finjan researchers analyzed targets customers of unnamed German banks. It was linked back to a command-and-control server in Ukraine that was used to send instructions to the trojan software sitting infected PCs. Finjan has notified German law enforcement authorities, Ben-Itzhak said.

"It's a next generation bank trojan," he said. "This is part of a new trend of more sophisticated Trojans designed to evade antifraud systems."

Finjan researchers were able to trace the communications from the code on an infected machine back to the command-and-control server, which was left unsecured, according to Ben-Itzhak. On that server, they saw the LuckySploit administration console and were able to see exactly what types of rules the Trojan was written to follow and statistics on victims.

About 90,000 computers visited the sites housing the malware and 6,400 of them were infected, a 7.5 percent success rate, he said. Of those whose computers had the Trojan installed, a few hundred had money stolen from their bank accounts, he added.

During the span of 22 days in mid-August, the criminals behind the Trojan stole the euro equivalent of nearly $438,000, according to the security company.

The Trojan code includes detailed instructions on how the trojan should calculate how much to steal from a victim's bank account.

(Credit: Finjan)

Here's how the trojan works:

Potential victims get their computers infected either by opening an e-mail and clicking on a link to a Web site created to distribute malware or by visiting a site that has been compromised and malware hidden on it.

In this case the malware, a toolkit called LuckySpoilt, exploits a known security hole in the browser, affecting the major browsers, and installs the Trojan on the computer. When the Trojan notices the computer user visiting the site of a targeted bank it springs into action.

While the computer user goes about his or her business on the site, the Trojan looks at the available balance and figures out how much money to steal. The Trojan is given a minimum and a maximum range that is below the amount that triggers antifraud systems and to leave a certain percentage in the account, Ben-Itzhak said.

After performing the calculation, the Trojan then makes the transaction, communicating with the bank site through the browser without the computer user knowing.

"The Trojan is sending requests to the bank and getting replies that your browser doesn't display," Ben-Itzhak said. "You are looking at your account and you don't see any of it."

The Trojan has the money sent to the bank account of a money mule, someone who has an account set up to receive the funds. Money mules are typically people recruited online as "independent contractors" or "financial managers" whose sole purpose is to wire the money placed into their account to someone else, typically out of the country, in exchange for a commission. Because their accounts are used only once or twice, they often do not realize the ruse immediately, Ben-Itzhak said.

Meanwhile, the Trojan hides the theft by erasing it from the report of account activity displayed to the computer user and shows a fake balance--what the amount would be if not for the theft. The victim will not notice something is wrong until a different, uncompromised computer is used to access the account, an ATM is used, or a transaction is denied because of insufficient funds.

The Trojan also keeps a log of the victim's bank account log in credentials, takes screenshots, and snoops on the user's other Web accounts, such as PayPal, Facebook, and Gmail, according to the Finjan report.

This is the first Trojan Finjan has come across that hijacks a victim's browser session, steals the money while the victim is doing online banking, and then covers its tracks by modifying information displayed to the victim, all in real time, Ben-Itzhak said.

from: news.cnet

Author : Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.

Review Internet Explorer 8

With Internet Explorer 8 promised to arrive in 2008, Microsoft has taken a huge step forward this week by announcing the first public beta of the new browser.

Predictably named 'Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1' the browser won't be the radical (and much needed) overhaul seen between IE6 and IE7. Instead the primary difference will be 'Acid2' compatibility - in a nutshell: compliance with universal web standards so that everything on a web page looks and works as it should. This sounds obvious but, with designers constantly having to configure sites to work with multiple browsers, it isn't and should solve a vast array of programming problems and speed web page design. Firefox 3 will also pass Acid2 tests.

In addition to this, IE8 will also add ACR (automatic crash recovery) - saving your web pages in event of a crash - something most other browsers have had for years, expand its phishing filter (and rename it 'Safety Filter') to encompass malware threats and add a context sensitive right click menu (postcodes offer map searches, etc).

Grab it from the link below and for those obsessed with the minutiae check out the full release notes. Having tested out the beta myself, Firefox and Opera fans have nothing to fear, but IE users will get a little closer to knowing what it feels like to use a decent web browser...

Download

Internet Download Manager v5.18

Internet Download Manager v5.18 - The best way to handle your downloads and increase download speeds. Added full support for Windows Vista, YouTube, Google Video, MySpaceTV, IE7 and Firefox

Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a tool to increase download speeds by up to 5 times, resume and schedule downloads. Comprehensive error recovery and resume capability will restart broken or interrupted downloads due to lost connections, network problems, computer shutdowns, or unexpected power outages. Simple graphic user interface makes IDM user friendly and easy to use.Internet Download Manager has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation and safe multipart downloading technology to accelerate your downloads. Unlike other download managers and accelerators Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process and reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve best acceleration performance.

Internet Download Manager supports proxy servers, ftp and http protocols, firewalls, redirects, cookies, authorization, MP3 audio and MPEG video content processing. IDM integrates seamlessly into Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, MSN Explorer, AOL, Opera, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firebird, Avant Browser, MyIE2, and all other popular browsers to automatically handle your downloads. You can also drag and drop files, or use Internet Download Manager from command line. Internet Download Manager can dial your modem at the set time, download the files you want, then hang up or even shut down your computer when it's done.

Other features include multilingual support, zip preview, download categories, scheduler pro, sounds on different events, HTTPS support, queue processor, html help and tutorial, enhanced virus protection on download completion, progressive downloading with quotas (useful for connections that use some kind of fair access policy or FAP like Direcway, Direct PC, Hughes, etc.), built-in download accelerator, and many others.

Version 5.18 adds IDM download panel for web-players that can be used to download flash videos from sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV, and Google Videos. It also features complete Vista support, YouTube grabber, redeveloped scheduler, and MMS protocol support. The new version also adds improved integration for IE and IE based browsers, redesigned and enhanced download engine, the unique advanced integration into all latest browsers, improved toolbar, and a wealth of other improvements and new features.