Consider what would happen if your boss came to know your home IP address and searched the Internet for your postings and online activities by IP address. Or worse yet, if your boss’s competitor, or your competitor tapped into your confidential online business communications.

Owning your own business means you are a primary target for industrial espionage – and most small businesses never think twice about their communications security. The vast majority of espionage, worldwide, is for economic and business data, trade secrets, buying patterns, economic and financial patterns. One ill-advised email that can be traced back to you could sink your company.

With Christmas around the corner, last minute shopping online is inevitable. But are you sure that your credit card or paypal details are safe? It’s highly possible that your credit card details land on a hacker’s hard disk before it reaches the merchant’s bank.

With the growing issue of government intrusion into private affairs, both personal and economic, Personal VPN and anonymous surfing has become even more compelling. Google recently handed over the IP address of a user of its blogging software to an Israeli court after the author was accused of slandering Israeli politicians. Yahoo has been heavily criticized for handing over details about its users to the Chinese authorities that have led to the jailing of three people who criticised the Chinese government online.

The only solution to all these problems is anonymous browsing with Virtual Private Networking. VPN Serviceprovides you a shield of encryption against spies and hackers; and hide your real IP address for anonymous browsing.

Apart from the security aspect a Virtual Private Network also lets you access restricted websites in your country or company. And unlike web proxies Virtual Private Networks are much faster and reliable.

During a telephone conference with reporters yesterday, outgoing Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin, while touting the new security features of Windows Vista, which was released to manufacturing yesterday, told a reporter that the system’s new lockdown features are so capable and thorough that he was comfortable with his own seven-year-old son using Vista without antivirus software installed.

Allchin’s statement came in response to a question about his relative level of confidence that Vista would be more secure than Windows XP SP2. In response, he noted there were key security features added to Vista which could not be added to Windows XP SP2 even though, he said, his people apparently tried to do so.

Two such features — namely Vista’s new parental controls, and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), which renders the object code of the system kernel in memory differently each time to thwart the designs of malicious code — render his son’s Vista machine comfortable enough for him to use, even though production-quality anti-virus software for the unit has yet to be completed.

“I would say that Windows XP SP2 did an amazing job, and I’m proud of what we did there. But you have to understand, we learned a lot during Windows XP SP2, and there were things that we couldn’t put in that product,” explained Allchin.

“I’ll give you an example: It’s my favorite feature within Windows Vista, it’s called ASLR (Address Space [Layout] Randomization). What it does is, each Windows Vista machine is slightly different than every other Windows Vista machine. So even if there is a remote exploit on one machine, and a worm tries to jump from one machine to another, the probability of that actually succeeding is very small. And I wanted to do this in Windows XP SP2, but we couldn’t figure out how to do it. So then a smart guy here came up with a solution, so we put it in Windows Vista.”

After summarizing that past statement, Allchin continued, “Please don’t misunderstand me: This is an escalating situation. The hackers are getting smarter, there’s more at stake, and so there’s just no way for us to say that some perfection has been achieved. But I can say, knowing what I know now, I feel very confident.”

“I’ll give you an example: My son, seven years old, runs Windows Vista, and, honestly, he doesn’t have an antivirus system on his machine. His machine is locked down with parental controls, he can’t download things unless it’s to the places that I’ve said that he could do, and I’m feeling totally confident about that,” he added. “That is quite a statement. I couldn’t say that in Windows XP SP2.”

Allchin led up to that comment after having recalled the company’s Defense-in-Depth program, which emerged in 2004 as a way to assist software in defending specifically against viruses, but which evolved into a comprehensive anti-malware campaign.

As a result of Defense-in-Depth, Allchin told the reporter, Service Pack 2 of Windows XP made it substantially more difficult for malware to get to the kernel.

“So we’ve just put up one barrier after another,” he said, “so that the end result is, in the percentages, when I look at the number of bulletins that we’ve produced over a period of time for Windows XP SP2, and I look at what I would expect to take place in terms of, not just the number, but probably more important, the severity for Windows Vista, we have been doing measurements of that all along, and it’s my opinion that the severity of the bulletins will be less, as well as the number will be less.

“That’s to be proven, so we will see about that. But I need to say the following: Windows Vista is something that will have issues in security, because the bar is being raised over time,” Allchin continued. “But in my opinion, it is the most secure system that’s available, and it’s certainly the most secure system that we’ve shipped. So I feel very confident that customers are far better off by using Windows Vista than they are with anything that we’ve released before.”

ASLR would apparently have been a component of Defense-in-Depth, based on Allchin’s comments, had it been compatible with the existing architecture of Windows XP. In fact, ASLR may help substantiate the need for such features as PatchGuard, which is designed to draw a kind of “moat” around the kernel of the operating system, rendering it inaccessible accept through authenticated communications.

But the evolution of the Defense-in-Depth program, he implied, may have evolved its implementation in Vista beyond the need for the generation of antivirus protection that was its original impetus.

Wherever possible, this list includes just those sites that are the originator and main site for that particular engine. Some online anti-virus scanners have private-labeled their engines to third parties, but these engines are not always up-to-date or as good as the original.

In the future, IT Security will compile a list of free downloadable antivirus tools.

A-squared: The A-squared malware scanner looks for for Trojan horses, backdoors, worms, dialers, spyware/adware, keyloggers, rootkits, hacking tools, riskware and tracking cookies. However, it only works inside IE (Internet Explorer) with ActiveX controls enabled.

BitDefender Scan8 Online: BitDefender is a complete online anti-virus scanner that appears in a new window. It requires IE to function.

Command On Demand Scanner: Another straightforward online virus scanner that requires IE and ActiveX controls.

The ESET Online Scanner: This online antivirus scanner from ESET also requires ActiveX and IE.

Computer Associates CA Anti-Virus: The free online version of CA’s anti-virus program requires ActiveX and IE.

Ewido Networks Anti-Spyware: Ewido Networks has an online anti-spyware scanner that is a predecessor to AVG Anti-Virus; it also requires IE and ActiveX.

Freedom Online Virus Check: One of the very few online scanners that works with both Firefox and IE. Firefox users will need to install a Java-based scanner, while IE users will need to activate ActiveX controls The service’s engine is based on the F-Prot scanner.

F-Secure Online Scanner: Another scanner that requires IE and ActiveX. It also checks for rootkits.

Panda ActiveScan: Based on the popular Panda virus scanner, the online version also requires IE and ActiveX.

Windows Live OneCare: Microsoft’s online virus scanner is based around its new Windows Live technology — and yes, this service too is only compatible with Internet Explorer with ActiveX controls enabled.

Trend Micro HouseCall: A smarter online scanner than most, Trend Micro’s solution detects browsers and installs the appropriate piece of code needed, whether it’s Java or ActiveX. The service is based on TrendMicro’s popular anti-virus engine.

Note that leading anti-virus vendors McAfee Inc. and Symantec Corp. have rich online scanning tools, but these services do not actually remove detected threats.

Here is another video review of a spyware program “XoftSpy SE” which will help you to remove any kinds of harmful spyware programs and even viruses. As for me when I tried this prog I found a few new spyware programs on my PC. Some of them were not spyware programs at all but still there was one spyware programs which was not found by other well-known anti-spyware programs. So you’d better watch this video review of XoftSpy SE and decide if you wanna try it.

WinReanimator Automatic Removal Instructions

This automatic removal method is for non-techie computer users. If you’re too lazy to learn about spyware removal or how to access sensitive files in your computer, then this is the method for you.
Before you start: Print or bookmark these instructions because you’ll have to reboot into Safe Mode. Also back up your computer in case you make a mistake.

1. Download and save SmitFraudFix to your desktop.
2. Restart your computer in Safe Mode (how to do safe mode). Once the
desktop appears, double click on the SmitfraudFix.exe on your desktop.
3. After the credits screen, you’ll see a menu. Select the option number 2, which is ‘Clean (safe mode recommended)’, and then
press Enter to delete infect files.
4. SmitFraudFix will begin cleaning your computer and take a series of cleanup processes. When the process is over, it will automatically begin the Disk Cleanup program.
5. Once the Disk Cleanup program is complete, you will be prompted with the message ‘Registry cleaning – Do you want to clean the registry’. Answer Y (Yes) and hit Enter. Reboot your computer.
6. SmitFraudFix will now check if wininet.dll is infected. SmitFraudFix will ask you whether to replace the infected file (if there’s any) ‘Replace infected
file?’ Answer by typing Y (Yes) and hit Enter.
7. Reboot your computer to complete the cleaning process.
8. After reboot, a Notepad screen may appear containing a log of all the files
removed from your computer. If it doesn’t appear, a file will be created called
rapport.txt in the root of your drive, (Local Disk C:).
9. Restart your computer in Safe Mode (how to do safe mode).
10. Go to C:\Windows\Temp, click Edit, click Select All, press DELETE, and then
click Yes to confirm that you want all the items to go to the Recycle Bin.

11. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\[LISTED USER]\Local Settings\Temp, click Edit, click Select All, press DELETE, and then click Yes to confirm that
you want all the items to go to the Recycle Bin.
12. Reboot your computer back to normal mode. Go to Windows Update and download all critical updates.

WinReanimator Manual Removal Instructions

This manual removal method is for techie computer users. WinReanimator manual removal may be difficult and time consuming to remove. There’s no guarantee that WinReanimator will be removed completely. So read the WinReanimator removal steps carefully and good luck.
Before you start: Close all programs and Internet browsers. Also back up your computer in case you make a mistake and your computer stops working.

1. Uninstall WinReanimator Program
Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel > Double-click on Add/Remove Programs. Search for and uninstall WinReanimator if found.
2. To stop WinReanimator processes (view process removal steps)
Go to Start > Run > type taskmgr. The click the Processes tab and you’ll see a list of running processes.
Search and stop these WinReanimator processes:
WinReanimator.exe
install.exe
install_2.exe
97734433.EXE
expavc.exe
omyragaji.exe
braviax.exe
winistr.exe
expavc.exe

For each unwanted process, right-click on it and then select “End task”.
3. To Unregister WinReanimator DLLs (view DLL removal steps)
Search and unregister these WinReanimator DLLs:
msvcr80.dll
unzip32.dll
htmlayout.dll
pthreadVC2.dll
msvcm80.dll
msvcp80.dll
pthreadvc2.dll
unzip32.dll
huzami.dll
htmlayout.dll
pthreadvc2.dll
winreanimator.dll
izot.dl

To locate the WinReanimator DLL path, go to Start > Search > All Files or Folders. Type WinReanimator and in the Look in: select either My Computer or Local Hard Drives. Click the Search button.
Once you have the WinReanimator DLL path, go to Start and then click on Run. In the Run command box, type cmd, and then click on OK.
To locate the exact DLL path, type cd in order to change the current directory. To display the contents of the directory, use the dir command. To remove the DLL file type regsvr32 /u FILENAME.dll (FILENAME is the name of the file that you want to unregister).
4. To unregister WinReanimator registry keys (view registry keys removal steps)
Go to Start > Run > type regedit > press OK.
Edit the value (on the right pane) by right-clicking on it and selecting the Modify option. Select the Delete option.
Search and delete these WinReanimator registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\”WinReanimator”=”C:\ProgramFiles\WinReanimator\WinReanimator.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WinReanimator

5. If your homepage has been changed, go to Start > Control Panel > Internet Options > click on the General > click Use Default under Home Page. Add the your desired default homepage, then click Apply > click OK. Open a new web browser to check that you have your desired default homepage.
6. Remove WinReanimator Directories.
To find WinReanimator directories, go to Start > My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > Show the contents of this folder.
Search and delete the following WinReanimator directories:
C:\ProgramFiles\WinReanimator
*% ProgramFiles%\WinReanimator
UserProfile *%%\Local Settings\Temp\Binaries1.zip
UserProfile *%%\Local Settings\Temp\Binaries2.zip
UserProfile *%%\Local Settings\Temp\Binaries3.zip
%program_files%\winreanimator\data
%common_programs%\winreanimator

Right-click on the WinReanimator folder and select Delete.
A message will appear saying ‘Are you sure you want to remove the folder [NAME OF FOLDER] and move all its contents to the Recycle Bin?’, click Yes.
Another message will appear saying ‘Renaming, moving or deleting [FOLDERNAME] could make some programs not work. Are you sure you want to do this?’, click Yes.
7. To remove WinReanimator icons on your Desktop, drag and drop them to the Recycle Bin.

You’ve completed the WinReanimator manual removal instructions!
I hope this article has helped you solve your WinReanimator problems. If you want to contribute to this article, post your comment below.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes. By using this information you agree to be bound by the disclaimer. There’s no guarantee that WinReanimator will be completely removed from your computer. Seek professional help if your computer continues to experience problems.

The better kinds of ad and spy applications simply monitor your activity for their own information. They’ll track you to the sites you visit in order to gain information about Web surfing trends to better their marketing outreach. Not so bad. But other types of applications go beyond regular tracking and instead watch for patterns in keystrokes to develop possible password possibilities; this could be a real risk to security. So how does one rid themselves of these unscrupulous little programs? It’s often easier to prevent spyware than detect and remove it – at times just attempting to remove these programs can render other share and freeware applications useless.

Below find a list of some steps to take to find and remove spyware applications from your computer system:

* Be careful what you download! If looking for a specific patch or shareware download, it’s often a good idea to use trusted sites. Download.com and tucows.com are some sites with a good reputation.

* Have a careful look through the EULA (End User License Agreement), past all the fine print and legalese that we agree to when clicking the ‘I Agree’ to terms button. A closer look and you may find you’re consenting to spy activities. You may want to breeze through the contract with an eye out for unacceptable terms.

* Read the information before you click. When visiting a web site, or when a pop-up box of text appears on screen, the user tends to get lazy and just click the box to dismiss it before really taking the time to listen to the message. Although a pop-up wouldn’t call anything ’spyware,’ it may ask for your consent to something similar that you don’t want.

* Protect the entire system. Antivirus applications today are a misnomer. Other kinds of bad code round out the total threats which we want to be protected from. Now ‘trojans,’ ‘worms,’ and ‘hoaxes’ are new forms of adware. For protection in real-time, try AdAWarePro or another product.

* Scan the system regularly. Antivirus and other firewall protection is wonderful, but even then, at times the spyware gets through. In addition to AdAWare, Lavasoft makes more inexpensive solutions including the free ‘Spybot Search & Destroy.’

Follow these steps to keep unwanted spyware off of your computer system.

Hello, my dear readers! Today I am very happy to present you this video interview with a well-known IT specialist who will give you some advice how to choose a good antivirus program. I like this interview as it is not a silly advertising of one program but a brief quality review of the main antivirus products which are available on the market now.

Today I post a funny video as it is Friday and I think that it is not a good thing to do anything serious before weekends. I love Mac as these computers are great, it is not an easy thing to infect your Mac with computer virus but if your Mac is infected by viruses this video will help you to change the situation for better!

It is a well-known fact that it’s very easy to ruin your windows by different Trojans and viruses which can be found in Internet. We buy expensive anti-virus or spyware programs to kill and remove these harmful programs but we forget that it can be prevented. In this video tutorial you will learn how to avoid your PC be infected by viruses and Trojans.

Sometimes it is very comfortable and convenient to use an online antivirus. Today we present you another video tutorial where you will learn some useful tips how to choose a good online antivirus which will help to protect you computer or communicator from viruses and Trojans.