The first thing people think about when defending their computers and networks is an up-to-date antivirus program. Without this most basic protection, your computer will get a virus, which could just slow it down or potentially bring the pc to a complete standstill!

So anti-virus software is the answer?

An anti-virus solution on it’s own is not the answer to all of your problems, it can only protect you so much; in fact test have shown that a new pc running Windows XP if left connected to the Internet unprotected will be infected with viruses and remotely controlled via unauthorised persons within 20 minutes! To protect you against hackers and often to prevent spyware and ’scumware’ from communicating directly with their servers about information it may have picked up from your pc, a firewall should form the key part of your e-security solution. Previously, the targets of hackers were large institutions, banks and government organisations; now hackers try to steal your personal information, including bank details and passwords directly from your PC on a daily basis.

But perhaps you don’t consider that your data is particularly valuable?

You will be the one who suffers the consequences when it is destroyed, and these consequences are usually expressed in economic terms. If you lose your data, you will have to pay someone to try and recover it for you, and if your computer is illegally hijacked and used to attack others, then you will also have to handle any legal issues that may result from this.

What will a firewall do to limit the danger to your systems?
A decent firewall is sometimes referred to as a ‘choke-point’ or ‘bridge’. Every piece of data that comes into your network has to go through the firewall in order that data of undesirable content and unauthorised users cannot gain access to your computer or network.

A good firewall will also hide the fact from others, that you are actually connected to the Internet, stopping software that pings, sniffs and queries IP addresses in the hope of finding a system to attack.

A firewall will cloak me, but which one do I need?
There are two different types of firewall available for you to use; a software firewall that is loaded onto your computer and a hardware firewall. In truth, both types are software, but the hardware one is a dedicated firewall appliance, whose only job is to perform firewall functionality. A clear advantage of a hardware firewall, is that if you happen to install some sort of maleware or virus on your system, it cannot take over your firewall.

Unified Threat Management firewall functionality

Unified Threat Management products are defined as those that act as firewalls, include intrusion detection and protection, and also deal with viruses.

Does your current firewall perform content filtering, spam filtering, intrusion detection and anti-virus duties? All of these functions are usually on a number of different pieces of hardware, taking up valuable space in your server racks.
The technology within business grade firewalls has become considerably more robust recently, and paved the way to add these additional, but vital functions to the one appliance.

The administration time has been cut significantly, as there is only one appliance; product selection is quicker and easier, as is product integration and ongoing support. With only one appliance, troubleshooting also becomes a lot less of an issue. If the firewall were to fail, then only one piece of hardware needs to be swapped out; which means that your business can be back up and running faster.

Winding up
In conclusion a good firewall should do the following things:

• Protect your personal data
• Protect your computers resources
• Protect your reputation and that of your business
• Protect your liability
• Ideally be capable of Unified Threat Management

Rob Green is the CEO of Century Computing Support Services, a WatchGuard Firewall Expert Partner, who provide both business grade hardware and software firewalls at http://www.firebox.uk.com. Fill in the contact form at http://www.firebox.uk.com/catalog/contact_us.php to sign up for the Century Computing newsletter.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 15, 2008 — ClickFacts (http://clickfacts.com/about.html), the developer of automated risk discovery solutions, today unveiled NetworkFacts, the industry’s first comprehensive solution for exposing malware (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware), spyware and malicious intent in web advertising. NetworkFacts (http://clickfacts.com/cf_publishers.html) is delivered as an on demand solution to advertising networks and ad server companies, and is available from ClickFacts now.

NetworkFacts relieves advertising networks from the burden of manual content review of advertising and publishers sites by providing automated and continuous risk discovery that exponentially accelerates response time against hackers. A manual approach is extremely costly and only marginally effective against the proliferation of malware, spyware (http://www.clickfacts.com/cf_advertisers.html), brand theft, phishing, and mis-targeting attacks plaguing the $17 billion online advertising industry. Using NetworkFacts, ad networks and ad servers can quickly, easily and automatically:

* Identify malware embedded on publishers web pages

* Ensure publishers’ content meets the Terms and Conditions of the network and advertisers

* Scan ad content for malware infections (PPC ads are increasingly becoming malware Trojan horses)

* Determine that all landing pages associated with a specific ad are free of malicious code

* Verify ads are placed within the context of the brand, and on sites with appropriate content

“Interactive advertising has faced a multitude of exploits which have eroded trust and brand equity and undermined the web’s promise,” said Michael Caruso, CEO, ClickFacts. “Today ClickFacts becomes the one company focused on providing ad networks and ad servers a product designed to take the manual labor out of verifying advertising inventory. This leaves them free to confidently serve ads free of spyware, adware and other exploits which have kept interactive from earning the level of consumer trust other advertising mediums enjoy.”

Mediasmith (http://mediasmith.com/) CEO David L. Smith said, “We only place ads on transparent networks. But even when they are transparent, there is a lot of risk relative to content that we and our clients do not choose to be associated with. There are hundreds of network opportunities and not all are alike in the surety that we are getting what we pay for. We’d much rather do business with networks that are verified by third-party solutions like ClickFacts. This technology gives us a higher level of trust in the networks and puts our clients in a better facing environment for their consumers.”

ClickFacts’ CEO, Michael Caruso will officially unveil NetworkFacts during his appearance at Silicon Valley Bank’s upcoming panel titled “Building a Secure Company, Best Practices to Develop against Cyber Threats” on May 15. The panel will highlight the security issues that are critical to address when building a secure company.

About Clickfacts

ClickFacts is a risk discovery company providing solutions for online advertisers and publishers to detect click fraud (http://www.clickfacts.com/cf_publishers.html) and analyze all aspects of their advertising campaigns. The company’s goal is to become the industry standard for ad content authentication and online analytic and auditing solutions. ClickFacts works directly with advertisers, agencies, and search marketing firms, as well as PPC search services, PPC networks, and web publishers. ClickFacts is privately held and was founded in 2005.

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IRVINE, Calif. (Business Wire EON) October 24, 2007 — DriveClone Server includes features based on snapshots for quick system recovery when any number of common “digital disasters” occurs, such as a malware attack, bad software installation, or user error like an accidental file deletion. DriveClone Server also includes features based on disk-to-disk imaging and cloning to allow the user to make complete system backups and schedule incremental updates and store these backups on an external USB drive, a network share, or even to CD/DVD media. This off-system storage option is beneficial to quickly recover, replace, or upgrade a server hard drive and for adhering to any long term data storage goals. Regardless of who mandates the storage requirements, it is more readily available and more affordable than any tape backup mechanism when the need to replace failed system hardware arises.

“DriveClone Server is an all-in-one backup and recovery solution designed to protect small business Windows servers from a variety of system problems,” says Andy Chang, FarStone’s vice president of marketing. “As FarStone grows the number of solutions for the business computing environment, we aim to provide complete solutions that are affordable and easy to use for any business IT manager or end user. We want them to have access to tools to quickly restore a failed system because business continuity is crucial to maintaining a productive and profitable business.”

In conjunction with disk imaging, DriveClone Server deploys a newly released Universal Restore capability which provides a business user with the ability to migrate an entire system to dissimilar hardware. The server’s files, installed software and settings will appear exactly as they were when the hard disk image was created. System administrators can deploy a disk image to multiple computer systems, reducing the time needed to install new software, configure settings and load data. DriveClone Server loads before Windows and will run even when the server’s operating system does not.

Andy goes on to say, “Providing a Universal Restore functionality means that the business user isn’t tied to only one hardware configuration or brand name. If they have a need to move to a new system from a different manufacturer for technical or monetary reasons, DriveClone Server provides for easy transfer options without complicated setup and configuration – it provides for the lowest possible cost of ownership when managing network servers.”

DriveClone Server is now available from the FarStone website and a select group of value-added resellers at an MSRP of less than $600 per server installation.

About FarStone’s Snapshot Technology

FarStone’s snapshot technology is designed to provide continuous data protection (CDP) for tracking all sector level changes on a system. Every time a sector-level change is observed, a copy of the change is stored in a hidden and protected partition on the local hard drive. This “secure area” is safe from malware attacks and accidental deletion by an end user. Snapshots are recorded at user-defined schedules as frequent as every hour and can be manually taken at any time. The changed sectors are referenced between two given snapshots and when the need for recovery occurs, the user simply chooses a prior snapshot to roll back the system and the changes that occurred between the two snapshots are undone, thus resetting the system to an earlier state.

About FarStone’s Disk Imaging & Cloning

FarStone’s disk imaging and cloning technology allows users to backup an entire hard drive or a single partition by copying the used data sectors from a source hard drive to a destination hard drive in the form of an image file. Users can also clone from a smaller hard drive to a larger hard drive or resize a partition on the destination hard drive. Cloning and disk imaging are done within Windows and do not require a system restart. All personal data, installed applications, operating system files, settings and configurations will be replicated on the destination hard drive. Image files can also be created as bootable images in the event that a user has to reinstall a system to a new and unformatted hard drive. Common drivers are automatically found and installed during the process, thus negating any hardware incompatibility issues when migrating a system from one manufacturer to another.

About FarStone Technology

FarStone Technology, Incorporated is a pioneer in continuous data protection, disaster recovery and storage management. Founded in 1993, FarStone Technology provides consumers, SOHO and small/medium business with technologically advanced, easy-to-use and affordable disk imaging, system snapshot and bare-metal restore software and solutions. With headquarters in Irvine, California, the company designs, develops and markets its software and solutions to value-added resellers, distributors, service providers and branded Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide. For additional information and evaluation copies of FarStone products, visit our web site at www.farstone.com.

KEYWORDS: Server backup, file backup, clone, hard drive cloning, hard disk imaging, clone hard drive, software, utility, system snapshot, data recovery, continuous data protection

(PRWEB) March 21, 2008 — BluePrint Data today announced that it is making its URL Filtering database available to Unified Threat Management (UTM) Systems providers. UTM systems are becoming a staple of Small and Medium Business (SMB) and are now gaining ground among enterprises and carriers both for network protection and as a way to reduce costs, and meet regulatory demands. UTM appliances combine firewall, Virtual Private Network, antivirus, anti spam, content filtering, intrusion detection, and other security services on a single platform removing the need for multiple management stations and servers.

According to a report by Light Reading Unified Threat Management: The Market Beyond SMBs UTM is quickly becoming the replacement network-security technology of choice for large enterprises and carriers looking to provide it as managed services to their customers. The BluePrint Data URL filtering database can be used in any UTM solution. BluePrint Data’s trained and certified Web content review specialists have reviewed web sites that comprise over 800,000,000 URLs/Web pages making the BluePrint Data URL filtering database the largest 100% human reviewed data store in the world.

BluePrint Data’s CEO Bob Dahlstrom stated, “We are dedicated to making the Internet Filtering component easier for UTM suppliers and service providers. Partnering with BluePrint Data will allow a UTM provider to easily include excellent Internet filtering capabilities to their security solution.”

About BluePrint Data

Established in 1997, BluePrint Data has developed the world’s largest database of reviewed web pages. BluePrint Data’s trained and certified Web content review specialists have reviewed web sites that comprise over 800,000,000 URLs/Web pages making the BluePrint Data database of safe websites the largest in the world. BluePrint Data’s internet security and internet filtering products are sold to enterprise and SMB businesses around the world. For more information, visit www.BluePrintData.com

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Gothenburg, Sweden (PRWEB) March 27, 2008 — Well-known anti-spyware pioneer, Lavasoft announced today the release of Personal Firewall 3.0, redesigned with the latest in firewall technology to protect computer users against today’s IT security threats, such as hackers, keyloggers, botnets, and other forms of malware that attack through unpatched security holes.

“With uncertainty for Internet privacy and cyber attacks at an all time high, a top priority for computer users is protecting their vulnerable data” says Lavasoft CEO Jason King. According to a survey by NCSA Cyber Security, only 4% of Americans understand Firewalls completely, and over 46% are not sure if they have Firewall protection at all. “This leaves a lot of room to take advantage of unsuspecting computer users” says King.

Lavasoft Personal Firewall has an intuitive user interface, without sacrificing security or control. Building on nine years of firewall expertise, it is specifically designed for the home environment and small-to-medium sized businesses. This new version offers selective network access policies and allows PC users to take advantage of the convenient learning mode in order to reduce the number of alerts requiring a response.

Functionality and enhancements include:

?Packet-filtering through a two-way firewall

?Host protection to proactively monitor and block attacks

?Web Control to protect from corrupt websites and drive-by downloads

?Low resource consumption

?Full Windows Vista and 64-bit platform support

More information about this product is available at http://www.lavasoft.com/products/lavasoft_personal_firewall.php (http://www.lavasoft.com/products/lavasoft_personal_firewall.php)

Price and availability

Lavasoft Personal Firewall 3.0 is available immediately at www.lavasoft.com (http://www.lavasoft.com). It is competitively priced at $29.95 for a one year license, which includes installation on up to three computers, as well as free technical support. It is also available as a free trial. The Press Pack is available at http://www.lavasoft.com/company/press/ (http://www.lavasoft.com/company/press/).

About Lavasoft

Founded in 1999, Lavasoft is “the original anti-spyware company”, with over a quarter of a billion downloads worldwide for the Ad-Aware product. A private company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lavasoft provides security solutions for individual consumers and enterprise clients alike. Lavasoft has 4,000 partners in 120 countries.

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Also, unlike viruses that most commonly infect an individual computer, the worms usually attack a computer network. A computer network functions by using a collection of servers and routers. This is what the internet is comprised of. A server is like a PC but has more speed and storage and a router is a server with specialized functions, it directs traffic through the network. PC Security – Worm Viruses, Deadliest of All

A virus attacks the unit used to run programs on the computer called the central processing unit or CPU for short. It does this by running programs and being constantly busy, so that none of the functions you select can be opened. Similarly, this is how a worm functions on a network. The routers rely on memory and processing time (similar to the CPU functions). These are attacked and as a result the network drastically slows down.

Worms carry payloads which are comprised of other types of malware, backdoor installations or spyware. Spyware is a monitoring program that can keep an eye on activities on your computer and backdoor programs set up hidden access points used by hackers to steal your information or send spam.

?My Doom? sent out at the beginning of 2004, was the fastest spreading worm to date. The worm came in the form of an email with the message “andy; I’m just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry.”

Although the culprit was never found, its intended victim is thought to have been a software company called Santa Cruz Operation or SCO for short.

When a person opened this email, the worm was programmed to overwhelm SCO?s website with traffic. The worm spread through the internet and caused a massive slow down.

For the individual computer, the worm?s payload is more serious because it allows ports to be opened on the computer where hackers have access to steal or delete information. In addition, a payload may come with a program to attack your antivirus software and disable it.

De worming

Using firewalls will help protect your computer. Firewalls reduce traffic and ?hide? your computer. In this state, you are less likely to be attacked by worms spread over the network.

Be careful not to open suspicious emails and if you don?t know the person or get and unexpected email don?t open it. If you find your computer is slow and reboots by itself or the internet is sluggish, you may have been infected. Try running antivirus software to check it out. If that doesn?t work, try to manually removing the virus. Information as to how this is done can be found on the internet.

Jeff Clark is a staff writer at http://www.technology-digest.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.gamesenthusiast.com.

NEW YORK, NY (PRWeb) November 30, 2006 — Richard Fleischman & Associates (RFA), the leader in IT solutions for the hedge fund community, has introduced RFA Sentinel, a new fully managed service to provide real-time security intelligence solution. RFA Sentinel identifies and understands hacker, virus and SPAM/spyware behavior, security breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Armed with this information, enterprises are able to easily combat security threats while meeting compliance auditing requirements. This proactive approach leads to vastly improved security, reduced network downtime and increased profitability for hedge funds.

"RFA Sentinel is a mission-critical solution for any hedge fund concerned with network security and uptime," said Richard Fleischman, president of RFA. "We understand that the network is a hedge fund's engine for generating revenue and its our job is to make sure that engine is always running clean and smooth with minimal time and resources expended by the enterprise."

RFA Sentinel automatically collects and correlates event data from a variety of heterogeneous multi-vendor network devices and systems including routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS systems, proxy servers, antivirus, SPAM and spyware systems, content filtering web security appliances, Windows, Unix and Linux servers and work stations. This information helps eliminate false positives, identify security breaches and corporate violations, and improve security operations.

RFA Sentinel provides the following key features and benefits:

- Preemptive action against network threats provided by RFA's 24/7 NOC

- Reporting portal with powerful drilldown
- Correlated reporting
- Intrusion and rule based reporting
- Automated report generation and distribution
- Automated log archiving for compliance
- Compliance monitoring
- Scalable search
- Activity investigation

In addition, Sentinel guards a hedge fund's network in the following ways:

- Security Topology – Comprehensive network topology enables security professionals to quickly obtain insight into the security posture of the entire network infrastructure.

- Threat Visualization – Real-time mapping of security events on the topology provides easy visualization and understanding of security posture, and minimizes reaction time to security events.

- Event Drilldown – Advanced on-the-fly event correlation and analysis of significant security events.

- Heterogeneous Real-time Monitoring – Monitors security event data across the entire network of security devices and hosts in real-time.

- Real-time Event Manager – View security event data from thousands of heterogeneous and multi-vendor network devices and prioritize the actions based on business impact of each event, allowing for corrective actions before an incident occurs.

- Monitoring Dashboard – Monitoring dashboard provides a quick, consolidated view of the environment. Create and view any number of user-specific monitoring views and toggle between the different views.

RFA Sentinel is available now. For pricing information, contact RFA. For more information about Sentinel and RFA's IT solutions, please visit the RFA Web site at www.rfa.com.

About RFA
Established in 1990 and headquartered in New York City, Richard Fleischman & Associates currently serves more than 400 hedge funds globally, offering both on-site and remote services year-round and around the clock. As a full-service financial services solution provider, RFA provides the latest in technology products and fast, expert service by its team of more than 110 expert IT consultants. RFA maintains a world-class data center in Westchester, NY, providing fully equipped office and trading desk space, disaster recovery and business continuity services.

For more information, please visit our web site: www.rfa.com or call 212.867.4600

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a) Adware, Spyware, Anti-virus and Their Differences

Adware, spyware and computer virus share some similarities, one of which is that all three are major nuisances for computer users. Let’s differentiate the three.

Spyware is software that does not intentionally harm your computer. What they do is that they create pathways wherein someone else aside from the computer owner can communicate with the computer. Normally spywares record the various types of web sites you visit which are later used by web advertisers to allow them to send you unwanted emails and pop-ups.

This is why spyware are usually frowned upon and greatly avoided. They are more intrusive than adware. Spyware have their own separate executable programs which allow them to record your keystrokes, scan files on your hard disks and look at other applications that you use including but not limited to chat programs, cookies and Web browser settings.

The spyware then will send the information that it had gathered to the spyware author. The agent will then use this information for advertising and marketing purposes. They even sell the information to advertisers and other parties.

Adware, on the other hand, are more legitimate form of freeware. Similar to spyware, adwares are advertising materials which are packaged into a software or program and are installed automatically once that particular program or software is added into the computer system. Some forms of adware, on the other hand, download advertising contents as a particular application is being utilized. It is quite unfortunate that most of the adware programs take the form of spywares that is they track and report user information to program authors.

Some signs of spyware infections include pop-up ads that seem to be not related to the site you are viewing. More often than not, spyware pop-ups are advertisements about adult contents. Also if you notice your computer slowing down, there’s a big chance that spywares and its other components have found their way in your operating system. When the Windows desktop also takes a longer time to load, its best to scan your computer for possible spyware infections.

Meanwhile, viruses are destructive form of software. They were purely designed and created for one purpose alone: to wreck havoc to your computer. They destroy whatever they come in contact to and will initiate self replication and infect as many components of the computer’s operating system or network as possible.

Nowadays, a lot of anti-virus software also provides spyware and adware scanning and removal utilities. Some programs, however, are focused on located and deleting or destroying spyware and adware programs. Whether is an anti-virus software or a anti-spyware dedicated scanner, they both search your computer and identify any spyware and virus installed on your system.

They then remove it as well as their components located in the system registry among other places in your computer. It is therefore, good to regularly update your virus or spyware scanner to ensure that your computer is protected from the thousands of spyware and viruses in the internet. Never be fooled from ads that claim that their products only contain adware.

These adware maybe spyware in disguised and are just waiting to be deployed for them to gather your information. Learn to setup firewall systems and always block pop-up blockers to minimize computer infection and ensure the security of all your computer files.

b) Adware and Spyware Blockers

There is this one science school student whose thesis is about the moon so oftentimes he would google the term to come up with a ready list of online references. This proved to be useful to him and the entire process of writing his paper. After several months of doing so, he was confronted with problems like being directed to a weird page totally not related to the moon every time he types the same word.

At first he thought it was just a glitch in the internet system and then he rationalized that no it maybe a glitch in the search engine he is using but the persistent occurrence of such a thing made him think that someone bugged him. We all hate bugging people us but people we can fend of. What this science student is confronted with is a computer bug that he cannot fend off. In the first place he is not a technology savvy person and in the second place he never uses his laptop for any other things than academic research and actual writing of his papers.

The situation above is not an isolated case. There are many people who find themselves caught up in technology problems that are mind boggling but actually can be answered with two words and those two words are spyware and adware. The infamous term of spyware was first coined in the year 1995 but it was popularized in the year 2000. Spyware is a computer software innocently infiltrated in a personal computer to be able to access personal information of the user.

This is done by studying logging keystrokes, web browsing history and even scanning a user?s hard drive. Sounds like something we see only in James Bond movies but apparently we are wrong for anyone can be a victim of spyware. It is safe to use the word victim because no one wants to be monitored of all their online activities. Spyware can understandably be used to spy on criminals because such use is beneficial to society but how about the use of spyware to intercept credit card details and the like. There is simply no excuse for the lax of the use of spyware.

What ordinary people can do to protect themselves is to block spyware and all other software programs similar to it like adware and malware. This can easily be done by availing adware and spyware blocker programs online. The role of these blocking programs include to remove or disable existing spyware programs or to avoid the installation of these malicious software programs.

Spyware, adware, malware are not like virus or worms that self replicate but they can be just as hassle as their counterparts for whoever wants to be disrupted of their normal personal computer activities. One of the more popular hassles cause by these infectious software programs is the slowness of the computer which can really be annoying because when you are at work you tend to want to finish things quick not just because you are required but also because you want more done or you want to be able to go home early.

In some infections, spyware is not even evident as the bad guy so it can get away with its crime. It is best then to have a ready blocker to at least do something for preventing any infection to occur in the first place.

James Murray is a successful writer and online gambling expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in gambling and online gambling strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet ,provide useful and factual gambling information and insight. Some of his websites are http://www.casinospokerrooms.com, http://www.bingosbingos.com, http://www.top-sportsbook.ca

(PRWEB) August 4, 2007 — Kaspersky Lab, a leading provider of Internet security software solutions that protect against viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, crimeware, rootkits, phishing, hacker attacks and spam, today launched version 7.0 of Kaspersky® Anti-Virus and Kaspersky® Internet Security. Offering Triple Protection in a single box, these products deliver the highest detection rates, fastest response to new threats and proactive protection against known and unknown threats. Providing enhanced protection against Internet fraud and online identity theft, Kaspersky® Internet Security’s added features now help keep children safe online, as well as providing personal data protection.

Both products benefit from a comprehensive triple threat barrier developed by Kaspersky Lab as a safeguard against known and unknown threats. It is a combination of three advanced approaches for defending against today’s Internet threats, effectively combating programs designed to steal financial and confidential data stored on a computer.

How Does This Triple Threat Barrier Work?

1) Automated Hourly Anti-Malware Updates – Kaspersky Lab is known for its top detection rate and its rapid response time to new Internet threats. As in previous versions, 7.0 automatically updates a user’s antivirus signature database hourly. Update size of approx. 20KB makes the updates exceptionally small and virtually unnoticeable.

2) Heuristic Analysis – In the event of an attack that the signature database does not currently defend against, Kaspersky Lab acts proactively to isolate and analyse the unknown program for its potentially malicious code before it has a chance to run.

3) Real-Time Behaviour Blocking – Version 7.0 offers a third line of defence by analysing all processes running on the system, alerting the user to any suspicious and potentially dangerous behaviour. Version 7.0 will automatically block malicious programs and roll back any malicious changes made to the system.

In addition to unprecedented levels of protection, Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0 responds to the increasing need to keep children safe online. The new Parental Controls enable those responsible for children, whether in the home or at school, to define and block categories of forbidden content such as pornography or violence. These lists can be customised by user type for children, teenagers and adults.

“Parents will find the ability to supervise their children’s online experience by allocating set times they are permitted to spend online, a particularly important innovation in Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0,” comments David Emm, Senior Technology Consultant at Kaspersky Lab UK. “In particular, we listened to reports of parents who installed controls on their Internet Explorer web browser, only for their child to circumnavigate them by installing an alternate browser. We’ve made the product even more robust by making our parental controls browser independent.”

Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0 includes a new Privacy Control module that protects confidential data and prevents the theft of potentially lucrative personal information, such as usernames, passwords, bank details and credit card numbers.

“Computer threats have doubled in the last year. They are more sophisticated, replacing traditional viruses with crimeware: malicious programs used by criminals to harvest your confidential data and make money illegally,” adds Emm. “From the moment they go online, users are at risk. As people increasingly shop and bank online, their online footprint grows, raising their exposure to cybercrime. Kaspersky® Internet Security will assure users a worry-free online experience. “

Boasting a new user interface, both products are intuitive even for inexperienced users to install, configure and use. They have been developed with Microsoft® Windows Vista? in mind and are compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Furthermore, both products are Windows Vista? certified.

Pricing and Availability

Kaspersky® Anti-Virus 7.0 and Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0 are available to purchase at major retailers and stores nationwide, including Amazon.co.uk and PC World. Users can upgrade free of charge from version 6.0 to version 7.0. Step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade can be found at www.kaspersky.co.uk/upgrade

Alternatively, any home user or small business package can be purchased online at www.kaspersky.co.uk/store. The cost of a download version only purchased online is:

* Kaspersky® Anti-Virus 7.0 – 1 User License from £29.00 inc VAT

* Kaspersky® Anti-Virus 7.0 – 3 User License from £39.00 inc VAT

* Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0 – 1 User License from £43.00 inc VAT

* Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0 – 3 User License from £57.00 inc VAT

‘Stay Safe Online’ Guide

The “Stay Safe Online” guide uses plain English to explain the potential dangers of being online – and what steps need to be taken to protect against them. While online threats have evolved and pose a significant risk, the measures needed to protect against them are simple, even for PC novices. This comprehensive guide covers ‘traditional’ threats, such as spam and worms, through to the biggest threats facing home PC users today – phishing attacks and crimeware. Readers can request their free copy of the ‘Stay Safe Online’ guide at www.kaspersky.co.uk/safeonline

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab delivers the world’s most immediate protection against IT security threats, including viruses, spyware, crimeware, hackers, phishing, and spam. Kaspersky Lab products provide superior detection rates and the industry’s fastest outbreak response time for home users, SMBs, large enterprises and the mobile computing environment. Kaspersky® technology is also used worldwide inside the products and services of the industry’s leading IT security solution providers.

Editor’s Contacts

For more information, review copies, images and interviews, please contact

MCC International

Ian Peel / Graham Thatcher

Phone: 01962 888100

Press release blog: www.mccint.com/blog

Reader’s Contacts

Readers can learn more about Kaspersky Lab at www.kaspersky.co.uk and – for the latest on antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and other IT security issues and trends – visit www.viruslist.com.

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In the UK if a company stores details of any of their clients or customers on a database within their company confines they may by law register this particular activity. They need to do this in order to conform to the Data Protection Act which was brought into effect back in 1998.

The actual Data Protection Act registration is very simple and easy to complete and will only cost about ?35.00 and will cover the company in question for a period of 2 years. Today any reputable solicitor in the UK who advises companies and businesses when first setting up will recommend that they complete this registration.

The Data Protection Act 1998 UK was brought into being in order to ensure that all personal information is handled properly to ensure that a person?s rights to privacy are protected. This particular applies to all businesses and companies that will hold personal information about those individuals who are alive whether it be in paper or electronic format. But in order to conform to this particular act each company must follow a set of guidelines relating to them handling such information.

The best way to check to see if you are actually required to register your business as part of the Data Protection Act 1998 UK is by contacting the helpline whose details can be found at http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/data_protection/notification.aspx. It is also here where you can get hold of the notification form and you can either complete it online or print it off and then mail it to the address shown on the website.

However as with any online service there are some agencies that will fraudulently ask you to make payment to them in order to complete your registration. So if any agency requests you to make a payment to them of more than ?35.00 to complete your Data Protection Act registration then avoid these services altogether. In fact what you should immediately do is contact your Local Trading Standards Office and inform them of the situation.

Finally it is important to remember that if a business fails to register or renew this particular document then they are committing a criminal offence. Therefore by law the Information Commissioner to who this information must be provided has the right to take action to enforce and ensure that business or company is in line with the guidelines that need to be followed. Further more if a business or company chooses not to comply with this notice then this can seriously effect not only a businesses reputation but also its profits. So it is important that all businesses take data protection act registration very seriously indeed.

P Abbey owns and operates http://www.dataprotectionfacts.com/dataprotectionactregistration.html Data Protection Act Registration