Virus & Antivirus

MOST DANGEROUS VIRUSES

As dreadful as may sound, computer viruses can be a nightmare that might cause extensive damage to your innocent machine. . Those who have gone through a virus attack on their computers knows too well what this fuss is all about and those who haven’t should know about  some of the most dangerous computer viruses and the destruction they caused.

5.Nimda

Nimda first surfaced in 2001 and hastily rosed to the top. The name of the virus is derived from the word “Admin” spelled backwards. It just took 22 minutes for this dangerous virus to propagate via four different ways – e-mail, server vulnerabilities, shared folders and file transfer. The worm was released on September 18, 2001, a week after the 9/11 attacks which forced many people to believe that Nimda is a Cyber Terror attack as it quickly captured almost all the sources via which the virus can infect maximum number of computers. Albeit, the primary purpose of this virus was to slow down the internet traffic considerably causing a denial-in-service attack.

4.Conficker

In 2009, a new computer worm Conficker also known as Downup, Domnadup and Kido crawled its way into as many as fifteen million Microsoft Windows operating systems around the world without human intervention using a patched Windows flaw. Conficker virus is very difficult to detect without running an upgraded version of original anti-virus and malware scanner. It might spread via removable drives like hard disks, smart phones and other thumb drives adding a corrupt file to it so that when the device is attached to another computer, the AutoPlay dialog box display an additional option. Conficker has assembled an army of zombies which has the potential to steal financial data and other important information from your system.

3.Storm Worm

The dreaded Storm Worm struck the cyber world as a malicious Trojan horse program in late 2006 when users began receiving e-mails with a subject line “230 dead as storm batters Europe.” It was without a doubt one of the most sophisticated and greatest cyber fraud networks ever constructed. It tricked the victims into clicking the fake links in an e-mail that was infected by the virus which could easily turn any Windows PC into a botnet, letting someone offsite operate it remotely for sending spam mails across the internet. In January 2007, it was estimated that out of all global malware infections, 8% is due to the Storm worm as the number of this dangerous malware infected PCs was close to 10 million.

2.CIH

A destructive parasitic virus CIH also known as “Chernobyl” was first emerged in the year 1998 in Taiwan and quickly became one of the most dangerous and destructive viruses to ever hit with a payload that corrupts data. The CIH virus infects Windows 95 and 98 executable file and after doing that it remains a resident in the machine’s memory, where it infects other executables. Once activated, the virus annihilates the data on the hard disk and overwrites the computer’s Flash BIOS chip, rendering it completely inoperable and unless the chip is reprogrammed the user will not be able to boot the machine at all. Although with increased awareness and advancement in technology the virus does not pose a serious threat today but we can never forget the $250 million worth of destruction it caused.

1.Melissa

Melissa was the first mass-mailing macro virus for the new age of e-mailing which became the breaking news across the world on March 26, 1999. The estimated damage accounted to 300 to 600 million dollars after which FBI launched the largest internet manhunt ever to catch the author of Melissa – David L. Smith which of-course they did and after the arrest, he was sentenced 20 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay a fine of $5000 for unleashing the fastest virus of its time. The virus was distributed as an e-mail attachment and when the attachment “list.doc” is clicked upon, the virus seeks for the Microsoft Outlook address book to e-mail itself to the first 50 names on the list with a message “Here is that document you asked for…don’t show anyone else. 

COMMERCIAL ANTIVIRUS

To prevent from all those viruses and thread in the online world,men invented antivirus.. So below is list of top antivirus in 2013.

BitDefender Antivirus Plus 2013

At the top of our list for the Best Antivirus Software of 2013 is BitDefender Antivirus Plus. BitDefender goes above and beyond simple antivirus, and provides users with award-winning protection from viruses, malware, spyware and identity theft. It has a smooth installation process. It scans the system to search for anything that might hinder the process. BitDefender achieved excellent results in the independent testing done by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs.

BitDefender Antivirus 2013 features stellar malware blocking and phishing protection, secure browsing for online transactions, specific Facebook and Twitter protection and even complete remote management, so you can check in from anywhere.

When cleaning up infested systems BitDefender takes a bit longer than average, however it is very thorough.

BitDefender Antivirus Plus 2013 is comprehensive and powerful, doing everything you’d expect an antivirus to do and then some. If you’re going to buy an Antivirus this year, we fully endorse BitDefender.

AVG Antivirus 2013

AVG AntiVirus 2013 comes in at #2 on our list. AVG is well-known in the antivirus world, offering exceptional protection that stops malware before it can even touch your PC. The software checks your files, links and emails before you even open them, and prevents all kinds of spying and data theft. AVG Antivirus 2013 even includes free Mobile protection for your smartphones and devices, and their free phone support earns huge bonus points.

AVG is famous for it’s free antivirus software, because it is so effective. Almost as effective as many commercial products on the market today. So we expect good things from their own commercial product: AVG Antvirus 2013.

AVG has great scores from the Independent Labs and is generally well reviewed by customers. It boasts an extremely accurate span filter (The best filter of any antivirus this year), a simplified firwewall and an online shield that blocks dangerous websites.

On the downside it can be tough getting the software installed on an already infested system, and is has a slower than average boot time, which can be annoying.

AVG Antivirus offers powerful protection, much like the free version, and to reiterate, it’s spam filtering is second to none. It does have some drawbacks, but if you can overlook them you will be very happy with this software.

Kaspersky Antivirus 2013

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 runs behind the scenes, boasting protection against viruses, trojans, rootkits and other threats without any significant impact on your PC’s performance. Their automatic download and installation features make this a great choice for new / inexperienced computer users.

Unlike Trend Micro’s Titanium Antivirus Plus Kaspersky Antivirus 2013 is easy to install, even on an infected system. The latest version features multiple scans that effectively remove malware, the Kaspersky Security Network identifies new threats, top-shelf phishing protection and protection against web based exploits.

The one main draw-back is that the special and multiple malware scans do take quite a long time, which can be frustrating.

In the Indenpendent Lab tests Kaspersky scores well. It’s most effective features are the anti-phishing functionality and exploit protection and prevention. Additionally, both of these features are traditionally reserved for more expensive Suites so that is a big plus in our book.

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus Plus 2013

Coming in at #4 on our list is Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus Plus. Part of the Titanium line of security products, Antivirus Plus also gets bonus points for their user-friendly interface.

Antivirus Plus 2013 is very good at blocking malware attacks and is average to above average at removing the malware. It has accurate, but slow, spam filtering, a firewall booster and specifically test for and protects your Facebook privacy which is honestly pretty cool.

Unfortunately it can be difficult to install on already infested systems, so if you’re looking for an antivirus because you’ve already experienced an attack you should probably avoid Titanium Antivirus Plus.

Titanium Antivirus 2013 received average scores from the independent testing labs.

In conclusion, Antivirus Plus 2013 is  basic security software that will have everything the average consumer is looking for and is a decent choice for 2013, but there are better solutions.

Norton Antivirus 2013

Number 5 on our list is Norton Antivirus 2013. Published by Symantec, Norton Antivirus stops viruses and spyware, allowing you to safely go online and share. They claim “five patented layers of protection” which quickly and accurately detect and eliminate viruses and spyware. Norton Antivirus also offers basic identity and password protection.

Norton Antivirus 2013 does a particularly good job at removing malware, although it is rather average at blocking the malware in the first place.

Independent testing labs like ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs have both officially certifies Norton’s technology for the identification and removal of viruses, and they received a VB100 certificate 9 out of the last 10 tests by Virus Bulletin.

Against exploits, Norton Antivirus 2013 has robust protection built in. When your system is under attack you will be immediately notified by a pop up and informed about what actions you should take.

While not the best Antivirus of 2013, Norton still beats out many competitors and provides a solid PC protection solution. If you’re already familiar with Norton’s user interface and aren’t interested in changing then choosing this product instead of the other, higher-rated Antivirus Software, is perfectly acceptable.

FREE ANTIVIRUS

Not all of us can afford a commercial antivirus. So here,we listed the top free antivirus that you can download.

AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS

You don't have to spend long with Avast Free Antivirus to realise why it's one of the most popular security tools around.
The program is easy to install. It has a simple interface so that user can learn it quickly. A quick first scan should identify any potential threats on your PC has minimal impact on your system performance.
It is proven to be one of AV-Comparative’s “Product of 2012” in Independent testing by AV-Test and found to be a good all-rounder antivirus.
Avast Free has some useful extras, too. A Software Updater warns you to program updates you've missed, for instance, while its Browser Cleanup tool provides a simple way to remove unwanted add-ons from your browsers.

PANDA CLOUD FREE ANTIVIRUS

Small and simple, Panda Cloud Antivirus is a lightweight tool which provides free real-time antivirus protection, and can be used alongside many other security tools without problems.
It's the free version of a commercial product, and so has a few missing features. The Pro edition helps to protect you at public WIFI networks, for instance, It’s also has the "USB Vaccine" function which reduces the risk of malware infecting a USB drive.
The core antivirus protection stills the same, though. And while that doesn't deliver the top detection rates, independent testing shows it's very capable, with the program winning certification in AV-Test's latest report

AVIRA FREE ANTIVIRUS

Avira Free Antivirus provides two main areas of protection.
A strong antivirus engine (rated highly by independent labs for its file detection rates) constantly monitors your PC, looking for and eliminating threats.
If you choose to install the Avira toolbar then you also get some web tools (an antiphishing tool, ad blocker, social networking protection), although this also replaces your default search engine with an Avira page.
But Avira is not as perfect as it seem. The interface can seem a little complex, just at first. And the program has more impact on your PC's performance than some other tools. Still, on balance Avira Free Antivirus remains a capable and effective security package.