spyware

A new Senate bill is likely to vex Internet companies and advertisers, which have been warning for years that supposedly 'antispyware' proposals could impose problematic regulations on legitimate businesses.

Sen. Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat, said in a statement Thursday: "The industry has failed in self-regulating. It's time to step in and enact serious consequences against those who use this invasive and deceptive practice."

Y'all remember how well that worked with spam, right?

Anyway, the reason this idea is likely to estrange Net companies is that it includes 34 pages of detailed and often-ambiguous regulations that … Read more

For its first major update in over two years, Lavasoft's Ad-Aware 2007 offers a redesigned interface and an overhauled detection engine, along with an enhanced Update Manager and a new Tracksweep feature that clears your browsing history for multiple applications with one click.

Take a quick tour of Ad-Aware 2007 with this First Look video.

Yahoo has issued a critical security patch for Messenger to address zero-day exploits that take advantage of vulnerabilities in its Webcam ActiveX controls.

The exploits to instant messaging surfaced Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the vulnerabilities were first reported to Yahoo by eEye Digital Security.

People could find their systems at risk if they visit malicious Web sites or view other malicious HTML code. The attackers could then exploit security flaws in the Yahoo Webcam ActiveX control, a software package that is downloaded with Messenger.… Read more

In the rapidly changing world of computer technology, the laptop Power Downloader purchased only a couple of years ago has quickly become obsolete. In order to keep up with the most advanced Internet criminals, Power decided that it was time to upgrade his trusty laptop. Once he found the right one with the fastest processor, extra RAM, and the latest features, he brought it back to the Power Lair for the most important part of the process: downloading software!

While it seems like his computer goes out of date rather quickly, Power Downloader's favorite programs for a new computer … Read more

Ten percent of the 4.5 million URLs Google researchers analyzed for a malware expos? harbored malicious code. The code executes through widgets, ads, compromised downloads, server vulnerabilities, browser holes, phishing lures, and links, making infection possible for even ordinarily safe users.

CNET.com's Robert Vamosi has the full story, and CNET Download.com has programs to add muscle to your antivirus armor. Netcraft Toolbar (for Internet Explorer and Firefox), is an antiphishing browser extension that sniffs out suspicious hosting locations common in spoofed sites.… Read more

As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill aimed at criminalizing spyware used for malicious purposes.

An identical version of the Internet Spyware Prevention Act, chiefly sponsored by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) passed the full House in the last congressional session by a 395-1 vote.

The bill, which was approved by a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday, proposes punishing those who sneak code onto computers without authorization in an attempt to "impair" the security protections on a machine, transmit personal information about the machine's user, … Read more

Nearly every security vendor offers a free virus scan on its Web site, but it's not always clear what they are, how they work, or why you might want to use them in addition to or instead of downloadable security software.

What are online virus scans?

The most common online virus scans are hosted on security companies' Web sites and use ActiveX technology to scan your computer, flagging any files that show up in the company's spyware or virus definitions.

Exact methodologies vary from vendor to vendor, as does coverage. Panda ActiveScan claims it detects rootkits. Kaspersky updates … Read more

-- IMSafer, the parental IM monitoring system we covered in October, got a big upgrade today with support for Mac OS X and Windows Vista. The app keeps an eye on your child's (or spouse's!) instant messages, and alerts you via e-mail if the analysis tool finds inappropriate content. Previously, there was no Mac support.

-- MySpace is planning to launch an app that lets curious parents or significant others track MySpace log-ins on the family computer. Code-named "Zephyr," the app will make note of username, age, and location, then save the data to your machine. … Read more