threat

Anti-fraud services company ThreatMetrix announced today it is getting $12.1 million in Series C financing from Tenaya Capital, formerly Lehman Brothers Ventures.

ThreatMetrix will use the money for general operating capital and expansion of its device-profiling business, said Chief Executive Reed Taussig.

The Los Altos, Calif.-based company offers e-commerce companies a cloud-based service that helps authenticate customers to prevent account hijacking and fraudulent transactions on banking sites, Web retail stores, social networks, and dating and gaming sites.

ThreatMetrix creates profiles of devices accessing Web sites and services without the need for personally identifiable information from consumers and combines … Read more

Symantec says it has a new method for combatting malware, one that taps into a wider repository of information on potentially malicious code.

The security vendor today announced its new Ubiquity product, which combines data analyzed from the PCs of Symantec customers with Symantec's own Global Intelligence Network to combat new and mutating types of threats.

First featured in Symantec's Norton 2011 security product lineup and in its Hosted Endpoint Protection, Ubiquity is now gearing up for a rollout across a wider range of enterprise products in the coming year, starting with Symantec Web Gateway, the company said.… Read more

The bottom line: You get less, for less. Norton AntiVirus 2011 offers the same core high-quality computer and networking protection features as its more full-featured sibling, Norton Internet Security, but it lacks some key Web protection features that users shouldn't really go without.

Review:

Editors' note: Portions of this review are based on CNET's review for Norton AntiVirus 2010.

Over the past few years, Symantec has completed a course reversal for its Norton consumer Internet security suites. The massive package of security tools works better than it ever has before, with an impressive set of features, some useful … Read more

The bottom line: Norton Internet Security 2011 maintains its recent strong performance record and introduces some useful new features in the latest version, making it one of the top Internet security suites available.

Review:

Editors' note: Portions of this review are based on CNET's review for Norton Internet Security 2010.

Over the past few years, Symantec has completed a course reversal for its Norton consumer Internet security suites. The massive package of security tools works better than it ever has before, with an impressive set of features, some useful new tools including the free Power Eraser, and third-party security … Read more

Facebook has always struggled with hate groups.

It defines the hate emotion so subjectively that one hardly knows what it is permissible to hate--semolina, perhaps--and what is entirely verboten. (Not Holocaust denial, it seems.)

So I will be very curious how the peak players at Facebook will react to the news that certain Facebook members and groups are demanding the death of a very sensitive creature, Paul the psychic octopus.

Should you have recently been buried by youths on a secluded beach, you might not know that Paul is an octopus who lives in a tank in Oberhausen, Germany, and … Read more

AVG LinkScanner for Mac lets you know in advance if a Web site contains malicious threats. Already an enormously popular developer for the Windows antivirus category, AVG launches this bare-bones Mac version of its Link scanning technology to help prevent Mac users from visiting dangerous Web sites. As the only product AVG makes for Mac, this small program is not meant to sell you anything as there are no paid products from AVG for the Mac platform.

The Mac-like interface of LinkScanner lets you activate two types of protection. The Search Shield uses Web browser plug-ins that check search results … Read more

With the enormous popularity of Apple's iPhone, more and more people are switching to Mac desktops and laptops to get the full Mac OS X experience. But as the popularity of the platform reaches unprecedented heights, Macs are beginning to be targeted by malicious attacks, often in the form of drive-by Web site attacks. This means that your Mac could download malicious code just by visiting a questionable Web site.

AVG LinkScanner for Mac (exclusive to CNET Downloads today) protects your computer from malicious threats by providing a shield against dangerous Web sites. This free program has no option … Read more

Despite the efforts of IT departments, many PCs in the corporate and government world are littered with unauthorized software, most notably malware, says application-whitelisting company Bit9.

The results of Bit9's "2010 What's Running on Your Users' Desktops?" survey, released Monday, uncovered PCs with a significant amount of non-business software, including games, toolbars, and torrent software. Of greater concern, IT pros surveyed also discovered malware, such as ransom-ware, Trojans, and Chinese spyware.

Among the 1,282 IT professionals questioned for the survey, 68 percent of them said they have software restrictions in place, but 45 percent said … Read more

Courts do seem to find it difficult to see the funny side of things. Especially in the United Kingdom, where the lawyers who plead their cases appear to wear very unflattering wigs.

So perhaps some might feel a little sympathy for Paul Chambers, who Monday was found guilty of tweeting "a message by means of a public electronic message that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character contrary to the Communications Act 2003."

Some of you may not recall the contents and context of Chambers' tweet. He had met a woman on Twitter. He … Read more