Neil J. Rubenking

The anti-spyware component of McAfee Internet Security 2004 performed well in PC Magazines recent tests. Now Network Associates is releasing a stand-alone McAfee AntiSpyware (MAS) product based on the same technology. It scans the entire system on demand, scans programs upon execution, and attempts to block installation of known spyware. When possible, it offers to […]

Symantec on Monday released its much-anticipated Norton 360 service, packing a full security suite plus utilities into a subscription offering. Norton 360 includes all the expected security features—anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, intrusion prevention, and more. But it also incorporates a backup solution, transaction security, and a module to optimize PC performance. The price is large as […]

Editors note: When GreenBorder Pro becomes available on Monday, June 26, the first 10,000 people to download it will receive a free one-year subscription.GreenBorder Pro wont scour your computer and remove evil programs—thats not its job. But when its actively patrolling Microsoft Internet Explorers borders, any malware that tries to install itself or glom onto […]

ZIFFPAGE TITLEAt A Glance > ZIFFPAGE TITLEFull Review When I evaluated the Microsoft Windows Live OneCare beta this past January, it wasnt quite ready for the real world. The antivirus hadnt been certified, the firewall had glitches, and the antispyware component was MIA. The products final release fixes most of the problems I found in […]

Outlook Express 6 includes a configuration setting awkwardly titled “Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus.” When this option is checked, OE blocks the user from opening a wide variety of attachment types that have the potential to execute some kind of code. Clicking the paperclip icon […]

A personal firewall should protect your computer against external attacks by hackers or worms and against internal betrayal by spyware or Trojan horse programs. It shouldnt inundate you with alerts or otherwise interfere with normal computer use. We tested new versions of two well-known firewalls in three distinct ways. On a direct, unprotected connection to […]

The next major version of Windows may still be hovering just out of sight, but todays security problems are very much with us, looming larger all the time. And though a properly configured Windows XP system with the latest security patches is fairly well-protected from most Internet-borne threats, many XP systems arent set up correctly […]

If youve followed the steps outlined in this article, your computer is now a veritable Fort Knox. But yours isnt the only computer in the world. What can you do when a friend phones and says “You know, my computers been acting kind of slow and strange, with these weird pop-ups. Oh, and my Internet […]

Google has quietly introduced a new feature to its popular browser toolbar that means you will never need to type in a full URL again. The Google Toolbars new Browse by Name feature, introduced on Wednesday, takes the concept of searching from the browser address bar and kicks it up a notch. Now, to search, […]

The deluge of spam just keeps increasing, and spammers are getting sneakier every day. That means anti-spam products have to get tougher to stay ahead of the game. So we tested the latest versions of five spam blockers to see if they can hold back the flood. We configured each product according to the vendors […]