PC Tools

Protect Your Computer from the Osama Bin Laden Cyber Threats

Don't let your curiosity destroy your PC or leave your bank account vulnerable to attack.

According to online security experts at PC Tools, the death of Osama bin Laden has led to one of the largest and fastest surges of cybercrime attacks in recent news. Almost immediately following President Obama's announcement, cybercriminals targeted people around the world, who were actively searching for news, photos, videos and information.

PC Tools expects increase in related malware and social engineered threats (found in popular online social, shopping and search sites) to appear, as more copycat hackers unleash their cyber attacks. The security company warns consumers to be careful where they click and which sites they visit in order to protect their personal data, privacy and financial information. Read on for five online security protection tips.

1. VISIT ONLY TRUSTED AND RELIABLE SITES

Don't search for "Osama bin Laden" related news, photos or videos. If you do, go to trusted websites and type in the link. Avoid clicking on embedded news links, ads, fake search pages or web sites in foreign countries as it may attach malware or bots.

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Beware of Online Music Threats at SXSW 2011

by jessica on Tue, 2011-03-15 11:06

SXSW, the annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival is taking place in Austin, TX this week and PC Tools discovered that SXSW festival acts like Cee Lo Green, The Strokes and Duran Duran are being targeted by cybercriminals. As fans search for music downloads, concert videos and photos of their favorite artists, they may be hit with viruses or malware. These scams are particularly malicious because they look – and feel – like legitimate websites. Here are some scams to watch out for:

Bogus Music Downloads: This new search-related scam involves legitimate-looking websites offering free or discounted music downloads. A search for "Cee Lo Green, Forget You" turned up free download sites that either tricked users into providing their credit card information or convinced people to install fake antivirus software by telling them their computer was infected.

Search Results Virus Scam: Cybercriminals are using new search-related scams by buying online ads or key search words so their sites appear as high-ranked results. In a search for SXSW's headliner "Duran Duran," the top results featured legitimate-looking advertisements that redirected people to fake antivirus malware sites like "Get free lyrics," "Take this quiz to win," or "Enter to win contest." This technique of seeding search and seeding ad results dupes users and attacks systems with viruses and malware. Read more

Protect Your PC During March Championship Games

College basketball fever is about to take over the country as fans go crazy researching teams and players for their top pool "winning picks". New research shows that nearly one in four Americans will be online while watching the March College Basketball championships on TV. PC Tools just announced the findings of its March college basketball survey conducted by TNS Global*.

The survey discovered that:

Fans admitted to online flirting and trying to hook up during the game
Men watch up to three hours of sports games a day online
Most common online activity while watching basketball on TV: chatting with friends and trash-talking through social networking or instant messaging
Other people check scores when someone wanted to talk about "feelings," during an argument with a significant other, or when their boss was talking
Fans are increasingly watching the game online, with over 41% citing the convenience over TV

Since social networking plays a large factor in how fans interact with each other, they need protection from threats and scams that appear on these networks. To ensure the best tournament experience, PC Tools recommends five tips to avoid the madness: Read more

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Protect Your Photos, Music and More with PC Tools Simple Backup

by jessica on Tue, 2011-01-11 09:00

Have you ever accidentally deleted a file or lost information when your computer crashed? I know I have. With January being "National Clean Up Your Computer Month," PC Tools wants to help you start the New Year responsibly with an Online Plan B, or Plan (B)ackup. Because one part of protecting your computer includes backing it up, (yes, even from your own mistakes!). That's why the company offers their easy-to-use PC Tools Simple Backup. In addition to storing your photos, music, movies and more, it provides full data loss protection with automatic, continuous backup.

PC Tools Simple Backup is available starting at $34.99 for up to 3 computers (software only) with additional options that include the external hard drive.

Features include:

Protect from Human Error: Even if you accidentally erase something, it is retrievable
Turn Back Time!: The product allows your computer to revert back to its previous state before the data or file was lost
Restore your smartphone or other mobile device: If data, photos, songs, or information are wiped from your phone, restore it from your PC that's already backed up.

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The Worst Cyber Security Blunders of 2010

"Be careful where you click" is the warning PC Tools issued throughout 2010 to drive consumers' online safety and protection. This message is more important than ever following Google's recent study of the year's top searches in their "Zeitgeist 2010: How the world searched" report.

PC Tools has identified the 7 most memorable cybercrime incidents associated with them, as we look back on how these top searched terms made cyber security headlines. Listed below are the highlights of this year's most astonishing cybercrime activities; ranging from small-scale pranks to security breaches of global impact:Read more

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Harry Potter Movie Fans Should Watch Out for Cybercriminals

by jessica on Sat, 2010-11-13 05:00

The November 19th release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is set to be one of the biggest films of the year in a dramatic end to one of Hollywood's largest franchises, but security software company PC Tools warns fans – be careful when you search.

Cybercriminals are targeting unsuspecting fans for identity fraud and spam with websites popping up in online searches promising to offer a free download of the movie, and fake users of the sites are posting attractive blog comments like "Me and my wife watched this movie here. This movie is great =)"

Here's how the scam works:

First, a user searches for previews and other release information for Harry Potter online
Results claiming to offer a free download of the new movie appear
Users are directed to complete "offers" asking them to give away personal information or download a potentially malicious toolbar that may collect personal IDs and passwords.
Here, users are asked to fill in personal details and are informed they may also be able to win an iPad
Once personal details are entered and the registration is activated, users are then asked to enter a survey, after which the web page remains stuck in a "checking for completion" phase

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Tips for Preventing Cybercrime

by jessica on Mon, 2010-10-04 13:57

October is National Cyber Security Awareness month. Is your computer safe? Ask yourself this - how likely are you to click on a link sent from a friend, or one posted on a social network? You think the link is safe, but do you know for sure? The following tips, provided by PC Tools, will help you keep your computer safe from spyware, malware, hackers and more.

Tips for Preventing Cybercrime:

1. Know your networks – Choose the safest and most appropriate wireless network while you’re checking email, Facebook and other online activities.

2. Be smart when using public computers – Most travelers know they can check emails and say hello to love ones by using public computers at a local hotel or café. But many don't know to check for antivirus software on public computers. Even visiting a secure website (https:) can result in simple keylogger theft of your password, so avoid logging into personal accounts (such as Facebook) and instead limit your use to online research.

3. Scrub your IM chats, keep personal information private – Regularly maintain your computer and keep your registry clean so that cybercriminals can't access your personal data. Software such as PC Tools Performance Toolkit 2011 guarantees your privacy by ensuring that all traces of your online and computer activities are permanently erased and unrecoverable on your PC.Read more

What's Your PC Security Savvy?

April 2009 - Leading security software vendor PC Tools is just released the "Security Savvy" test in response to increasing concern that the "digitally active," particularly Gen Y, are easy targets for cybercriminals. PC Tools is warning that social networking and phishing threats are becoming progressively more sophisticated and prevalent, requiring the digitally active to be both technically and security savvy. To help consumers identify their security vulnerability, PC Tools encourages consumers to take the "Security Savvy" test and find out how to stay better protected.

In conjunction with the launch of this initiative, PC Tools is donating 10,000 units of behavioral based security point solutions and packages to TechSoup, an international technology resource center for nonprofit organizations, based in San Francisco.

"Many would assume that Gen Y are too savvy to be fooled by online threats, but just because they are tech savvy doesn't mean that they are security savvy—and this is a very important distinction. Recent threats such as Koobface, a delivery threat from a well known courier company, Internet Banking Software Failure and compromised PDF readers are just a few of the many dangers facing internet users," said Michael Greene, Vice President Product Strategy, PC Tools.Read more