Privacy and security news and privacy and security widget

Security experts from PC Tools have pinpointed November 24 as potentially the peak of malicious activity for 2008. They reached their conclusion on the specific date after analyzing well over 500,000 machines from around the world.Guardian.co.uk states that "the number of people shopping online this Christmas is expected to grow again this year, with internet sales in the UK alone predicted to hit £13.16bn - an increase of 15% over 2007." It should be noted that November 28 will be the busiest shopping day of the year, a day so popular in fact that it even has its own name, "Black Friday". So logically thinking? the increase of malicious attacks, spam, spyware, and everything else evil should be expected to climb just mere days before people start entering in their private data for online purchases. Spam and all the other wrongdoing of others shouldn't sway anyone from shopping online, as this stuff is going on everyday. Just remember to use your common sense? if something sounds fi

If you heard a deafening swallowing sound sometime in the past day or so, we can explain its origin. The corporate makers of security software must have collectively gulped when Microsoft announced its plans to offer a free consumer security product."Morro," as the product's called at the moment (probably named after Morro Castle), is supposed to take care of a lot of stuff. Viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojans are all on its kill list. It should require little in the way of bandwidth and computing resources, too, giving Microsoft an "in" with the growing netbook audience. Amy Barzdukas, Microsoft's senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division, explained in a statement how Microsoft got the idea for Morro, saying, "Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously." She then continued, "This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability