Panda Safe Browser – Just Released As A Free Application

Panda Security has unhooked its Panda Safe Browser from its  Antivirus Pro, and Internet Security software, and is now offering it as a free application.

Since this application was just released in the last few hours, I have not had a chance to take it for a test drive. But, Panda Security has an excellent reputation for quality –so, I’m hopeful that the application will perform as advertised.

Although this is a Windows application, based on Firefox, Panda has managed to incorporate Linux within the program, in order to take advantage of Linux’s well known built-in safeguards against vulnerabilities. As additional protection against a malware infection, Panda Safe Browser runs as a virtual machine.

From Panda Security:

Panda Safe Browser allows you to browse the Web safely and privately, without being affected by malware or exploits that can be hidden on any site. Every time you close Panda Safe Browser, the session data is deleted, assuring your privacy and the integrity of the software for the next run.

Panda Safe Browser is based on multiple layers of protection that minimize the risk of an infection from the web to only a theoretical, almost impossible, chance.

First, it’s based on Mozilla Firefox, a much secure browser than Microsoft Internet Explorer. This considerately lowers the possibility of an attack.

Second, it has almost no plug- ins that can be explored by malware to run on the system (like a PDF‐file reader, although it can read PDF files).

Third, it runs on with limited permissions, which means that even if some malware can exploit Firefox or the plugins it uses, the practical use of an attack will be close to none, because it cannot make changes to the operating system.

Forth, inside Panda Safe Browser Mozilla Firefox runs on the Linux operating system, which has much less common vulnerabilities to explore.

Fifth, on the top of all of this, Panda Safe Browser is a virtual machine, which means its functioning is isolated from your PC. So, an attacker should have to be aware of this and to bypass at least four much elaborated levels of security even before arriving to your “real” PC, where with the help of the most advanced Panda Security technologies (that, alone, have several more layers of protection) you would be completely shielded from that very slight possibility of attack.

Nothing is 100% safe, but Panda Safe Browser brings you much closer!

System Requirements: Windows – both 32, and 64 bit.

Download here: Panda Safe Browser

A big “Thank You” to regular reader Charlie L., for bringing this to my attention.

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LimeWire Is Dead – Long Live FrostWire!

If you visit the official LimeWire website, you will, no doubt, be surprised to see the following message –  “This is an official notice that LimeWire is under a court-ordered injunction to stop distributing and supporting its file-sharing software. Downloading or sharing copyrighted content without authorization is illegal.”

The Recording Industry Association of America which represents the recording industry distributors in the United States, has struck once again in its aggressive battle to combat what it defines as copyright infringement. While I’m not a supporter of copyright infringement, I do consider RIIA’s tactics not far removed from those that were once employed by the Spanish Inquisition. Heavy handed – to say the least.

Unfortunately, if you were a LimeWire user you’ve noticed that searching, downloading, uploading, file sharing and so on, are no longer available. But, don’t despair – there are other solutions. Maybe now is the time to take a close look at a LimeWire alternative – FrostWire.

FrostWire (newest version: 4.21), released September 29, 2010, is a free, open source Peer to Peer application which incorporates all of the now dead LimeWire’s functionality, as well as a number of the features of the old LimeWire Pro – including multi-threading downloads, and Turbo-Charged connections.

To insure broad appeal, FrostWire is a multi platform program running on Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, NT, Mac OS X 10.4 or later, Linux, and some flavors of Unix.

Fast facts:

Open-source

Firewall-to-firewall transfers

Built-in community chat

Connects to more sources

Creative commons license support

Broadband network connection

Junk result filters

Turbo-Charged download speeds

iTunes integration

Gnutella support

BitTorrent support

Proxy Support

If P2P file sharing is one of your interests, then you’ll find that this program, with its highly intuitive interface, should meet all of your needs. With almost 30 Million downloads on CNET alone, calling this application “very popular” is a bit of an understatement.

System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows NT, Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.5 or later, Linux, Unix such as Solaris.

Additional requirements: Java Runtime Environment 1.6

Download at: FrostWire.com

Note: Consider the trade-offs, and the very real risks involved in Peer to Peer file sharing.

Privacy: When you are connected to file-sharing programs, you may unintentionally allow others to copy confidential files you did not intend to share. So be sure to setup the file-sharing software very carefully.

If you don’t check the proper settings when you install the software, you could allow access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, such as your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, and other personal and financial documents.

It’s extremely important to be aware of the files that you place in, or download to, your shared folder. Don’t put information in your shared folder that you don’t want to share with others. Your shared folder is the folder that is shared automatically with others on peer to peer file sharing networks.

Copyright Issues: You may knowingly, or otherwise, download material that is protected by copyright laws and find yourself caught up in legal issues. Copyright infringement can result in significant monetary damages, fines, and even criminal penalties.

Some statistics suggest as many as 70% of young people between the ages of 9 – 14, regularly download copyrighted digital music. If you are a parent, you bear the ultimate responsibility for this illegal activity.

Adult Content: Again, if you are a parent you may not be aware that their children have downloaded file-sharing software on the family computer, (Susan Naulls), and that they may have exchanged games, videos, music, pornography, or other material that may be unsuitable for them. It’s not unusual for other peoples’ files to be mislabeled and you or your children can unintentionally download these files.

Spyware: There’s a good chance that the file-sharing program you’re using has installed other software known as spyware to your computer’s operating system. Spyware monitors a user’s browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties. Frequently the user gets ads based on the information that the spyware has collected and forwarded to these third parties.

I can assure you that spyware can be difficult to detect and remove. Before you use any file-sharing program, you should buy, or download free software, that can help prevent the downloading or installation of spyware, or help to detect it on your hard drive if it has been installed.

Viruses: Use and update your anti-virus software regularly. Files you download could be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted content. Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses you might pick up from other users through the file-sharing program.

Generally, your virus filter should prevent your computer from receiving possibly destructive files. While downloading, you should avoid files with extensions such as .exe, .scr, .lnk, .bat, .vbs, .dll, .bin, and .cmd.

Default Closing Behavior: It is critical that you close your connection after you have finished using the software. In some instances, closing the file-sharing program window does not actually close your connection to the network. That allows file-sharing to continue and will increase your security risk. Be sure to turn off this feature in the programs “preferences” setting.

What’s more, some file-sharing programs automatically run every time you turn on your computer. As a preventive measure, you should adjust the file-sharing program’s controls to prevent the file-sharing program from automatically starting.

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