Aviary Application Suite – Free In Browser Creativity Tools

I’ll admit, I’ve never been a big fan of cloud based applications – too old, too staid, too set in my ways, and of course – my dissatisfaction with cloud security. Still, I’m slowly being converted to the idea that online applications are, in some cases, as powerful and as convenient to use, as onboard applications.

A recent discovery – Aviary Application Suite – an impressive suite of browser-based design tools (see the following graphics), has been a bit of a convincer for me -maybe it’s time to get on the “cloud” bandwagon. Could be that this old dog can learn new tricks, after all.

The Aviary Application Suite offers an amazing range of high quality applications including –

Image Editor: Use the Aviary Image Editor for basic image retouching or complex effects.

Markup Editor: Use the Markup Editor to crop, resize and markup images and web pages captured from your browser.

Vector Editor: Use the Aviary Vector Editor to create fully scalable vector art.

Audio Editor: Use the Aviary Audio Editor to remix music tracks and audio clips. Apply sound effects and record your own voice and instruments.

Additional components.

First impressions:

The developer has put together a first class set of full blown creative applications that have been designed with simplicity in mind – yet, has managed to retain the power one would normally associate with locally installed applications. I must admit – I’m very enthusiastic about this cloud service. Scores a definite 10/10 in my book.

As part of the package, Avery provides a full range of tutorials (60+), designed to help users get the most “bang for the buck” from each suite component.

There’s much more to be discovered on the site than I can cover in a short review so, I recommend that you drop by the site and wander a bit.

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NEW – Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.5 Released

Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.5, Panda Security’s newest release (June 20, 2011), of it’s popular cloud-based antimalware application, should be even more effective at keeping the bad guys at bay with it’s newest enhanced features.

New features include – improved scanning speeds, less CPU consumption, advanced configuration options for exclusions of files based on file extensions, and a new activity monitor which shows information such as scanned file details, and previous viruses detected.

Panda Security obviously pays attention to its users recommendations for improved product features, since a number of these new features were suggested by the user community.

Panda Cloud Antivirus is based on Collective Intelligence, a system for detecting and disinfecting viruses and other threats that feeds off the knowledge shared by millions of users. The computers that are part of the Panda Community – instantly share and benefit from all the information stored in the cloud.

Testing anti-malware applications takes considerable time in order to get to the heart of the matter – does an application work in the “real world?”

Will the application do what an average user expects – does it block malware effectively and efficiently? Particularly new, or emerging, malware threats.

Is the interface crafted in such a way that an average user doesn’t need to digest an instruction manual in order to navigate the application?

Is the application capable of providing adequate protection without stressing system resources?

I’ve been running Panda Cloud Antivirus, on a secondary system, since April 2009, and in this extensive testing, Panda Cloud Antivirus has met, or exceeded, all of these requirements. So, I’m looking forward to giving this new release a workout.

Installation:

Pay particular attention at the Install screen. Once again, you’ll be asked to accept a Toolbar and a change in your Homepage – annoying as hell. As well, on this screen, you can choose your language.

Panda is obviously convinced that the “more is less” GUI approach, is suitable for most users. Kudos – I couldn’t agree more.

The optimized scan screen.

Scan time: under 5 minutes – 19,873 files.

The settings menu is accessed via the tool icon – as shown at the “hand icon” in the above screen shot. I found this “hideaway” a little awkward.

Despite an abundance of settings you’ll find some settings are only available in the Pro version.

At less than $30 for the one year Pro Edition license, you might consider jumping up to this version. Frankly though, I’m no fan of one year licenses.

Not when one considers that a lifetime license for Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware, both of which are outstanding applications, can be purchased for less than $30 – considerably less when on sale.

Fast facts:

Light – Only works where necessary. It’s so light you won’t even notice it.

Easy – Don’t worry about complicated decisions ever again. Panda Cloud Antivirus will make the best decisions for you to keep your PC protected.

Secure – Panda Cloud Antivirus is based on Collective Intelligence, a system that continuously collects and analyzes viruses and other threats gathered from the community of millions of Panda users around the world.

Free – No tricks! Panda Cloud Antivirus has a free version that protects you against viruses and malicious websites.

Note: Panda’s Collective Intelligence servers have analyzed 175,569,053  (and counting) viruses, and known goodware.

System requirements: Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows XP 32-bit,  Windows XP 64-bit.

Panda Cloud Antivirus is available in 20 languages.

Download at: Panda Security

Backed by more than two years experience running Panda Cloud Antivirus in various editions, I have no hesitation in recommending Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.5 as a front line antivirus application.

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Immunet 3.0 Released – Exciting Improvements

The latest version of Immunet Protect has just been released (February 9, 2010), and in the development process, this outstanding free companion Antivirus has undergone a name change to – Immunet 3.0 – Powered by ClamAV.

Regular readers here, will remember that in previous reviews of this freebie, I have been very enthusiastic in my recommendations. Now, I have one more reason to be even more enthusiastic.

From the developer’s site:

Toll-Free Customer Support is available for all Immunet Protect FREE users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through our Immunet Technical Support line at 1-866-891-4480. Immunet Support representatives can help with installation issues, potential virus issues, or even computer performance issues that may or may not be virus-related.

How cool is that?

Immunet Protect 3, is a superior community driven cloud based security application, (now closing in on a million users), which continues to gain increasing popularity – and rightfully so.

In real time, Immunet Protect keeps track of the state of security in the collective community (network), and should a member of the network (the community), encounter malware, you (as a member of the protected community), are instantly protected against the threat.

A rather more impressive security solution than having to wait for a malware definition database update. An update that may take several days. Days in which you are effectively open to infection.

A community driven security application like Immunet Protect, does not suffer from this obvious disadvantage of having to chase runway malware. It’s significant advantage is it’s user base community – operating in real time.

Immunet Protect is designed to add a layer of protection while working in partnership with the most popular antimalware solutions. On my principal home machine for example, Immunet Protect lines up with Microsoft Security Essentials and ThreatFire, to shore up any vulnerabilities my system might have to to zero-day threats.

Version 3 has increased functionality over previous versions, and incorporates a number of new features.

From the developer’s site:

Offline engine – The 3.0 release will now ship with an ‘Offline’ engine. This engine (ClamAV .97) once enabled, will automatically pull down our latest detection sets and allow for complete detection coverage, even when you are not connected to the Internet.

With our Offline protection we now also have several complex engines for detection native to the desktop and have support for file formats such as .DOC, .XLS, HTML etc. as well as strong unpacking support.

Cloud Recall – Unlike traditional Anti-Virus, or even other Cloud Anti-Virus we constantly reconsider all the data we see or have seen in our community. This ‘Cloud Recall’ ensures that your security is advanced with every new piece of information we become aware of. You will always know as much as we do, when we do.

Custom Signature Creation – With 3.0 we now offer the first Windows Anti-Virus product which allows our users to write their own detections with our engines just as we would.

Users can now hunt threats (or Advanced Persistent Threats if you like) by creating signatures which range from simplistic (straight MD5 matches) to complex (logically chained expressive signatures w/ offset support and wild carding).

You’ll find Immunet Protect straightforward to install, and easy to run without complication. The screen captures I’ve setout below, will help you get a good overall feel for the application.

Setting the operating parameters (the protection settings), is straightforward. In the following screen capture you’ll notice tooltip pop outs which explain the function of each setting. A very cool feature for less experienced users.

I have a preference for antimalware solutions that include the ability to launch a specific file scan from the Windows Explorer context menu, and Immunet Protect has included this important feature.

Should you consider installing, and running, a Cloud Antivirus as supplementary antimalware protection?

If you are uncertain, then consider this:

The Internet is an uncertain world at the best of times

Cybercriminals design specific malware to exploit vulnerable systems without user interaction being required.

No single security application is capable (nor should we expect a single application to be capable), of providing adequate computer system protection. Gaps exist, in protection capabilities, in even the most sophisticated security applications.

Layering (or stacking) security applications, offers the best chance of remaining infection free, by closing these gaps.

A cloud based protective solution, in this case Immunet Protect, is a major step in shoring up any weaknesses, or gaps, and significantly increase your overall ability to detect malware.

Keep in mind however, that even the best layered protection strategy will not make up for lack of experience, and intuitiveness, when surfing the Internet. So, I’ll repeat what I have said here, many times – “knowledge, awareness, and experience are critical ingredients in the escalating battle, against cybercriminals.”

Immunet Protect fast facts:

Fast Antivirus Protection leverages the speed of cloud computing to deliver real-time protection to your PC. Stay protected against over 13 million viruses and thousands of new threats daily without ever downloading another virus detection file again.

Immunet Protect FREE is ideal for consumers who want fast protection that doesn’t slow down their PC, including students, families, and netbook users.

Small and Light Footprint is up to 35 times lighter than traditional antivirus solutions. Immunet’s low disk and memory use won’t weigh down your PC unlike other solutions.

Companion Antivirus means that Immunet is compatible with existing antivirus solutions. Immunet adds an extra, lightweight layer of protection for greater peace of mind. Since traditional antivirus solutions detect on average only 50% of online threats, most users are underprotected, which is why every PC can benefit from Immunet’s essential layer of security.

Collective Immunity technology leverages the shared intelligence on threats gathered within the Immunet Cloud. Immunet’s virus detection technology continuously improves with each new user who installs Immunet Protect. When Immunet detects a threat on one user’s PC, that threat is blocked from harming all users in the Immunet Community simultaneously, giving all Immunet users shared immunity against computer viruses.

Real-time Detection from the Immunet Cloud against viruses, spyware, bots, worms, trojans, and keyloggers without downloading any virus signature files. Stay protected with Collective Immunity™ and intelligent virus detection technology that doesn’t slow down your PC.

Intelligent Scans effectively detect and remove viruses, bots, worms, trojans, keyloggers and spyware, thanks to the power of collective intelligence and the Immunet Cloud.

Choose from several scan options:

• Flash Scan (Process and Registry)
• Custom Scan (Specific Files and Directories)
• Full System Scan

System requirements: Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later, Vista (32-bit and 64 bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit).

Download at: Developer’s site

I have no hesitation in recommending this application. I can’t think of another security application that has enjoyed a such a major increase in users in the last six months, like Immunet Protect has. That’s no accident.

Note: Along with Avast Free Antivirus, Immunet Protect is now offered as part of Google Pack.

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Immunet Protect 2 – A Leader In Community Driven Cloud Based Antimalware

The bad guys collude to make “bad” even “badder”. That’s a pretty strange way to construct a sentence, I’ll admit,  but here’s the message – cyber criminals are so organized, that they share information on both their successes and failures.

The result is, we’re now faced with the coming together of criminal gangs so that they can advance their overall strategy – stealing as much money as possible, from as many people as possible, in the shortest time frame possible.

There’s no doubt, that this collusion is a loose arrangement; nevertheless, it’s highly efficacious  – it provides opportunity for criminals to systematically craft tighter and more effective malware.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea then, if we (the potential victims), combined our forces and shared information, at some level, which might act as a counter measure to cyber criminal collusion? Well, we do. Or, at least, some of us do.

If you (like me), use WOT, the enormously popular Internet Browser security add-0n, which is a perfect example of how successful community driven security applications can be, you are doing just that.

Immunet Protect 2, gives you another opportunity to share information (and to have information shared with you), which will be used in the fight against the bad guys.

Immunet Protect 2, recently released following a very successful Beta test, is a superior community driven cloud based security application, now at half a million plus users and counting, and well on it’s way in gaining increasing popularity – and rightfully so.

In real time, Immunet Protect keeps track of the state of security in the collective community (network), and should a member of the network (the community), encounter malware, you (as a member of the protected community), are instantly protected against the threat.

A rather more impressive security solution than having to wait for a malware definition database update. An update that may take several days. Days in which you are effectively open to infection.

A community driven security application like Immunet Protect, does not suffer from this obvious disadvantage of having to chase runway malware. It’s significant advantage is it’s user base community – operating in real time.

Immunet Protect is a lightweight cloud based antivirus application, (available in both a free, and a fee version), designed to add a layer of protection while working in partnership with the most popular antimalware solutions.

On my principal home machine for example, Immunet Protect lines up with Microsoft Security Essentials and ThreatFire, to shore up any vulnerabilities my system might have to to zero-day threats.

You’ll find Immunet Protect straightforward to install, and easy to run without complication.

The screen captures I’ve setout below, will help you get a good overall feel for the application.

Setting the operating parameters (the protection settings), is straightforward. In the following screen capture you’ll notice tooltip pop outs which explain the function of each setting. A very cool feature for less experienced users.

During this full scan, CPU usage ran at roughly 20% on a dual core machine. And, system memory usage was surprisingly low at only 36 MB, as the following screen capture shows.

I have a preference for antimalware solutions that include the ability to launch a specific file scan from the Windows Explorer context menu, and Immunet Protect has included this feature.

Should you consider installing, and running, a Cloud Antivirus as supplementary antimalware protection?

If you are uncertain, then consider this:

The Internet is an uncertain world at the best of times

Cybercriminals design specific malware to exploit vulnerable systems without user interaction being required.

No single security application is capable (nor should we expect a single application to be capable), of providing adequate computer system protection. Gaps exist, in protection capabilities, in even the most sophisticated security applications.

Layering (or stacking) security applications, offers the best chance of remaining infection free, by closing these gaps.

A cloud based protective solution, in this case Immunet Protect, is a major step in shoring up any weaknesses, or gaps, and significantly increase your overall ability to detect malware.

Keep in mind however, that even the best layered protection strategy will not make up for lack of experience, and intuitiveness, when surfing the Internet. So, I’ll repeat what I have said here, many times – “knowledge, awareness, and experience are critical ingredients in the escalating battle, against cybercriminals.”

Immunet Protect Fast facts:

Two active scanning engines

Custom Scan

Scheduled scan

Context menu scan

Fast Antivirus: Immunet leverages the speed of cloud computing to deliver real-time protection to your PC.

Light Antivirus: Immunet is up to 35 times lighter than traditional antivirus solutions.

Real-time Antivirus: Immunet provides cloud-based protection that is always up-to-date against viruses, spyware, bots, worms, Trojans, and keyloggers without slowing down your PC. No need to download any virus signature files!

Companion Antivirus: Immunet is compatible with existing antivirus products to help protect you better. Add an extra, lightweight layer of protection for free.

Community Antivirus: Immunet’s Collective Immunity technology protects all users the instant that a virus is detected on one PC.

System requirements: Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later, Vista (32-bit and 64 bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit).

Download at: Developer’s site

I have no hesitation in recommending this application. I can’t think of another security application that has enjoyed a seven fold increase in users in the last six months, like Immunet Protect has. That’s no accident.

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BitDefender QuickScan – Scan for Malware Inside Firefox Or Chrome

Interested in a cloud based malware scanner that can scan your machine from inside your Web Browser, in under a minute? Then you’re going to love BitDefender QuickScan.

BitDefender, offers BitDefender QuickScan as a Firefox, or a Chrome add-on, which is designed using cloud based technology ( a continuously updated malware database and the scanner, hosted on remote servers), making it blazingly FAST!

Following installation of the add-on, BitDefender QuickScan sets a quick launch Icon in the Browser Status Bar, for easy access.

The following screen shot shows BitDefender QuickScan completed scanning 911 critical files and modules on my Win 7 machine in 22 seconds, in an initial scan. My Internet connection speed is – 16 Mbps (download) and 1.5 Mbps (upload). Your results may vary, depending on your connection speed.

BitDefender claims – the more you use the application, the faster the scan. The following screen capture (second scan), shows a 50% improvement over my initial scan speed – eleven seconds, versus twenty two seconds. The time it takes for me to take three breaths. That meets my definition of FAST!

Following the scan, you’ll have access to a full report. The following screen capture is only a partial representation of the report, (it’s just too big to insert in this article).

Fast facts:

Very fast scanning

Runs online from any Internet connected PC

Based on BitDefender anti-malware technologies

Detects running malware

Detects hidden threats (rootkits) and keyloggers

Scans:

Processes

Network activity

Autoruns and critical files

Browser plug-ins

Note: No cleaning capabilities are included. If BitDefender Online Scanner returns a positive indication of a malware infection, use your onboard antimalware application to clear it.

The main reason I’m recommending BitDefender Online Scanner is: Today’s malware is quite capable of shutting down onboard antimalware applications, while allowing the user to believe the application/s are fully functional. A simply one minute scan can provide an early warning of such activity.

Download: Firefox

Download: Chrome

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New Symantec Cloud Based Security Solution for Small and Medium Sized Groups Announced

On the whole, businesses, at every level, have virtually the identical need to protect computer systems as you and I. It’s just a matter of degree.

Both businesses, and individuals, need protection against viruses, spyware, rootkits, spam, phishing, and other types of malware.

One major difference does exist however. You and I, at a personal level, uncomfortable as it may be, are likely to survive a malware infection with either limited, or no cost.

Not so a business. Computers, and automated business systems, have become crucial to the effective operation, and stability, of most businesses. Downtime, caused by cybercrime, can have lasting impact on a business’s long term viability and reputation.

Given the current threat conditions on the Internet, small and medium sized business, now, more than ever, need an effective cyber security plan. A plan that is relatively simple – but comprehensive, and in keeping with the realities of the present business environment – cost effective.

Based on these recognized needs, Symantec Hosted Services today announced a new cloud-based service, designed specifically with the SMB market in mind.

According to Symantec “Customers will now be able to protect their Windows-based laptops, desktops, and file servers from the proliferation and growing sophistication of threats with the simplicity and convenience of a cloud-based service.”

By taking advantage of this cloud based service, Symantec clients will realize considerable savings; since there is no need for additional hardware, or management software.

At the moment, Symantec Hosted Endpoint Protection is available only to customers in North America.

Fast facts:

Comprehensive Protection for Customer Systems: Advanced technologies for antivirus, antispyware, firewall and host intrusion prevention.

Always-on Protection for Endpoints: Automated updates occur transparently over an Internet connection to keep employee systems current and consistent with client policies when employees are in the office or on the road – even when they’re not logged into their corporate VPN.

Web-based Management Console: Administrators can access the administration portal over a supported Web-browser and corporate VPN access is not required to monitor and manage each computer. Administrators receive real-time alerts via SMS or email and can easily perform functions such as initiate a Live Update to refresh system protection levels, view history on systems and change local policy settings.

Ease of Management: Adds and manages new computers without requiring on-site management servers. Updates occur automatically and new features are introduced as they become available during the subscription period for no additional fee.

Scalable: Flexibility provided through a hosted model allows the solution to scale to incorporate new endpoints quickly and efficiently without requiring additional hardware or management software.

Fast to Deploy: Can be quickly deployed to users via standard download, an email invitation or silently pushed to the customer’s network.

To sign up for a Hosted Endpoint Free Trial visit Symantec’s MessageLabs.

About Symantec:

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world.  Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available here.

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