Luketan

This stumbleupon blog is discontinued.

The new blog will be at freewaresecurity.blogspot.com [freewaresecurity.blogspot.com]

Analyze what's installed and running on any computer!

* Remove Un-Wanted Auto Start crapware.
* Disable Un-Needed Automatic Windows Services
* Remove Annoying Toolbars and BHO's
* Create Reports that provide a snapshot of potential problems
* Disable ActiveX Controls & MORE!

Compatible with Windows 95 - Windows Vista

This is a stand-alone version of WinPatrol Explorer which can run from a USB flash drive or other portable device without leaving any left over files or registry entries on the computer being optimized.

If you're someone who frequently needs to help family and friends, this program is for you! Just download directly to your USB Flash or other portable device.
Even if you don't use WinPatrol, you'll want this version in your utility toolbox.

Matousec firewall testing news.

"We have tested the latest versions of Comodo Firewall Pro and Online Armor Personal Firewall Free. These products had a perfect score after the last testing. We have implemented several new tests to differentiate between them. CFP passed almost all the new tests while OA had problems with keyloggers. Oddly, the new version of CFP did not pass some of the tests that its older version passed, but CFP's results are still excellent and enough for the first place in our challenge.

We have also tested some new products. These are, sorted by their final score: Lavasoft Personal Firewall, Webroot Desktop Firewall, Trend Micro Internet Security 2008, F-Secure Internet Security 2008 and Panda Internet Security 2008. Visit Firewall Challenge for the complete results.

"

Do note that they have started testing keyloggers, and they test the free verson of Online armor, which provides only minimal anti-keylogging functions, hence the fall in the online armor free results.

As expected the ultra-paranoid (expect lots of popups) Comodo firewall with Defense+ does the best , followed by the equally paranoid ProSecurity (HIPS more than firewall).


Also the complexity of these products (needed to pass such tests) has resulted in many bugs , as noted many of them (OA and comodo pro firewall 3) fail tests that they used to pass. 

Comodo firewall 3 updates again to 3.0.23.364

"I would like to announce the availability of COMODO Firewall Pro 3.0.23.364. Previous versions should be able to update themselves through automatic updates.


Download locations:
----------------------------

32-bit Setup(Available in English language only)
download.comodo.com/cfp/downl..._Vista_x32.exe [download.comodo.com/cfp/downl..._Vista_x32.exe]
Size: 18.0 MB (18,932,992 bytes)
MD5: 1413477dd271f5992c8546b0495e36e4
SHA1: 95993ab27b62a9eb7f74004e8f6a3ae128578332

64-bit Setup (Available in English language only)
download.comodo.com/cfp/downl..._Vista_x64.exe [download.comodo.com/cfp/downl..._Vista_x64.exe]
Size: 28.2 MB (29,597,440 bytes)
MD5: ddf3fe70c9f0f172fbdbd5ab44297295
SHA1: 3de3ca51348ca3ec8614aa17a3785b49e8c658e7


Whats New in 3.0.23.364?
--------------------------------------
NEW! COMODO SafeSurf Toolbar built on COMODO Memory Firewall technology
FIXED! COMODO Firewall does not add files from network shares to pending list
FIXED! COMODO Firewall does not log incoming ICMP packets properly
FIXED! COMODO Firewall blocks everything when password protection is OFF and suppress options are ON
FIXED! COMODO Firewall does not terminate active connections properly
FIXED! COMODO Firewall firewall driver can not be installed properly in Vista operating systems
FIXED! COMODO Firewall can be terminated when Windows XP is being shutdown
FIXED! COMODO Firewall GUI does not appear properly on Windows Vista operating systems
FIXED! COMODO Firewall GUI can truncate texts in 120 DPI
FIXED! COMODO Firewall does not handle long filename properly
FIXED! COMODO Firewall does not update the version correctly after being updated
FIXED! COMODO Firewall crashes on exit
FIXED! COMODO Firewall can cause BSODs when gameprotect rootkit triggers its self defense
FIXED! COMODO Firewall can not verify digital signatures
FIXED! Small problems in GUI
IMPROVED! Clean PC Mode and Safe Mode: Improvements that lead to small number of alerts and pending files
IMPROVED! Default Security policy so that Windows Updates do not lead to significant alerts"

Possibly most alarming is the inclusion of a "Comodo SafeSurf Browser Toolbar" only available with a new complete install (users who upgrade from comodo firewall 3 already installed don't get this)

"The Comodo SafeSurf Toolbar protects against data theft, computer crashes and system damage by preventing most types of Buffer Overflow attacks. This type of attack occurs when a malicious program or script deliberately sends more data to a target applications memory buffer than the buffer can handle - which can be exploited to create a back door to the system though which a hacker can gain access. Comodo developed the SafeSurf Toolbar explicitly to protect end-users from these kinds of attacks whilst they browse the Internet. After installation, the program will monitor and protect the memory space of all applications that are running on your system and immediately block any buffer overflow attacks. Apart from providing another essential layer of protection, the toolbar also provides one-click access to news, search, shopping; a built in pop-up blocker; is compatible with all major browsers and can be separately uninstalled or disabled at any time after installation."

Most security savy users are obviously wary of toolbars so this caused a big fuss until it was clarified that you can still to opt out during installation.

Personally I think this toolbar which seems to be built on similar technology as the almost equally new
Comodo Memory Firewall , might be pretty useful since there are few free products that provide buffer overflow protection.

Several new security software updates


1) SUPERAntiSpyware 4.1 Final was released - This top notch on demand free antispyware adds the following

"The changes are:

Interface and Functionality Changes

* Vista UAC Issues Resolved - You should not be prompted by UAC on Admin or Limited user account under Vista. You cannot install program updates on a Limited Account as this breaks the Admin/Limited paradigm.
* Windows "No Disk" issues resolved - this a Windows error due to it's caching of disk volumes - this no longer should show up for empty CD/DVD driver, flash drives, etc.
* Splash screen can be turned off in Free Edition

Technology Changes

* Resolved rare issues with DDA (Direct Disk Access) and improved compatibility with various NTFS formats
* Resolved rare crash issues with improperly written drivers (mainly spyware) that caused Kernel Direct to fault
* Enhanced detection of rootkits
* Firefox cookie scanning and removal"

2)Artificial Dynamics SafeSpace - a very promising and full featured sandbox is updated to 2.0.41.

"New features

* New engine including virtual services capabilities.

Bug Fixes

* Virtual executables no longer crash if they are run from a folder that only exists virtually
* Fixed a bug in registry merging which caused a CPU intensive loop
* Internet Explorer default search options are now honored in SafeSpace
* Secured 'Disable SafeSpace' function to ensure processes cannot respawn
* Vista Parental Controls are now supported
* Firefox now launches in SafeSpace when hyperlinks are clicked in Microsoft Office documents and Outlook emails.
* Fixed an environment block bug which caused OperaTor and XeroBank browsers to crash
* Improved support for Removable Media folder exclusions
* Improved support for tagged internet files on Vista"

The extremely popular ad-aware is now updated to 2008.

Interesting "shadow" software similar to Returnil, Powershadow. But in chinese only.

Essentially, you go into shadow mode and any changes after that is "virtual". when you reboot all changes are gone

From the page: "There are many reasons why you wouldn't want your operating system connect to Microsoft's server, be it for practical reasons, be it suspicion or simply idealism. Based on the source-code of the award-winning xpy (version 0.9.8), Vispa allows you to easily tweak your Windows Vista for better privacy and security, even system performance. Do a few clicks rather than finding the write registry keys or program settings.

The only recommendation I can give is not applying settings without vague knowledge of what you're doing. Not every setting is desired in every environment. Vispa is no tool for beginners, just a more convenient way of tweaking your operating system."

This is the first of new breed of "hardening tools" designed for Vista....