Imagine, if you will, an antivirus test taking place simultaneously in parallel universes, each differing from the others only by which product is being tested. This sort of quantum-computing test methodology is only available in the Twilight Zone, alas, but the researchers at Dennis Technology Labs come about as close to that ideal as possible. They capture the contents of real-world malicious sites and then use a replay system so each tested product encounters the malware attack in the exact same way.

In the latest test, Kaspersky Internet Security (2013), Norton Internet Security (2013), and Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 rated AAA, the top rating.

Scoring Protection
Each product earns points for correctly detecting and preventing malware attacks, and loses points for failing to do so. Defending the system by completely preventing malware from launching earns three points. Neutralizing the attack after launch and fully reversing its effect is worth two points. Terminating the malware without fully cleaning up gets just one point. A product that fails to detect the malware or that tries and fails to prevent system compromise loses five points.

Researchers tested with 100 different real-world malware samples, so scores could range from 300 to negative 500. With 291 points, Norton edged out Kaspersky by a single point to take the top spot. At the bottom were Microsoft Security Essentials and McAfee Internet Security 2013, scoring 127 and 144 points respectively.

Looking at things another way, Bitdefender actually won this challenge, because it detected every attack and either defended or neutralized them all. Kaspersky and Norton missed a couple, but earned higher scores by fully defending against almost every detected threat.

False Positives
In addition to testing real-world defense against malware attack, the researchers also worked to verify that these security products correctly refrained from blocking legitimate programs, or reporting them as suspicious. Each product starts with a perfect 100 false positive points. Blocking a legitimate program costs anywhere from 0.1 point (for a very low impact program) to 5 points (for a very high impact program). The “fine” for reporting a legitimate program as suspicious is half that amount.

Microsoft and McAfee did much better in this test, both earning a perfect 100. With 75 points, ESET Smart Security 6 had the lowest score. Norton’s 90 points put it second-lowest.

Overall Accuracy
Adding the scores for protection and false positives gives us the product’s total accuracy, with a theoretical range from 400 points down to negative 1,000. All three of the AAA-rated products scored over 380 points. avast! Free Antivirus 7 rated AA, with 366 points. The other free antivirus tested, AVG Anti-Virus FREE 2013, earned a C rating, due more to poor protection than false positives. In between those two, ESET and Trend Micro Internet Security 2013 rated a single A.

As for McAfee and Microsoft, their stellar lack of false positives couldn’t overcome their poor performance in the protection test. Neither received certification even at the C level, though Microsoft scored 100 points more than in the previous test by Dennis Technology Labs. That’s a steady improvement by Microsoft, given that in the test before that it earned a below-zero score.

I’m highly impressed with this lab’s testing methodology. I only wish they’d put a wider range of products to the test. If you’d like to dig deeper, the very detailed full test report is available on the Dennis Technology Labs website, along with parallel reports on SMB and Enterprise security products.

By Neil J. Rubenking

Japanese officials accidentally leaked private inter-government details this week when they used the wrong privacy settings for Google Groups.

The consequence: More than 6,000 government and private sector messages were made public, including emails from ministries about sensitive issues, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Using the free Web-based Google service, senior officials of the Environment Ministry inadvertently made public information about January’s negotiations for an international treaty, including details of meetings with foreign officials.

More than 60 emails regarding the Minamata Convention on mercury were published for all of the Internet to see; there is no word on whether the slip-up will affect the future of the treaty, which is expected to be signed this fall.

“It was problematic that the processes around ongoing negotiations could be seen by outsiders,” a ministry spokesman told AFP this week. “We have taken corrective steps.” Though the memos were not “top secret,” they were certainly not meant for public consumption, the spokesman said.

The ministry, which is currently conducting an investigation into the matter, appears to be blaming Google Groups for the mishap, saying that the service “violates the ministry’s information management regulations,” the Yomiuri said.

Google did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment.

Groups allows users to participate in and organize online discussions, via email or directly on the Web. But because its default setting allows public access to all content, it is easy for users to unintentionally share group threads.

According to the Yomiuri , seven medical institutions and nursing care facilities had no privacy restrictions, therefore leaking medical information on more than 300 patients.

The public release also struck the Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism Ministry; the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Ministry; and the Reconstruction Agency. At least one political party also used the service, revealing a list of its supporters.

This isn’t the first time that confusion over privacy settings has resulted in public embarrassment. In December, Randi Zuckerberg, older sister of Facebook chief Mark, posted a photo on what she thought was her private social network timeline. But the photo was shared with a larger number of people thanks to tagging and ultimately ended up on Twitter, much to Randi’s chagrin.

By Stephanie Mlot

Whether you opt for an Apple iPad or one of many Androids, choosing the right media-consumption tablet isn’t necessarily a snap. Here’s what you need to know before you hit the store.

It’s difficult to remember a time before tablets, but it’s been three short years since the original Apple iPad hit the scene, and the current tablet market was born. Since then, we’ve seen scores of manufacturers trying to snag a slice of the tablet pie, which so far, has been dominated by Apple, now on its fourth iPad iteration. Growth is so rapid in the segment that some analysts claim tablet sales are set to outpace laptops this year. There’s no denying that the tablet is here to stay.

But which tablet is right for you? Whether you’re eyeing an iPad, one of the many Android tablets available, here are the key factors you need to consider when shopping for a tablet:

First Off: Do You Even Need One?
Simply put, tablets aren’t really filling any true need—even three years in, they’re still neither replacements for computers nor smartphones. While you can tackle productivity tasks on a tablet, you won’t get a desktop-grade operating system, like you’ll find on a PC. Plus, since we’re talking about slates here, we’re talking about on-screen keyboards. Of course, there are plenty of worthy add-on hardware keyboards, especially for the iPad, but few will provide the same comfort you’ll experience with a laptop or a desktop. The main focus of the tablets we’ll discuss here is media consumption, not productivity. If you want a slate or convertible tablet for work, take a look at the top-rated Windows 8 tablets we’ve tested, but be prepared to pay laptop prices, many run around the $1k mark.

Tablets do have advantages over both laptops and phones, offering a more portable way to check email, browse the Web, video chat, watch movies, listen to music, and play games than your laptop can provide, but with a bigger screen than on your smartphone. Even so, you probably don’t need one, but if you want a tablet, read on.

Choose Your Operating System
Just like with a full-fledged computer, if you’re getting a tablet, you need to pick a camp. And just like with a computer, your decision will likely come down to your gut feeling. Right now, the top two contenders are Apple with its iPads and iPad mini, and Android with its many hardware choices from the likes of Acer, Amazon, Asus, Barnes & Noble, Google, Samsung, and others.

Microsoft recently entered the race with its Surface$699.00 at Microsoft Store tablet, running Windows RT, a slimmed-down version of Windows 8, which runs on mobile devices with ARM processors. We’ve also seen RT-based tablets from Asus, Dell, and Lenovo, but overall, the platform hasn’t really taken off, with some vendors like HP and Samsung canceling RT-based tablet releases to focus on Android and Atom-powered Windows 8 models.

Generally speaking, the greatest strength of Apple’s iOS, the operating system on the iPad and iPad mini, is twofold: It’s very clean and intuitive, and the wide selection of iPad apps that you can buy right on your tablet—more than 300,000 iPad-specific titles at the time of this writing—work uniformly well with very few exceptions. (For more, check out our full iOS 6.1 Review.)

Google’s mobile OS, Android, is a more complicated story. Besides having your choice of hardware from several manufacturers, at any given time, there are a few iterations of Android floating around on various devices. The latest version, Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), is the best yet, with maximum configurability, a top-notch notification system, fast, smooth Web browsing, and seamless integration with Google applications like Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Talk for video chat. The latest Android version also adds support for multiple user logins so you can share your tablet with a friend or family member, a useful feature that’s missing in Apple tablets. The only problem: Right now, you can only find Android 4.2 on Google’s own Nexus tablets and a small handful of others including a couple of Transformer models from Asus.

PCMAG

Also, many of the top home alarm companies are now offering remote access and even camera surveillance. You can keep track of what’s going on at your home no matter where you are. As long as you have a smartphone or an internet connection you can always know what’s going on.

Home security is often something many don’t think about it until something happens. The best thing to do to prevent an incident in your home is to get a monitored security system. It might not only stave off burglars but could save your life, and let’s be real, new alarm technology cool fun apps and webcams are totally fun! Our home alarm systems reviews detail everything you’ll need to look for when choosing a the best home alarm system.

Article from: http://www.alarmsystemreport.com