SecureZIP Version 11 Free

PKWare has made a basic version of its SecureZIP encryption utility available with a FREE full License.

SecureZIP Standard Version 11, available for free download, combines an archiving and encryption utility. This tool allows users to protect data on their hard drive or sent through email against theft and unauthorised access.

Free versions of personal firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and spam filtering products have been released by a number of vendors. Suppliers make cut-down versions of their products with the aim of raising their profile and creating an opportunity to sell paid for products with a greater range of features.

PKWare said it was releasing a free-for-life version of its product in order to help try to bridge the gap in data protection products available to individual internet users. The release of a free version of the product marks the 20th anniversary of the firm.

SecureZIP Version 11 would normally cost $49.95, but for a limited time you can get it completely free.

Simply click the link below, enter a valid email address and you will receive an email containing a link for your download. That’s it! How simple do you want it?

Click here for your download

© Free PC Security 2008

Technorati Tags: SecureZIP Ver.11, Free Tools, Encryption, Technology, Data Protection, PC Security, Free PC Security

New Attack on MS Word

Hackers may be exploiting an unpatched hole to plant malicious code in Word docs and any system that opens them.

Be extra careful when opening documents in Windows, especially if they are Word files. Microsoft have warned that cyber criminals may be taking advantage of an unpatched flaw in the Windows operating system to install malicious software on a victim’s PC.

The reported attack, now being investigated by Microsoft, involves a malicious Word document, but there may also be other ways of exploiting the flaw.

Do not open or save Word files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.

The flaw lies in the Jet Database Engine that is used by a number of products including MS Access. Microsoft is investigating whether other programs may also be exploited in this type of attack.

This kind of unpatched, “zero day” attack is always cause for concern.

Following its usual policy, Microsoft didn’t say when, or if it planned to patch the bug. In a statement sent to the press, the company did not rule out the possibility of an emergency patch being released ahead of its next set of security updates, which are expected on April 8.

Users of many versions of Word, including Word 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000 are at risk, unless they are running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2003, Service Pack 2. Those two operating systems include a newer version of the Jet Database Engine that does not have the bug.

For technically savvy users this means that PCs with a version of the Msjet40.dll that is lower than 4.0.9505.0 are vulnerable.

There have been other reports of attacks targeting this database software. In December, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team warned that attackers were sending out malicious MS Access Database (.mdb) files in a similar type of attack. Security experts assumed that this exploit could have been based on a publicly reported flaw in the Jet Database Engine.

© Free PC Security 2008

My First Blogoversary and Freebies

Today I have reached my first Blog Anniversary.

I would like to thank all of my readers, subscribers and supporters for the comments I have received over the past year.

It is a milestone for me and very rewarding too.  I have reached the number 1 spot on Google Search for my niche, but more rewarding is the interaction with others, bloggers and non-bloggers alike.

I have built trust and repect with my readers and I have also accessed others blogs/sites to sort minor problems and also used secure remote access to take over others computers in many other countries, which has enabled me to tweak them or troubleshoot them.

All programs that I have listed over the past year I have used myself and thoroughly tested them before posting about them.

Thank you all for your support and I hope to continue bringing you useful information to safeguard your equipment and yourself when surfing.

I have some freebies for you, one is widely available and for the less ’savvy’ user it can bypass the MSConfig to see what is running on startup.

The second one will allow you to create as many Keywords as you like.

Free Quick Startup Manager and Free Keyword List Builder 

Quick Startup

Quick Startup lets you centrally manage all of startup entries using one single interface.

Using Quick Startup you can easily add, remove, edit, disable, and enable any and all of startup entries in order to keep your system’s boot-up process as fast and efficient as possible.

When you turn on your computer certain applications, drivers, and services are automatically started at the beginning of each Windows session.

The information that tells Windows to automatically start these items can be located in a number of places, ranging from a program group on your Start Menu, to certain initialization files that are executed when Windows starts, to one of many places in the system registry.

The StartUp manager tool lets you centrally manage all of these items using one single interface. Using the StartUp manager you can easily add, remove, edit, disable, and enable any and all of these “startup items” in order to keep your systems boot-up process as fast and efficient as possible.

How do I find out if a program that starts automatically is necessary?

When you select a startup entry in the list, StartUp Manager displays detailed information on the program in the Details box at the bottom of the window.

You can easily determine whether or not you wish to have the program started on the basis of the Product name and Company.

If you have never heard of the company or the product, then the entry is probably not needed.

You can also find it’s more information from internet ,to do this, right click your mouse and select ‘Search Google’ on the popup menu.

Deactivating and deleting entries

Unmark the check box in front of an entry to disable it, and the program will no longer be started the next time you start Windows.

In this way, you can find out for certain whether the entry is needed.

If something doesn’t work properly the next time you start Windows, all you have to do is select the check box again.

If you are certain that you no longer need an entry, you can remove it from the list entirely by clicking ‘Delete this entry’.

Adding a new startup entry

If you wish to add a program to one of the startup folders yourself, click ‘Add program…’.

Enter the name of the desired application in the dialog and enter the directory path of the program file in the Path/Command Line box. You can use the Find button to help you find the file.

You may also edit any of the existing listed items in order to move them from one location to another, change their program description, or update the command line that is being used to start the item.

Download here 

Version 2.3  File size 1.35MB

System Requirements: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista

Free Keyword List Builder

Create 1 to a Million keyword lists FAST.

Keywords show PPC traffic volume, cost and ROI so that you find relevant words and long tail phrases in record time.

Lots of built in SEO tools.

Import your own lists to do AdWords traffic estimates and more.

The FASTEST, Easiest, Keyword Tool available.

Build huge relevant list fast. 100% FREE.

Complete with lots of SEO tools, and traffic estimates, search volumes, PPC cost estimates and ROI stats.

Download here 

Zip File 911Kb includes Program and Read Me .txt File with full instructions.

© Free PC Security 2008

BackUp Your System With XXClone

XXCLONE duplicates the whole Win NT, 2000 or XP system volume to another volume that will become ready to boot without a restore step.

You may boot the system from the clone volume by simply swapping the disks when a disaster strikes.

The cloned volume may be larger than the source volume, or even smaller as long as the volume data can fit.

You may copy from FAT to NTFS or vice versa. XXCLONE supports PATA, USB-disk and SATA. Ideal for periodic backup, or a one-time disk upgrade, or migration.

Unlike disk imaging tools, XXCLONE does not create an image file, but uses standard file copy procedures to copy the files to the new volume.

Therefore, you stay in Windows and may continue working while the cloning runs in the background.

With a full volume backup, files in the target volume will always de-fragmented automatically without the need for the time-consuming de-frag on the source.

Additional features include tools to duplicate the Volume ID, to repair non-bootable disk, and more. It supports command line arguments and suits batch file invocations, also.

Extremely easy to use with user-friendly GUI.

This is Freeware, although there is a licensed version available. The freeware version does not support incremental backups, but if you use it frequently to clone your system when it is in a safe and stable state the freeware version works very well.

You have many options, including making a Boot Diskette, use the Disk Management Tool to select Source Volume and Destination Volume.

XXCLONE has one very significant difference in its approach to the problem of cloning a Windows disk that makes it a class of its own.

XXCLONE views a Windows disk as a collection of files and directories and with a few exceptions, its access to data on the disk is carried out as a logical (file) access operations using the standard Windows file I/O Application Program Interface (API).

Nearly all of competing products on the market that are designed for disk cloning operations access the disk using physical, low-level (sector to sector) device I/O technique.

XXCLONE is a special purpose file-copy utility with extra features to make the target volume self-bootable (this portion of the operation still requires low-level disk I/O).  It is not a disk-imaging tool that treats a disk as a collection of sectors.

Click here to download XXClone

Click here for Comprehensive Online Manual and Screenshots

Download size: 1.15Mb
Supports: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP

© Free PC Security 2008
Technorati Tags: System Backup, Free Tools, XXClone, Technology, Freeware, PC Security, Free PC Security

Simple Tips for Safe Computing

Whether you are using your computer at home or traveling with your laptop PC, there are some basic tips that you should always remember.

Install an anti-virus product and keep it up to date - Viruses, worms and other malware are some of most prolific problems on the internet today.  There are some excellent free anti-virus applications that provide a great deal more protection than just searching for viruses. Remember that any anti-virus product is only as good as you are about keeping it up-to-date and scanning your system regularly.

Install a Firewall product and keep it up to date - Like anti-virus products, Firewall products are designed to protect your system from Internet threats like hackers, viruses, and worms by filtering out any suspicious communications sent to your computer. A firewall gives you greater control over inbound and outbound programs.

Use passwords - An essential component of computer security is a strong password policy. Passwords control access to files, programs, computers, hard drives and networks. They also deny access to unauthorized users. Poorly chosen passwords make it easier to break into your computer systems and expose your business and home to malicious attacks. In general, set up passwords and keep them secret. Never share them with others.

Set up a system password and use it - Locking your system by setting up a system password prevents others from even booting your system. A system password prompt will appear each time you start your computer before the operating system even loads. To create a system password, you’ll need to access your computer’s setup utility (also known as CMOS BIOS settings). Performing this function varies on different computers, so read the PC User’s Guide for further information on how to set up a system password.

Do use passwords that: contain mixed-case alphabetic characters, non-alphabetic characters, digits and punctuation, six or more characters, easy to type quickly without looking at the keyboard, and are easy to remember so that they do not have to be written down.  Alternatively use a Password Manager.

Stay away from passwords that: use your login name in any form, your first or last name, your child, spouse or pet’s name, easily obtained details such as your telephone number, social security number or address. Passwords that are all digits or all the same letter, or passwords shorter than 6 characters.

Identity Theft is on the increase, so the use of strong, encrypted passwords will offer you more protection

Backup up your data and all of the fun stuff, too - You’ve invested a lot of time and money creating those files, pictures of your family or other entertainment. Losing those files would mean a lot to you. Take the time to invest in additional storage media and a software backup application. Then, set up an automatic schedule to periodically back up and save the files that are so important to you.

Keep your private information private - You would never think of displaying your bank account number, so be careful about providing personal information about yourself, your family or others that you would not want to be publicly known.

Do not give out your name, phone number, address, passwords, etc.

Do not share photos of your self or family with strangers online.

Encrypt sensitive information

Do not enter personal or financial information into pop-up windows

Do not save your login information - Many programs, including instant messengers, include automatic login features that will save your username and password. Disable this option so that no one can log in as you.

© Free PC Security 2008