We have been testing the Comodo Firewall, and we have found it to be a top quality product. We like the ergonomics and look and feel, the intelligent pop-ups, and the easily customizable options, the automatic setup and best of all, it’s reputation for toughness with the bad guys.

It is our new favorite firewall. We previously recommended the Zone Alarm free edition, but it has fallen further and further in the rankings as Check Point apparently seeks to drive customers to the more profitable products. Zone Alarm Pro still stands near the head of the line. But the free edition is near the bottom of the ratings.

Install the COMODO firewall, Scan for Known Applications and set the security level for Low and you will minimize the pop-ups and be well protected.

An new round of malicious e-greeting card spam is landing in in-boxes. It usually has the subject line “You’ve received a postcard from a family member!”

Whatever you do, do not open these spam emails, and do not click on the links.

If you do, you will be taken to a malicious web site that will attempt to install a variant of the Storm Trojan horse.

“Today’s greeting-card gambit tries a trio of exploits, moving on to the second if the machine is not vulnerable to the first, then on to the third if necessary. The first is an exploit against a QuickTime vulnerability; the second is an attack on the popular WinZip compression utility; and the third, dubbed “the Hail Mary” by the ISC, is an exploit for the WebViewFolderIcon vulnerability in Windows that Microsoft Corp. patched last October.”

Source: ComputerWorld

This demonstrates the importance of updating all software to the latest versions. In this case, QuickTime WinZip and Windows are the targets. Users who have updated to the latest versions are protected.

And of course, it demonstrates the importance of being suspicious of all email that lands in your inbox.

We consider Bruce Schneier to be one of the foremost security experts. Any person concerned about security would do well to study Bruce’s writings. He clearly explains the difference between security showmanship and a rational approach to security. His ideas apply as well to personal security as they do to national security.

Please refer to his recent article in Wired entitled “Virginia Tech Lesson: Rare Risks Breed Irrational Responses”, which can be found at the following link:

http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/05/securitymatters_0517

The FBI is finally tackling the tremendous personal and national security problem caused by ‘Bot-herders’. Bot-herders have an estimated one million computers in their clutches. The FBI is actively pursuing these miscreants and seeking to prosecute the Bot-herders and shut down the bot-nets.

For More Information:
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june07/botnet061307.htm

FBI suggests How to Protect Your Computer:
http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/protect_online.htm