A recent Wall Street Journal article about how web users are tracked and snooped on caught our attention. The article starts by looking at how cookies track your web browsing to help advertisers know what ads to display. (Cookies also have legitimate usages, to record your user name on a site, keep track of site-specific display options, etc.) The article offers a number of suggestions for controlling cookies, blocking ads, and more. Intego has two programs that can help with this type of privacy control. Here’s a quick overview of some of these privacy features.
First, VirusBarrier X6, which is much more than just an antivirus, comes with a powerful suite of surf and privacy tools. The program lets you block cookies, and lets you make a whitelist of cookies for sites that you visit regularly; it has a powerful ad-banner filter, which can keep web sites cleaner, and especially get rid of those annoying flashing ads; and it can hide information that your computer provides to web sites about what platform and web browser it uses, and which web site you visited last. Together, these features can help cut down that amount of information web sites collect about you.
The second program, Washing Machine 2, cleans up what your surfing leaves behind on your Mac. Washing Machine 2 cleans out cookies, browser caches, download histories and more. You can clean these items manually, or set a schedule and have them cleaned automatically.
It’s worth noting that the Wall Street Journal article mentions the use of private browsing, but recent research has shown that private browsing isn’t that private. For example, if you visit sites that use Flash, that plug-in saves its own cookies that your browser won’t delete. (Washing Machine 2 will delete Flash cookies.) But it turns out that, overall, private browsing isn’t absolute.
If you’re concerned about your privacy when surfing, you need to be aware of which programs can help you manage such issues easily and automatically. Using Intego VirusBarrier X6 together with Washing Machine 2 can keep your Mac clean and reduce the number of tracks you leave behind on the web.
Intego has released an update to its VirusBarrier X6 security program. The latest version, 10.6.7, provides performance enhancements for the program’s real-time scanner, archive scanning feature, and iPhone, iPod touch and iPad scanning. This free update is 24 MB, and users can download and install the new version using NetUpdate, Intego’s global update program.
ConsumerSearch, a web site that rates products based on reviews on other sites, has named Intego VirusBarrier X6 the best Mac security suite. ConsumerSearch has looked at reviews in the press and user reviews to determine this rating. This site, which is run by about.com, in turn owned by the New York Times Company, has an impressive list of products analyzed and rated. Intego is proud to be yet again recognized for the quality of its software.
Intego has released an update to VirusBarrier X6, its malware and network protection program. The latest version, 10.6.6, available via Intego’s NetUpdate, provides a number of performance enhancements and bug fixes, and notably provides full compatibility with iTunes 9.1.1 for scans of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
This free update is strongly recommended for all users of VirusBarrier X6
JAMF Software, developers of the Casper Suite, a collection of client management applications developed exclusively for Mac OS X, announce closer integration with Intego VirusBarrier X6, extending the ability of enterprise IT Administrators to automate deployment of and receive reporting information about malware and network protection on client workstations.
IT Administrators have long struggled with the dilemma of how to deploy, update, activate and report upon software from multiple vendors throughout an enterprise organization. Casper Suite 7.2 functions as a framework for IT ecosystems through which administrators can extend and automate enterprise products such as VirusBarrier X6 utilizing Extension Attributes, unifying administration of Mac OS X software within a single console.
Extension Attributes allow IT Administrators to receive integrated reporting within one console for the variety of products deployed throughout their organization. This integration eliminates the need for administrators to use multiple reporting tools and perform redundant tasks, by making most major reporting functions available through the JAMF Software Server (JSS) within the Casper Suite.
Intego has released VirusBarrier Server 3, the latest version of its robust anti-malware and network protection software for Macs running as servers. With the best anti-malware protection available for Mac, and powerful network protection features, VirusBarrier Server 3 now provides comprehensive protection from both malware and network threats.
VirusBarrier Server 3, the latest version of Intego’s network and malware security program, based on VirusBarrier X6, includes new threat-detection techniques, improved methods of detection, and combined detection protocols to keep Mac OS X servers free of malware. VirusBarrier Server 3 is the only program for Mac servers that includes full antivirus and anti-malware protection together with a two-way firewall, anti-intrusion, network protection features and more.
Servers running Mac OS X need strong protection from malware, both to ensure that the servers don’t get infected, but also to protect file repositories where users freely exchange files. Whether in Mac-only or heterogeneous environments, VirusBarrier Server 3, with its detection of Mac OS X, Windows, Unix and Linux malware, ensures that files on the server will be safe.
This powerful program helps businesses, administrations and educational institutions ensure that their servers are protected from viruses, malware and network attacks.
New and improved features:
In addition to being the best defense against viruses and malware for Macs, VirusBarrier Server 3 adds more than 100 new features that provide hardened security and help protect against the latest threats. Here are some of them:
- Remote GUI administration: VirusBarrier Server 3 allows administrators to manage the program remotely, with full access to all settings and configurations. Administrators can manage multiple servers from a single GUI console and the program can also be administered locally. With VirusBarrier Server Admin, administrators get a bird’s-eye view of all the servers they are responsible for.
- Two-way firewall: VirusBarrier Server 3 now includes a powerful two-way firewall, extending the program’s protection beyond detecting and eradicating malware. This firewall offers preset configurations, for basic situations, and customizable, rule-based settings for advanced users, to protect Mac OS X servers from dangerous network traffic.
- Antivandal: VirusBarrier Server 3 protects servers from intrusions and network attacks. A full range of features is included to protect against the many new types of threats facing Internet users.
- New types of malware detected: VirusBarrier Server 3 detects a wide range of new types of malware, such as scareware (software that tries to trick users into thinking their Mac is infected, in order to get them to pay for software), spyware (including commercial software used as keyloggers or monitoring tools), hacking tools, dialers (software that initiates phone calls to premium-rate phone numbers), proof-of-concept malware (software designed to show how to exploit a vulnerability, which is not circulating “in the wild”), and more.
- E-mail server protection: VirusBarrier Server 3 integrates with the Mac OS X Server’s e-mail server to scan incoming and outgoing e-mails for malicious attachments. When infected e-mails are found, they are quarantined until an administrator can check them.
- Fine-tuned scanning and security policies: users can choose from a number of detailed options to determine exactly what is scanned and when, and the type of threats that VirusBarrier Server 3 scans for.
- Performance control: users can choose a level of CPU time to be allocated to background scans, in order to optimize CPU and disk priorities for malware scans.
- Updates: virus definition and threat filter updates can be applied automatically without restarting the server. Updates can also be served from a specific local folder; all computers using VirusBarrier Server 3 can be set to check for updates in that local folder. This means that servers with no Internet access can get their updates easily.
- 64-bit software: VirusBarrier Server 3, like all of Intego’s software, is now provided with 64-bit code, fully compatible with Snow Leopard, and ready for the future.
For more information about VirusBarrier 3, visit the Intego web site.