Alert Trend Micro of suspicious spyware activity to help improve the quality of the Anti-Spyware product. this is useful to remove spyware and protect your computer from spyware

You can help ensure Trend Micro Anti-Spyware is up-to-date with the latest threats to your computing and privacy. If you notice a privacy threat not currently detected by the software, click the "Report" button. Internet Explorer will then open up to a spyware reporting webpage where you can provide information such as:

• Spyware threat name
• Name of product installed
• Name of service installed
• URL where you think the spyware was originally found
• Problems occurred due to the spyware

This post provide antivirus support to manually block files or sites using Spyware Doctor with Antivirus.

Spyware Doctors Global action list enables users to manually block files and sites. Make sure IntelliGuard / IntelliGuard is completely activated and simply add the file or site you wish to block.

Follow the steps below:

Open Spyware Doctor and select the 'Settings' button >> 'Global Action List'.
Click the 'Add' button and the 'Add New Rule' box will appear.
At the ' Select data type: ' dropdown box make sure you select 'File on disk' or 'Web site address/cookie'.
Browse for the 'executable file' (.exe file) that opens and runs the application in question or type the URL you wish to block.
Once the file or site is selected, at the bottom dropdown box make sure ' Always block ' is selected, then click the 'Add' button.
The file or site is now added and will be blocked by IntelliGuard / IntelliGuard.

This post antivirus support to describe how to use Spyware Doctor with Antivirus

Follow the tips

Open Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus and perform a Smart Update to ensure you have all the latest updates. Ensure IntelliGuard / IntelliGuard Protection has been activated.
From the System Status screen, ensure that Computer Immunization is ON. If it is set to OFF, simply click on the button to turn it ON.
Click on the Start Scan button on the left to display the System Scan screen.
Select the Full Scan radio button under the Select Scan Type section, and then click on the Scan Now button beneath this to conduct a full scan.
During scanning process, you can always Pause Scan or Stop Scan anytime.
If any infections are found, click the Fix Checked button to remove all detected infections. If the legal notice disclaimer displays, read it, and if you wish to proceed, click the Continue Removal button.

The Conficker worm computer virus updated itself late Wednesday, bringing a new threat to the millions of PCs currently infected by it.

The discovery was made by Internet security company Trend Micro, who stated in a press release that the ybercriminals behind the notorious Conficker worm may finally be gearing up for more serious attacks.?

As many as 12 million computers could be infected by the worm. Microsoft is offering a $250,000 bounty for its creator.

The worm can be used to steal data from computers. It can also control infected computers to be used in what is called a otnet.The army of computers in the botnet can then be used by a hacker to launch cyberattacks against anything from Web sites to government computer networks.

Such an attack was launched against the U.S. Pentagon in 2007 by Chinese hackers. The Pentagon was forced to temporarily shut down its network and lost an unknown amount of information.

The activation of the Conficker worm came the same day (Wednesday) as reports of cyber spies infiltrating the U.S. power grid. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese and Russian spies were behind it, leaving software in the system that could shut down the U.S. electric grid.

Canadian researchers also discovered late last month the Chinese ?hostNet?a spyware system that is being used to monitor and steal documents from 1,295 computers in 103 countries. Among their targets were the Dalai Lama, the media, and hundreds of government and private offices.

Whether the Conficker worm has any connection to the other attacks is yet to be known.

On Oct. 26, 2008, just three days after the discovery of the worm was announced by Microsoft, Chinese hackers created a toolkit that would allow anyone to exploit the system gap. The kit was originally sold for $37.80 but was later made available for free download.

The surprisingly rapid spread of the Conficker worm is attributed to its ability to pass between computers on USB memory sticks. It is also able to invade computer networks. The worm spreads through vulnerabilities in Microsoft? operating system, Windows?lthough an update is now available to repair the vulnerabilities.

The update of the worm was originally suspected to be taking place on April 1. According to Trend Micro the new variant of the worm, known as WORM_DOWNAD.E, runs using a random file name and random service name. It updated itself through P2P communications. The new file was discovered in the Windows Temp folder.

Its effects are yet to be known.

Strangely, according to a BBC report, researchers from the Symantec internet security company said the new update has instructions for the worm to remove virus itself on May 3, 2009, yet a gap in the machine will remain open so that its creators can still control the compromised PC

This post describe step by step removal of Antivirus 360 spyware.

Antivirus 360 can be removed manually by following the steps below.

Step 1:
Click Start and click Control pannel
Locate the Add/Remove Programs icon and double click it.
Locate and remove Antivirus 360 in the list of programs.
Restart your computer.

Step 2
Important This post contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs

Click Start , Click Run ,type in regedit, and click OK.
Locate the following registry entry and delete them:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “13376694984709702142491016734454
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\13376694984709702142491016734454
Close Registry editor page.

Step 3
Search for the files and delete all of the following files that are associated with Antivirus 360 from your computer.

%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Antivirus 360\Help.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Antivirus 360
c:\Program Files\A360
av360.exe
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Antivirus 360\Registration.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Antivirus 360.lnk
av_360[1].exe
av_360.exe
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Antivirus 360\Antivirus 360.lnk
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Antivirus 360.lnk
Antivirus 360.lnk

Step 4:
Remove all directories associated with Antivirus 360 by going to the C:\ProgramFiles\Antivirus 360 folder.
Restart your computer.

Spyware is one of the biggest scourges of personal computing today especially as more and more computers are interconnected via the Internet and local area networks. If your computer is connected to a network or the Internet then you are not safe from this problem.

According to studies, there is over 90% chance that your computer is infected with spyware. Further, another study carried out on user computers found out that 88% of consumer machines had one form of unwanted program or another.

The nuisance caused by malware is not limited to the damage to your computer but also to your time and financial loss. 86% of people in the US who answered a survey, affirmed that spyware caused them to suffer monetary loss.

Apart from the material and financial damage caused by spyware, it is very creepy to know that spying software watches you while you work!

You need to take a proactive approach in dealing with spyware, as such your strategies to fight spyware need to be both curative and preventive.

Curative - remove spyware if your computer is already infected.

Preventive - install programs (like firewalls & antispyware) to guard your computer against intrusion and to prevent installation of new malware.

The following tips should go a long way to help in your fight against spyware:

1. Use anti-spyware to scan your computer.

This is still the top tip in 2008. To be sure your computer is not already compromised by spyware, or to find out the threats present on your machine, you need to run anti-spyware and do a deep scan of your computer. There are online-based services that will scan your computer for you, but that is as good as it gets because they will not rid your computer of spyware for free.

2. Completely shut down your computer when it is not in use.

Do not leave your computer on stand by or powered on. If your computer is connected to the internet and left on power it could be targeted by spyware.

3. Use appropriate defensive software.

You should have at least anti-spyware and a firewall installed on your PC or laptop

The Firewall guards your computer against unwanted network traffic coming from a network or the Internet, while the anti-spyware program will eliminate malicious programs like spyware, trojans, adware and worms from your computer.

4. Keep your computer updated.

New threats come out everyday, in order to win the fight against spyware and other malware you need to install updates for you computer's operating system and for the anti-spyware program you are using. Having an outdated version of software is even more dangerous than having non at all, because it gives you a false sense of security, while you are not being protected.

5. Avoid the temptation to use free anti-spyware programs.

Most of these programs are themselves wolves in sheep clothing i.e. spyware that has been repackaged in the form or free anti-spyware.

6. Be wary of email attachments from sources you are not sure of.

When I receive emails from dubious sources with a an attachment no matter how captivating the title might be, I press the delete button almost immediately. You should do the same.

The best way to protect your computer from spyware is to run an application that identifies spyware and completely removes it.