Well done to Trend Micro for their latest Australian TV adverts. They are excellent (my favorite below):
There is so much software out there, some good and some really not great at all. I am however continually amazed that people are prepared to pay for software when there is a better free alternative available. Below is my favourite software that is free to use and provides exceptional productivity gains:
Notepad++
Category: Text Editor, Source Code editor and Notepad replacement
Alternative: Windows Notepad
Getting roughly 500,000 downloads a month this is GPL software at its very best. This notepad replacement is excellent as a basic Word processor as well as having some advanced source code editor features and is available in many languages. Notepad++ is extensible through its multitude of plugins and should be used as a notepad replacement by all Windows users (instructions are given on how to use Notepad++ as a notepad replacement).
FeedReader
Category: RSS Reader
Alternative: RSSOwl
FeedReader is a free, powerful and reliable RSS reader and manager. FeedReader loads when the PC starts and collects new articles in feeds on a set schedule. A little notification icon lights up when a new article is available to read. FeedReader articles may be read Offline and the application includes some clever and useful functionality such as OPML import and export, simple ‘search to RSS’ from Google Blogs, Bing Search, Delicious tags and so on.
WordPress
Category: Content Management System (also Blogging Software)
Alternative: Drupal, Joomla
WordPress originated as Blogging software however has evolved into a powerful and extensible Content Management System (CMS). WordPress has been successful in maintaining its reliability and ease of use whilst extending the possibilities of the software through the availability of thousands of themes and WordPress Plugins. WordPress is used by very large Sites such as CNN as well as small personal Blogs. WordPress.com provides free hosted WordPress implementations similar to Blogger for those who don’t want to host their own WordPress implementation.
Moodle
Category: Learning Management System (LMS)
Alternative: Claroline, ILIAS
Moodle is from Australia and is the most popular of the GPL (free) Learning Management Systems. Moodle is simple to implement however takes a fair amount of configuration (this is because of the extensive capabilities of the software and the differing needs of training organizations). Moodle, like WordPress, is equally capable for large Universities and organizations as well as small limited training providers.
FileZilla
Category: FTP Client
Alternative: FireFTP (Mozilla Firefox FTP Client Add-On)
FileZilla is an extensively used FTP Client. The advantage of FileZilla over many other FTP clients is its ease of use, such as the ‘drag and drop’ file functionality and ease of setup. FileZilla is also often far quicker to use than using Java based and other FTP Clients (e.g. for GoDaddy hosting it is much quicker to transfer files to and from a GoDaddy hosting account than using the GoDaddy file transfer Tools). FileZilla is one of the ten most downloaded SourceForge project applications ever.
An FTP Server is also available which is called FileZilla Server.
Firefox
Category: Internet Browser
Alternative: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Apple Safari
Mozilla Firefox is the choice of Online Content and Web Page creators. Firefox subscribes to Web Standards and best-practice and is enhanced through its 3rd party add-ons. Firefox is also the second most popular of the Web Browsers after Internet Explorer and is considered the most secure browser (Firefox has integration with Internet Site blacklists by StopBadWare.org). The latest version of Firefox includes Google-based location-aware browsing (geolocation).
Google Picasa
Category: Digital Photo Software
Alternative: Paint.net, Windows Live Photo Gallery
Picasa is a free Google digital photo organizer and editor. Some cool features in Picasa are the face recognition and tagging which make searching very quick and the ability to upload photos for remote printing (e.g. Snapfish) from Picasa itself. Picasa does not create duplicate copies of photos as some software does but rather updates the original photos with tags or other amendments made.
XAMPP
Category: Apache Web Server, MYSQL, Perl and PHP
Alternative: Server2Go
XAMPP is a simple to install and use Apache, MYSQL, PHP and Perl package. Within minutes it is possible to have a fully functioning Web Server which may host the likes of WordPress and Moodle or any other Web application reliant on Apache. Many people have an XAMPP install on their PC or Mac as their test or demonstration Server and then host the live Website or Application at a dedicated host. The days of battling to install Apache, PHP and MYSQL are over thanks to XAMPP.
Windows Live Mail
Category: Email Reader
Alternative: Mozilla Thunderbird
As far as free Email readers with Online calendaring goes, few can beat Windows Live Mail from Microsoft. Windows Live Mail is a small application which is able to send and receive from multiple Email accounts including Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo and a multitude of other free and paid email accounts. This application is simple to use and has a great Graphical User Interface (GUI). Mail is available when offline and calendars may be shared.
Microsoft Security Essentials
Category: Anti-Virus Software
Alternative: AVG Anti-virus Free
Free anti-virus and malware protection is now just as good, if not better, than the paid-for alternatives. Microsoft Security Essentials leads the pack in terms of free Online security software with AVG Anti-virus Free coming in a very close second. Either of these two software products are highly recommended.
P.S. I’m fully aware that there are some noticeable omissions from my list such as Linux, OpenOffice and Google Docs 
Related posts
Malware is a generic term for I.T. related security issues such as phishing, viruses, Trojans and other harmful and unwanted I.T. activities. Malware infection is very widespread and the method of attack is constantly 
evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Internet crime (of which security is the central pillar in the fight against this type of crime) is very big business and is worth billions of dollar per year to organized crime syndicates. Unfortunately many businesses view security threats as purely tangible i.e. an alarm will be fitted at physical locations and physical assets insured. Cyber crime however can be far more detrimental to a business; how would your customers react if cyber criminals attained their credit card details from your computer and sold them Online?
Here are five simple tips to increase your I.T. security. Fortunately there is usually no need to buy I.T. security software as the free software is just as good as paid-for software:
1. Install and use Anti-Virus Software
Paid-for Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and Internet security software such as MacAfee and Norton are commonly used and are typically good products. Often however the costs of the products are expensive which discourage use and updating the software (and virus definitions). Fortunately there are a few very good competing products which are free to use and update (check licensing conditions of these products to find out if free use applies to you); AVG is excellent and Microsoft Security Essentials is new and getting rave reviews.
Of course, anti-virus and anti-spyware products are only useful is they are kept up-to-date and are used!
2. Install and use a Firewall
Quite simply, a firewall detects communication to or from your computer which is irregular and is typical of Malware. Much Malware is intended to gather and send data from an infected computer to the cyber hacker (e.g. credit card details). A Firewall attempts to detect and block this malicious transfer of data. Windows Firewall is included with Windows XP and Vista and is very effective. There are also numerous paid-for Firewalls however they are unlikely to offer any benefits over the free offering from Microsoft (i.e. Windows Firewall).
3. Update Software
Effective software developers are constantly updating software to be more secure. It is therefore essential to keep software updated. Some updating of software may be automated (such as Windows Updates and anti-virus updates) however the need to update other software may be difficult to detect. Fortunately there are free Online and software resources available that advise which software needs to be updated and will make updating more simple. One of these resources is Secunia; a scan will note what software needs updating and a link to the update is provided.
4. Secure Email and Internet Access
Email is the most prolific means of spreading malware. Most of us receive significant volumes of spam of which numerous are of ill intent. Fortunately most good email providers (including Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo Mail) provide junk-mail and spam filters. Ensure however that your email provider is providing a level of protection against illicit emails. Above all it is important to be conscious that cyber-criminals are attempting to gain access to your computer through email (awareness of security issues is discussed later in this article).
Internet Browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer and Firefox) have built in security which is effective however nothing replaces caution when it comes to Online security. Fortunately the major search engines don’t display known malware distribution sites and further Online security may be attained through the likes of AVG free edition (as discussed previously where every page visited is checked for malicious content.
5. Be Aware
Being conscious of the threat of I.T. malware is the most beneficial means of avoiding cyber-criminal activities. Stay up to date with security threats by reading articles on good quality computer security sites such as StopBadware. Most of all however always remain diligent and cautious and do not open files from unknown email addresses nor give away personal information online unless you are able to verify the requester.
The spread of Malware is at an all time high. Protection against Trojans, anti-spyware and other malicious content can mostly be defended against with free software. Don’t let your business be negatively affected through malware (if the head of the FBI can fall victim to cyber-crime then chances are, so can you).
If your require advice and guidance with, or implementation of, I.T. security contact me (I don’t sell hardware or software therefore am able to provide the best solution for your needs).
Related posts
The 140 character limit in Twitter combined with its incredible success has been welcomed by phishers, spammers, Trojan and virus developers and other malicious content providers (we’ll call them ‘malware’ in this article).
As most Twitter users know, URLs are typically shortened using URL shorteners such as Bit.ly (which also powers j.mp) and Tr.im (which is now open-source) so as to minimise the number of characters used by the URL. For example, the URL http://eckstein.id.au/1566/management/leica-kgb-nsa/ is shortened as http://br.st/0io using Br.st, a free URL shortening service.
Why Spammers Love Twitter
Unfortunately, the shortened URL does not indicate anything about the full URL to which it redirects. Research by the security software company Mcafee has shown that 1 in 5 of ‘.hk’ top level domains (TLD) is rated as risky to access while 1 in 10 ‘.cn’ domain names is likely to contain malware or other suspect content. By contrast, ‘.gov’ and ‘.jp’ websites are extremely unlikely to contain malware. URL shorteners mean that we become unaware of the TLD of the URL. Malware distributers love Twitter because a URL can be masked so the viewer is unaware of the TLD (i.e if we knew that a URL ended in .hk we’d think twice about visiting that URL but a shortened URL doesn’t show the .hk).
The additional danger is that it is possible for blacklisted URLs to bypass security in browsers and security software by using shortened URLs. Great strides have been made over the years in collecting data about insecure websites. Google, Bing and other Search Engines exclude blacklisted sites from Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Most good Internet browsers also detect and block blacklisted URLs. The problem with shortened URLs is that they mask the original blacklisted URL so can, and often do, bypass Internet security software and blacklists.
How Malware spreads in Twitter
The free and instantly generated nature of URL shortening services is perfect for phishing, spamming malware and Trojan distributers. All a malware distributors need do is create a short URL and post a catchy and popular ‘tweet’ with the shortened URL. Due to the highly interactive nature of Twitter, it is likely that someone will visit the tweet and will likely click on the link. This is far more simple and effective for malware distributors than spamming or creating websites and relying on Search Engines to drive traffic to their malware spreading sites. In addition, once it becomes known that the short URL is a security risk all the malware distributor needs do is create another free short URL and another catchy and topical tweet; in a matter of a minute the malware distributor has a whole new audience who are unaware that s/he is a security risk.
How to be Twitter Security Aware
Certainly, Twitter security vulnerabilities have been widely publicised however the average user still appears unaware of the need to be wary of shortened URLs in anticipation that they may be links to Trojans or other malicious content. It is more important than ever to use online security software as well as keep Internet Browser and operating system software up to date.
