Microsoft has been in hot water before over its practice of bundling software with Windows to the detriment of other software companies By the time the browser wars were done in the courts Internet Explorer had crushed the competition although that situation is changed - to the degree where a meme exists about Edge being the browser most used for downloading Chrome. However, in a recent blog post, Eugene Kaspersky has launched proceedings with both the European Commission and German Federal Cartel Office.

Avast is Lifehacker readers' favourite antivirus program but it sure can be annoying. A recent update now inserts a footer advertising Avast into your outgoing messages. Here's how to turn it off.

A recent Gartner study reminds us that with more companies harnessing data for a competitive edge, there are increased challenges to secure information and protect against data breaches or targeted attacks. So how are security vendors responding? In Symantec's case, by going far beyond anti-virus. As one of the largest civilian threat intelligence platform in the world, Symantec has deployed a range of tools to help organisations improve IT security. Here's what you need to know.

The continuing fallout from the US government's PRISM controversy appears to be causing significant reverberations around the globe. In a recent VGA poll, more than two thirds of Australians expressed rising concerns about the invasiveness of future technology. In addition, 49 percent indicated that they have changed their attitude towards privacy since the PRISM surveillance program was publicly revealed.

Good security software does more than protect your personal data -- it also detects emerging and unknown threats. That’s where Kaspersky’s new 2013 Internet Security and Anti-Virus products come in.

We know Lifehacker readers love a good bargain, so here’s how to get up to $20 off our latest software plus have the chance to win one of four
Google Nexus 7 tablets!

If you're happy with your current anti-virus software, then you probably don't pay too much attention when the annual renewal notice comes in -- but perhaps you should. Reader Regan writes in with a cautionary tale:
My subscription to McAfee Security Centre recently expired; as a result I selected a McAfee link to renew my licence. I was then redirected to a Dell/McAfee branded site that wanted $129 for the licence renewal. Even navigating directly to the McAfee Website (or via Google) seemed to have the same result. However, I was able to access the McAfee Direct Download service (searched for it directly via Google) where I got the same software for $79 -- and that covered three computers!

When it comes to security software, I'm a great believer in the "if it hasn't broken your PC, don't change it" principle, but Regan's tale demonstrates that a bit of comparison shopping before clicking that renewal link might be worth your time. If you'd prefer to stay in the free software universe, check out our top five anti-virus applications.

Windows only: Popular freeware anti-virus application AVG Free recently updated to AVG Free 2008. Aside from a general interface overhaul and faster performance, the updated anti-virus scanner has added several new features with a focus on web security. AVG is always at the forefront of the freeware anti-virus category, so unless you don't run anti-virus software, it's a great alternative to crappy Windows software. AVG Free Anti-Virus 2008

Windows only: Freeware, lightweight anti-spyware application ThreatFire monitors your computer for malware and blocks new threats in real time. There are a lot of freeware anti-spyware apps out there, but the difference between most of them and ThreatFire is the always-on, real-time protection—as opposed to on-demand scanning. The catch is, ThreatFire does not do on-demand scans in the free version. All that really means is that you can download one of the many other freeware options (like AVG Free and Ad-Aware, for example) for on-demand scans and run ThreatFire to cover any immediate threats in real-time. ThreatFire is freeware, Windows only. Everybody's got their favorite anti-virus and anti-malware apps, so let's hear yours in the comments.
ThreatFire