The fight against botnets: Are we winning?

Are you using an older operating system? If you are, your computer is more susceptible to infections from bot-related malicious software. That's according to the just-released Microsoft Security Intelligence Report covering the first half of 2010. Read about this and other key findings in the report, which focuses on the battle against botnets. The report outlines the progress that Microsoft and others have made, but indicates there is still much work to do.

Security updates for November 9, 2010 The bulletin for November includes three security updates: two for Microsoft Office and one for Microsoft Forefront Unified Access Gateway. Get updates from Microsoft Update See a summary of the updates Watch a short video about the updates

Microsoft security news Online safety conference going on now Microsoft is the top sponsor of the annual Family Online Safety Institute conference - the preeminent online safety conference of its kind - which is going on now in Washington, D.C. Peter Cullen, Chief Privacy Strategist at Microsoft, is delivering the keynote address today. Free virus protection for your small business Security Essentials, the no-cost antivirus and antispyware software from Microsoft, is now available for small businesses. Learn more and download today. Bullying Prevention Conference to be held in Seattle The seventh annual International Bullying Prevention Association conference will take place in Seattle November 15-17. Jacqueline Beauchere, Director of Privacy and Online Safety Communications in the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing group, will deliver the keynote address. Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit versus the cybercriminal Can cybercriminals be caught and prosecuted? That was a question posed by one of our readers. Get the answer, and learn more about the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit.

Protect your computer Firewalls in versions of Windows Depending on which operating system is on your PC, you might already have a firewall and it might already be turned on for you. Learn how to check your firewall settings. How to uninstall Security Essentials If you want to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus software, here's how to do it. Misplaced your Windows Phone? Easily find and secure it Do you have a new Windows Phone? See how to use the new Find My Phone feature to track down your phone if it's missing and help protect your data until you can retrieve the phone.

Protect yourself and your family Do your holiday shopping safely online Avoiding the crowds and shopping online this holiday season? Use these tips to make sure you're shopping at secure and trustworthy websites. How to report possible fraud Have you received an email message that you suspect is a scam or visited a website that seems fake? Find out how to report these and other potential phishing scams. "I've been mugged! Send money!" If your friends are getting scam email messages that are supposedly from you, your email address has likely been hijacked. Here's what to do.

Security resources Microsoft Online Safety: online safety and privacy education Microsoft Security: the latest in computer security Security Tips & Talk blog Microsoft Consumer Security Support Center

About this newsletter Microsoft Security for Home Computer Users is a monthly newsletter bringing security news, guidance, updates, and community resources directly to your inbox. If you would like to receive more technical security information, see the Microsoft Security Newsletter.