Mary Landesman is an antivirus professional with several years of experience in virus research, virus prevention and virus detection techniques, as well as antivirus software analysis, technical support and product marketing. Currently, Mary is a Senior Security Researcher for ScanSafe.

With a background in telecom security and technical training, Mary entered the field of antivirus software prior to the first macro virus, witnessing the evolution of computer viruses from isolated system threat to Internet curse. Having worked in a variety of roles ranging from tech support to threat analyst, Mary brings a unique perspective to the topic of antivirus software and virus prevention.

After attending Brevard College, Mary pursued courses in BASIC programming, DBase, and C++.

Malicious software (malware) can pose serious security and financial risks to victims. Most malware encounters happen via the Web in the form of silent drive-by downloads. The rate of new malware has been exponentially increasing since 2006, doubling at least every year since. As a result, antivirus software has evolved from singular threat detection to providing whole system protection for everything from malware to identity theft to guarding against scam artists and spammers.

Even with the powerful new features of today's antivirus software, it's not enough. There are steps every computer user - whether PC or Mac - needs to take in addition to antivirus software in order to stay safe online. The goal of this site is to help you make smart choices about the antivirus software that is available as well as guide you on the additional steps you need to be taking to ensure a safer Web experience.

• Understanding Web Threats
  An overview of Web malware and how to protect against it
• Your Computer IS at Risk
  Debunking the common excuses that too often lead to malware infection