Trend Micro has released its 2008 Internet security suite, comprising three separate offerings aimed at various levels of Internet usage.

The AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware, and the PC-cillin Internet Security products are updated versions for 2008, with Internet Security Pro making its debut this year.

The Antivirus plus AntiSpyware version, costing $49.95, is the most basic offering and is aimed at casual Internet users. New features include proactive intrusion blocking capabilities to prevent changes to operating systems and critical software, an enhanced software history cleaner, and improved browser and cookie management.

At $99.95 the Internet Security product is a step up from the AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware edition, and according to David Peterson, Trend's consumer segment director for Australia and New Zealand, this version is about "getting back to what we were doing so well in the past".

Internet Security 2008 includes antivirus and spyware protection, a firewall, fraud defense against phishing scams, wireless and home network control and monitoring and parental controls. It is geared towards users who spend a considerable amount of time online, with a focus on protection from identity theft and personal or sensitive information theft.

New features include enhanced Web site behavior monitoring, the ability to detect and block image spam and customizable security warnings and security activity reports.

Ross Wilson, Trend Micro's managing director for consumer products and services, says that the days when viruses presented the greatest threat to Internet users are over.

"Viruses are an old hat," he explains.

"Threats have changed, malware is not what it used to be.... The very nature of the threat has changed. A lot of it now is driven by organized crime."

"Now it's about identity theft, and the theft of sensitive information in order to make money."

Trend's Internet Security Pro edition is subsequently targeted towards users who bank, shop, invest, use Wi-Fi and trade sensitive information online on a regular basis.

Internet Security Pro boasts all the features of the two lower versions, as well as several unique functions such as: keystroke encryption to prevent keystroke loggers from stealing data; the ability to validate the credibility of wireless hotspots and Wi-Fi networks; a remote file lock to secure folders and files in case of computer theft; and a system tuner to clean up the registry, temp files and startup behavior.

Peterson says the Pro product was originally conceived for high end users, but is now aimed at virtually anyone using the Internet to transmit sensitive data and information on a regular basis.

"Trend Micro 2008 products have been designed for people who extensively use their computers to conduct various activities online, whether they are at home or away."

The Pro edition costs $129.95, and all three versions protect up to three PCs for one year.

The Internet Storm Center is warning that hackers are spamming e-mail messages that purport to be a Microsoft security update. The phony e-mail doesn't carry any fixes. Actually, it contains malicious code to infect unwary users who open the message and click on any links or attachments.

"Microsoft would never e-mail patches, so I don't know why people still fall for this but they do," said Johannes Ullrich, chief technology officer for the Internet Storm Center, in an interview. "It seems like everybody got a copy of the e-mail. It was spammed out to a very large list. How many people clicked on it, I really don't know."

The malicious code in the so-called patch is a backdoor Trojan that opens the infected system so it can be remotely manipulated by the hacker. It basically turns the machine into a bot, which can be added to a growing botnet.

An advisory on the Internet Storm Center Web site noted that the hacker is particularly savvy, often including the victim's name or company name in the body of the message. So far, researchers have spotted four different URLs.

The body of one message reads:

"You are receiving this message because you are using Genuine Microsoft Software and your e-mail address has been subscribed to the Microsoft Windows Update mailing list. A new 0-day vulnerability has appeared in the wild and was reported for the first time Monday, June 18th. The vulnerability affects machines running MICROSOFT OUTLOOK and allows an attacker to take full control of the vulnerable computer if the exploitation process is successful."

Then a link is provided to the phony patch.

Microsoft provides users information on its security Web sites to help them recognize and avoid fraudulent e-mails.