Summary: Reminders from news of what Microsoft and Apple customers sometimes must cope with

● Trojan zaps banking credentials via IM

The latest entrant is Zeus, a trojan that monitors an infected PC for passwords entered into banking websites and other financial services. Over the past three months, investigators from RSA FraudAction Research Lab have observed the program, which also goes by the name Torpig and Mebroot, using the Jabber IM protocol to make sure the most valuable credentials don't get lost in the shuffle.

● And the best free Anti-Virus program is...

Finally, ahem, "If you were running desktop Linux or using a Mac, you wouldn't have these problems." That said, if you're running Windows on a budget, two out of two experts agree: Avira's the program for you.

● Kaspersky Lab: Spammers Do Their Own Advertising

In its semi-annual spam report, the Russian security experts Kaspersky Lab have concluded the economic crisis has had no bearing on the amount of spam distributed worldwide. However, spammers have had to turn to creating ads for their very own services.

● 6th SMS Ransomware Variant Offered for Sale

"Your copy of Windows has been blocked! You're using an unlicensed version of it! In order to continue using it, you must receive the unlock key. All you have to do is follow these steps: You must send a SMS message. You will receive an activation code once you do so. Enter the code and unlock your copy of Windows."

Anticipating the potential for monetization, cybercriminals are investing more time and resources into coming up with new features for their SMS based ransomware releases. Two of the very latest releases indicate their motivation and long-term ambitions into this newly emerged micro-payment ransomware channel.

● French official to talk iPhone troubles with Apple

A senior executive from Apple Inc will meet France's consumer affairs minister on Friday to discuss a number of incidents in which screens on some of its popular iPhones were reported to have shattered for no obvious reason.

iPhone 3GS Shot with 9mm and Burned [hat tip: MinceR]