ANTI-SPYWARE
SOFTWARE
Free Anti-Spyware Software Comparison
Spyware is a general term used for software that performs certain
behaviours such as advertising, collecting personal information, or
changing the configuration of your computer, generally without
appropriately obtaining your consent. You might have spyware or other
unwanted software on your computer if:
• You see pop-up advertisements even when you are not on the web
• Your web browser home page or search settings have changed without
your knowledge
• You notice a new toolbar in your browser that you didn’t want and you
find hard to get rid of
• Your computer is noticeably slower
• Your computer starts to crash far more often than normal
Spyware is often associated with software that displays
advertisements (sometimes called adware) or software that tracks
personal or sensitive information. That does not mean all software
which provides ads or tracks your online activities is bad. For
example, you might sign up for a free music service, but "pay" for the
service by agreeing to receive targeted ads. If you understand the
terms and agree to them, you may have decided that it is a fair
trade-off. You might also agree to let the company track your online
activities to determine which ads to show you.
Other kinds of unwanted software will make changes to your computer
that can be annoying and can cause your computer slow down or crash.
These programs have the ability to change your web browser's home page
or search page, or add additional components to your browser you don't
need or want. These programs also make it very difficult for you to
change your settings back to the way you originally had them. These
types of unwanted programs are often called spyware.
There are a number of ways spyware or other unwanted software can
get on your system. A common trick is to covertly install the software
during the installation of other software such as a music or video file
sharing programs. Whenever you are installing something on your
computer, make sure you carefully read all the small print, including
the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of
unwanted software in a given software installation is documented; it
may appear at the end of the license agreement or privacy statement.
Spyware Prevention
Spyware can be incredibly difficult to remove. In some cases it is
easier to reformat a computer to its factory condition than to remove
all of the spyware. It is better if spyware can be prevented from
getting onto the computer in the first place.
Don’t use file sharing programs
Peer to peer file sharing programs (P2P) are very popular. They are
most often used to download music and or videos (usually copyrighted
materials). Very often the software used will contain spyware or has
vulnerabilities which allow spyware to enter your computer. P2P
programs should not be installed if at all possible.
Example of P2P programs which contain spyware are:
E-Donkey
Grokster
Audiogalaxy
OneMX
Freewire
Bearshare
Imesh
Very few do not contain some sort of Spyware or Adware program.
Use Mozilla Firefox
Internet Explorer (IE) is vulnerable to having spyware installed
through it just by visiting some infected websites. There is often no
warning that a program is being installed without your permission. This
is called ‘Drive-by-Downloading’.
Firefox is an alternative internet browser to Internet Explorer.
It has some additional features to IE. Firefox is not as vulnerable to
these malicious downloads and by using it instead of IE you can reduce
your risk to some of the dangers on the internet.
IE still needs to be used to update Microsoft Windows and to use some
websites.
Website – http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
Anti-Spyware Software
Spyware Blaster
Spyware Blaster does not remove spyware it acts to block spyware
from being installed. It is a very simple piece of software which has
some clever settings to help to stop spyware affecting your computer.
It does require to be updated in the same way as antivirus software and
the updates have to be carried out manually.
Website – http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Microsoft Defender (Beta2)
Defender is Microsoft’s own spyware tool. ‘Beta’ means that this is
really a test version and that Microsoft cannot guarantee that it will
work perfectly or be stable.
You will need to have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed before
Windows Defender will install.
Defender is not compatible with Windows 98 or ME.
Defender has a good reputation for detecting most spyware programs but
not all. It is a good program to get for free but there are some
spyware programs it will not remove and its status as a Beta program
could mean that Microsoft could remove support for the program at any
time.
Website - http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Lavasoft Ad-aware SE Personal
This is an antispyware program which is free to use at home. It is
one of the most popular antispyware programs. It will detect and remove
most types of spyware. It requires regular updates which must be
carried out manually.
Website - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Spyware Search and Destroy
Spyware S+D is another free to use antispyware program. It has some
very useful feature but it is much more technical and difficult to use.
It is a very good program for fixing spyware problems but is best
suited to confident computer users.
Website - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
Fake anti-spyware programs
There are many programs available on the internet that claim to be
anti-spyware software. Some of these are fake programs which are
themselves spyware. These programs often appear in pop ups which will
claim that your computer is ‘infected’ or is ‘at risk’ and that by
downloading or buying a particular product this will be stopped. If you
are in any doubt the names of the programs can be checked against a
list of fake software here –
Spyware Warrior - http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
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Original Tutorial
by Aspman
for TheTAZZone-TAZForum
Originally posted on August 30th, 2006 here
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