Spyware, adware, malware. All of this stuff is junk, whether you find it useful or not; its not going to do your computer any good. In todays lesson I’m going to give you some tips and get you In the Know of a free and effective way to protect your computer. (Click the image to the left to enlarge).
Forms of Protection
Though it may be easiest to let programs do all the work, and maybe they can do all of it… its best that as an end-user; you take some precautions of your own when it comes to malicious software. The ultimate fight against spyware is fought by YOU. Now that you should have already figured it out, the two main forms of protection are software and YOU (end-user protection).
End-user Protection
As an end-user you must think wisely. Don’t click on stupid images that say you just won a million dollars or a free iPod. Some things in life are just too good to be true, and what made life so easy? Nothing.
Here are some things to get you In the Know of spyware:
- 99.9% of spyware and malicious software comes from the Internet. (It wont just breed on your computer)
- Internet Explorer is the best bait for spyware attraction. (If you use Internet Explorer, have no fear spyware is here!)
- Though the convenience is nice, do not save passwords or form information on your computer. (Adware and malware will feed off of your saved passwords)
- Windows operating systems are targeted at 98% of spyware. (Go switch to Linux or OSX)
- Addons and toolbars such as “MyWebSearch” and others that are packaged with other software are BIG threats to your computer. (Once these things get in your computer, its hard to remove all of their tracks.)
So now that you know whats causing most of these things to get on your computer, lets stop them from getting in your computer.
- Don’t use Internet Explorer. Its slow and unsafe. Switch to Mozilla Firefox and download “Adblock Plus”. Best of all, Firefox is free, easy to use, and has more features than Internet Explorer.
- Stop saving your passwords!
- Next time you see an ad that tells you that you won something… think again!
- Only web-surf on safe sites. Do your online-shopping through Hacker-safe and security enabled sites.
- When you go and install software, be sure to read and click “Do not install” when it comes to web toolbars and other bundled pieces of software.
When in doubt, don’t do it!
Software Protection
Today, software protection comes in various shapes and sizes. They vary in the ability to detect and remove. To make you aware of some of the software around you, these are popular and reliable pieces of software.
- Ad-Aware 2007 - Made by Lavasoft, this software has existed since 2004. The ability to detect and remove malware, spyware, adware, malicious cookies and more. A free version of the program is offered, though the Professional version has many more features.
- Spybot-Search & Destroy - A minor in the league. Spyboy-S&D is completely free and customizable. This makes me question its detection and removal ability. Spybot-S&D creates new detection updates at least once a week.
- Hijackthis - If your computer is on death-row because of spyware, then this is the program you need! Hijack this works by comparing your mainframe computer information to one with no spyware or malicious information. It will create a list of differences which can then be posted on the internet where people can tell you what you need to remove.
- Windows Defender - Watch out, its made by Microsoft! If you want to stay really basic, then go right ahead. I guess if spyware is no concern for you, then use this. Personally, I haven’t seen one thing Windows Defender has found that Ad-Aware has not. After all, it is a Microsoft product so they do allow integration between this program and their operating system. Next.
Now that we have gone over the precautions you can take towards keeping a clean PC, its up to you to defend your own computer. We have learned that its not only software that can prevent spyware from getting to you, but its also the things you do and use on your computer that lead to or prevent it.
Entries (RSS)
spybot s&d is no longer free
Spyboy is still free, its optional to donate to them if you want.
SpyBot Search and Destroy is still free you really need to goto the REAL website for Spybot search and destroy…
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html
Hope this clears up any confusion….
Adaware keeps restarting my comp halfway through…
i have used all the programs….. i have never had any problems … this site is the best ever ……but i have vista now and i wish i stayed with xp less drm ..but hey there is a way around everything right …..ninjas rock
Hm. Prejudiced. Mostly accurate.
I’ve been researching adware and spyware since it messed up my computer a few years ago. I’ve got some things to add and change on your idea.
First off: If you have a reliable firewall (like COMODO or Sunburst/Kerio Firewall), don’t worry about not saving passwords. Trojans are *usually* the only programs that will try to steal passwords, and your firewall will notify you of any suspicious outbound connections (trojan programs trying to transmit your passwords, for example).
Now, the next thing I’m addressing is your bias against Microsoft. It’s fine, many of us have the same problem, me included. Just try to keep it objective. Windows Defender is actually a relatively good tool. And while you say that it’s no better than Spybot or AdAware, that doesn’t make it worse than those programs. I’ve used all three, and they’re all about the same; I personally found Windows Defender easier to use. I would certainly recommend it. However, your perceptions on Internet Explorer are 100% accurate: it’s buggy, easy to exploit, and widely targeted. I highly recommend using Firefox (if you like customizing your browser) or Opera (if you want a fast and reliable browsing experience). Both are far more secure than Internet Explorer.
Also, note that whenever I talk about security, I have to ramble about anti-virus for a few minutes. It’s habit. I’ll keep it brief, though. AVG has a superb free anti-virus program you can use. Their site is at http://free.grisoft.com/. Try it on, see how you like it.
You mention web toolbars. Most are spyware, this is true. However, some are legitimate and can be installed. I believe I used to have the “Crawler” toolbar on my computer. It worked superbly. It had a few security features (such as telling you if you’re heading to a blacklisted site) and some convenience features (a search box, for example). Feel free to look it up if you’re into toolbars. I personally think they’re ugly, though. I tend not to use them.
Finally, you mention HijackThis!; I cannot in good conscience recommend this program to anybody but the most advanced Windows user (if you can name essential NT services and registry values offhand, feel free to ignore my advice). If you do choose to use this program, the best way to do it is to find a good tech forum and post your results there. They’ll tell you which entries are bogus.
That’s all I can add. Keep safe, I guess.
Spyware and adware are software that collect your personal information without you knowing about it. These software come bundled in free software such as download managers, file sharing software, multiple search engine query software, music players, and other software,some of which you would have surely downloaded and would be using as of now. I love Spybot Search and Destroy
[...] and copy & paste it to the forum Also here are some tutorials that may interest you: Tips on keeping a clean PC | Tutorial Ninjas Windows Tricks / Tips & More… | Tutorial [...]