I keep mentioning utilities I use to keep PC's safe and get a lot of questions about what they and what they do, so thought it may be a good idea to list them here with links and descriptions. This is by no means an list of all anti-malware tools, but more the stuff I have come to know and recomend to users who ask.
All software mentioned here is free for public use.
1. Site Advisor : http://www.siteadvisor.com/
Originally created by some of the webs best security and malware analysts, this software is for everyone, from the novice to the expert. It is simply a plugin for IE or Firefox, which shows a green, yellow or red box down in the bottom right of the screen allowing the user to see whether the site they are on is known "bad" site.
Also when searching on the likes of google, it shows a green tick or a red cross next to each result, allowing you to see if the site is bad, before you even go on it.
2. MVPS Hosts File : http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Windows has a file within it's innards called the hosts file. Generally this file is not used for much, however it can be used to tell windows what address to find a website at.
Some malware can hijack this file making it so when you visit www.google.com it redirects you to somewhere you would rather not be.
However the kind people over at MVPS.org have copiled a list of over 100,000 badware sites and compiled them into a custom hosts file, which then stops your computer from visiting these sites by redirecting them back to your machine.
This can also block a lot of adverts and popups too, but also note that it can block google adwords which sometimes stops your following links from google, but it can be easily resolved by editting the adwords section out of the hosts file.
3. Spybot Search & Destroy : http://www.safer-networking.org
The original and still the best anti spyware application. Created by Patrick M Kolla "the" anti-malware evangelist. It is great for finding and removing malware, but also has other utils built in allowing users to "imunise" their systems against the crapware that is out there on the web.
4. Ewido : http://www.ewido.net
Whilst this is already part of the new AVG Anti-virus it is still worth having if you use some other AV software. It runs nicely along side any other security apps and allows you add an extra layer of protection against trojans and viruses.
5. Spyware Blaster : http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
This works in a similar way to the MVPS hosts file, by blocking the bad sites before they are allowed to load on your browser. However it also has added functionality of blocking ActiveX controls that are used by spyware, trojans, dialers etc.
6. Browser : Firefox - Opera - Internet Explorer 7
Having a decent web browser is a must. Until recently I advised people to stay away from Internet Explorer as much as possible, simply because it is the most widespread browser, so therefore is the most exploited and attacked. However the other browsers are now catching up so you can guarantee more and more exploits will come out for those too.
Firefox is a well known and respected browser and is not open to the same attacks IE is. I has lots of nice in built functions such as tabbed browsing, however there are a whole world of plugins that can help secure it even further.
Opera again is a well known and respected browser and because it doesnt have the market dominance of IE and even less than firefox, this makes it a less likely target for malware and virus creators.
IE7 is Microsoft's latest entry to the browser world. I cant say much on it personally as I still use Firefox myself. However reports I have read seem to be very much in favour of IE7 and it's new security functions and features. A lot has also been made of IE7's anti phishing technology which alerts the user if they are on a site that is pretending to be something it is not. Hopefully putting an end to sites pretending to be your bank, paypal or some other resource that may require personal data.
7. Ad Aware : http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
Although it is not something I use on a regular basis myself it is a very useful and well respected anti-malware tool, used by experts and novices in the fight against spyware and adware.
It works in a similar way to Spybot, in that it hunts down and destroys any existing threats on your machine, and also makes attempts to block new malware from infecting in the first place. It also has auto-updating which makes it almost better than spybot.
8. HiJackThis : http://www.merijn.org
Though I would add this as it something I use extensively, however do NOT[/n] use this to fix your problems yourself as it should only be used by people who have had some training in what to look for within the logs.
Having said that HiJackThis is by far the best virus and malware removal tool going. All it does is simply shows you infectable parts of your system and registry and shows you the entries that have been made. This then allows you to spot things that are not normal or wanted and you can then investigate the items further and make a decision whether to have them fixed or not.
If you want to use this program, but dont know how, then simply download it, run it and create a log file. You can then post this log at any site listed here: Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals or the one in my sig and they will gladly help you sort your problems.
All software mentioned here is free for public use.
1. Site Advisor : http://www.siteadvisor.com/
Originally created by some of the webs best security and malware analysts, this software is for everyone, from the novice to the expert. It is simply a plugin for IE or Firefox, which shows a green, yellow or red box down in the bottom right of the screen allowing the user to see whether the site they are on is known "bad" site.
Also when searching on the likes of google, it shows a green tick or a red cross next to each result, allowing you to see if the site is bad, before you even go on it.
2. MVPS Hosts File : http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Windows has a file within it's innards called the hosts file. Generally this file is not used for much, however it can be used to tell windows what address to find a website at.
Some malware can hijack this file making it so when you visit www.google.com it redirects you to somewhere you would rather not be.
However the kind people over at MVPS.org have copiled a list of over 100,000 badware sites and compiled them into a custom hosts file, which then stops your computer from visiting these sites by redirecting them back to your machine.
This can also block a lot of adverts and popups too, but also note that it can block google adwords which sometimes stops your following links from google, but it can be easily resolved by editting the adwords section out of the hosts file.
3. Spybot Search & Destroy : http://www.safer-networking.org
The original and still the best anti spyware application. Created by Patrick M Kolla "the" anti-malware evangelist. It is great for finding and removing malware, but also has other utils built in allowing users to "imunise" their systems against the crapware that is out there on the web.
4. Ewido : http://www.ewido.net
Whilst this is already part of the new AVG Anti-virus it is still worth having if you use some other AV software. It runs nicely along side any other security apps and allows you add an extra layer of protection against trojans and viruses.
5. Spyware Blaster : http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
This works in a similar way to the MVPS hosts file, by blocking the bad sites before they are allowed to load on your browser. However it also has added functionality of blocking ActiveX controls that are used by spyware, trojans, dialers etc.
6. Browser : Firefox - Opera - Internet Explorer 7
Having a decent web browser is a must. Until recently I advised people to stay away from Internet Explorer as much as possible, simply because it is the most widespread browser, so therefore is the most exploited and attacked. However the other browsers are now catching up so you can guarantee more and more exploits will come out for those too.
Firefox is a well known and respected browser and is not open to the same attacks IE is. I has lots of nice in built functions such as tabbed browsing, however there are a whole world of plugins that can help secure it even further.
Opera again is a well known and respected browser and because it doesnt have the market dominance of IE and even less than firefox, this makes it a less likely target for malware and virus creators.
IE7 is Microsoft's latest entry to the browser world. I cant say much on it personally as I still use Firefox myself. However reports I have read seem to be very much in favour of IE7 and it's new security functions and features. A lot has also been made of IE7's anti phishing technology which alerts the user if they are on a site that is pretending to be something it is not. Hopefully putting an end to sites pretending to be your bank, paypal or some other resource that may require personal data.
7. Ad Aware : http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
Although it is not something I use on a regular basis myself it is a very useful and well respected anti-malware tool, used by experts and novices in the fight against spyware and adware.
It works in a similar way to Spybot, in that it hunts down and destroys any existing threats on your machine, and also makes attempts to block new malware from infecting in the first place. It also has auto-updating which makes it almost better than spybot.
8. HiJackThis : http://www.merijn.org
Though I would add this as it something I use extensively, however do NOT[/n] use this to fix your problems yourself as it should only be used by people who have had some training in what to look for within the logs.
Having said that HiJackThis is by far the best virus and malware removal tool going. All it does is simply shows you infectable parts of your system and registry and shows you the entries that have been made. This then allows you to spot things that are not normal or wanted and you can then investigate the items further and make a decision whether to have them fixed or not.
If you want to use this program, but dont know how, then simply download it, run it and create a log file. You can then post this log at any site listed here: Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals or the one in my sig and they will gladly help you sort your problems.
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