What free anti-spyware program(s) do you use?

[inhotep]

Hi all.
Out of curiosity, what kind of anti-spyware program(s) do you guys use?
And what you think about the MS antispy beta?

I have used Ad-ware, MS antispy beta and spybot. They seem ok but not perfect.

 

[n0cmonkey]

A limited user account. :Q
OpenBSD. :shocked:

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
A limited user account. :Q

<--- ditto. That plus a brain are about all you need (the brain is to keep you from elevating to Admin and installing warez/etc).

OpenBSD. :shocked:

<--- /me is not leet enough to manage this one

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: inhotep
They seem ok but not perfect.

Your are looking for perfect???:shocked:

There is lot of ?mavens? that analyzed this issue.

In most casese these come progarma come the four first places.

Webroot SpySweeper (Not Free)

Microsoft AntiSpyware (Free)

Spybot Search & Destroy (Free)

Ad-Aware (Free).

After few experiments I found that for the way, I use the Internet.

The combo of Microsoft AntiSpyware as an Active Guard + occasional scanning with Ad-Aware works very well for me.

Freeware Security suit for Internet Connection Protection.

:sun:

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
<--- /me is not leet enough to manage this one

That's only on one machine I use frequently right now. More to come soonish. I hope.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Spybot is good for immunizing Windows.
MSAS in the background is good to run in the background.

I think there's a prog called JavaCool or something like that that really secures IE well.

Of course, you could just be smarter than the spyware companies...

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
I think there's a prog called JavaCool or something like that that really secures IE well.

You're thinking of Java Cool Software....the makers of SpywareBlaster.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Of course, you could just be smarter than the spyware companies...

I ran MSAS previously, but after downgrading back to XP32 from XP64 recently, I have yet to install any anti-spyware software, and probably will continue to do without such in the future, as long as I retain some modicum of that rather uncommon thing known as "common sense" and continue to stay away from the dark side of the net.

 

[xtknight]

A NAT firewall and a primitive brain. :laugh:

Microsoft AntiSpyware works OK. Spybot seems useless these days. In fact, all these spyware removal apps seem useless to me. I almost always end up using some combination of the following:

AntiSpyware to clean out the rare weakling crapware. This is just a 'first pass'.
HijackThis
Silent runners.vbs
ADS Spy (NTFS alternate data streams)
Killbox
CWShredder (which doesn't work that great for CWS either)
Going in to safe mode (ridiculous, I shouldn't have to do this, stupid Windows)
Winlogon fixer
Taskmgr
About:blank fixer
A packet sniffer
Handle utility (searching file handles)
Netstat -na

Now if someone could combine these tools, we may actually have something. Until then, don't expect to clean any stubborn spyware with 'all-in-one' utilities.

Today I had to remove VX2.Look2Me among 35 other spywares on my dad's XP SP1 (don't ask) PC (I made him upgrade to SP2 after). No general program would do it (correctly). It says removed, but it just pops up later. I hardly ever get spyware with IE. I never have with Opera.

As for viruses and worms, pfff, who gets those things anymore and where do you possibly get them from?

 

[Schadenfroh]

Free Antivirus, Firewall, and AntiSpyware Applications thread in HD

 

[sigs3gv]

I don't use any antispyware/antivirus software. They slow my computer down.

 

[Varun]

Originally posted by: sigs3gv
I don't use any antispyware/antivirus software. They slow my computer down.

Wait untill you get a good virus, that will slow your computer down

 

[sigs3gv]

Originally posted by: Varun

Originally posted by: sigs3gv
I don't use any antispyware/antivirus software. They slow my computer down.

Wait untill you get a good virus, that will slow your computer down

Well, that's a risk I have to take. Hopefully, my NAT router can block all the bad traffic.

 

[mechBgon]

I thought I'd clarify that while I have no specialty antispyware apps, I do use antivirus software. Since adware/spyware can generate revenue, there's a monetary incentive for the bad guys to get it onto your computer by whatever means they can. Sometimes they resort to Trojans and worms (and expoits) to accomplish that.

Hopefully, my NAT router can block all the bad traffic.

NAT routers are not a bad thing to have, but they're not going to stop your system from executing Bad Stuff

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: sigs3gv
I don't use any antispyware/antivirus software. They slow my computer down.

SpywareBlaster (freeware) does not use any system resources:

Text

SpywareBlaster does not need to be running to provide protection.

After you enable protection for any/all items, you can exit the program and you will still be protected (SpywareBlaster does not need to be running in the background).

You do not have to start up SpywareBlaster each time you start your computer either - your protection remains in place until you disable it whether SpywareBlaster is running or not.

Antivir, a free antivirus product, uses less than 20mb of ram and will not hog any CPU cycles. Check it out here.

Also, as mechBgon will tell you, a limited user account does not use any system resouces either

 

[daniel49]

webroot spysweeper cuz its effective and free with my internet account.
Microsoft beta is pretty good as well better then either spybot or adaware IMHO.

 

[xtknight]

Few tips to avoid spyware:
[*]If you're still using IE, try Opera. I ran an AntiSpyware scan last night and returned zero (except RealVNC which isn't spyware). I have been using Opera for a couple months now. Opera 8.5 is now free. Before when using IE6+XPSP2, I got only one spyware as far as I'm aware of, but it was deadly and due to me not removing it properly I had to reinstall. Nothing at all with Opera though.

[*]Don't visit evil sites. *cough* pron *cough* pirated software *cough*

Detecting it:
[*]Be aware of your surroundings, especially things which interact with the Windows shell. Context menus that go through the shell (like Explorer's, IE's, Desktop's). Check the shell notify area (system tray).

[*]Pay attention to changes of the mouse cursor to hourglass when you're not doing anything.

[*]Weird named files in \Windows or system32. ex.: qvhrx.dll

[*]Extra entries in Add/Remove Programs or weird shortcuts in your Links/Bookmarks/Desktop/Start Menu.

These are the rules I go by for detecting it.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Few tips to avoid spyware:
[*]If you're still using IE, try Opera. I ran an AntiSpyware scan last night and returned zero (except RealVNC which isn't spyware). I have been using Opera for a couple months now. Opera 8.5 is now free. Before when using IE6+XPSP2, I got only one spyware as far as I'm aware of, but it was deadly and due to me not removing it properly I had to reinstall. Nothing at all with Opera though.

Using a browser to defend yourself from stuff on the web is like using meat to fend off a lion.

 

[JackMDS]

Yeah by Not surfing to YYY sites, and avoiding Downloads/File exchange from unknown sources you can reduce the probability of getting ?Junk?. However many bona fide commercial sites (especially retail) and others, cannot resist the chance to deposit some thing on you Hard Drive.

I envy all the people that know how to be careful and do not need protection.

Technically, it means that they have a special Antenna in their brain that receives in parallel to their NIC the Internet Network signal. Their brain apparently evolved to some kind of Cyborg that contains an installation of Ethereal or similar application. This Cyborg application sniffs the Internet incoming stream and warns them about ?Junk?.

I wish I would have such a Brain.

:sun:

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Using a browser to defend yourself from stuff on the web is like using meat to fend off a lion.

Why? Opera (and Firefox) doesn't have the many holes IE does through which most (if not all) spyware get on your PC. They have no ActiveX either. Unless you go deliberately click every 'install this' you see, I don't know how the hell you're getting spyware with Opera or Firefox.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Using a browser to defend yourself from stuff on the web is like using meat to fend off a lion.

Why? Opera (and Firefox) doesn't have the many holes IE does through which most (if not all) spyware get on your PC. They have no ActiveX either. Unless you go deliberately click every 'install this' you see, I don't know how the hell you're getting spyware with Opera or Firefox.

How do you know they don't have as many holes as IE?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
How do you know they don't have as many holes as IE?

http://secunia.com/product/11/
http://secunia.com/product/4227/
http://secunia.com/product/4932/

I'd much rather be using the browser with zero unpatched out of the discovered holes.

Opera or FF don't have some of the functionality IE does. No ActiveX. No IE-specific holey stuff like Microsoft's HTML help. They are just browsers.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
How do you know they don't have as many holes as IE?

http://secunia.com/product/11/
http://secunia.com/product/4227/
http://secunia.com/product/4932/

I'd much rather be using the browser with zero unpatched out of the discovered holes.

Opera or FF don't have some of the functionality IE does. No ActiveX. No IE-specific holey stuff like Microsoft's HTML help. They are just browsers.

That site generally deals with known holes. What about the unknown ones?

Using Opera or one of the Free browsers can definitely be a piece of the puzzle, but if that's the only piece you have you aren't seeing the whole picture.

 

[JackMDS]

People like to be right, so when it comes to security they tend to pick up issues that might relate to Servers, Corporate systems, institutions, (like Banks). These entities, and others similar, are in a very High security risk because they have something highly desirable to be look at, and or are target for Symbolic Sabotage.

When it comes to End-Users the majority of the infestation, gets in due to the user own volition. As s result, it does not make so much difference what they are using but how they are using it.

:sun:

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
How do you know they don't have as many holes as IE?

http://secunia.com/product/11/
http://secunia.com/product/4227/
http://secunia.com/product/4932/

I'd much rather be using the browser with zero unpatched out of the discovered holes.

Opera or FF don't have some of the functionality IE does. No ActiveX. No IE-specific holey stuff like Microsoft's HTML help. They are just browsers.

That site generally deals with known holes. What about the unknown ones?

Using Opera or one of the Free browsers can definitely be a piece of the puzzle, but if that's the only piece you have you aren't seeing the whole picture.

I agree with that, job #1 is taking the browser down to the lowest privilege level that'll do the job. Which --oh, we already covered that in the first three posts Limited-class on standalone WinXP, Restricted-User on domains and on Win2000.

Using a browser to defend yourself from stuff on the web is like using meat to fend off a lion.

ROFL :laugh: