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Antispyware Toolbox
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With the ever
evolving issue of spyware, aka malware, the question remains what to do about
it. The old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" certainly
applies here. With the proper applications and safeguards in place you can keep
these buggers out of play. However once they get in the mix they are sure to gum
up the works and will take some real work to get rid of.
Malware, like viruses need advanced, dedicated software that are made especially
for the detection and removal of the malicious application. There is a litany of
software programs on the market to help detect & remove different types of
malware. When I speak of malware I am referring to browser hijackers, those
little monsters that take over your Internet start page and won't let you surf
to the page you want to, key loggers that record your key strokes and report the
information back to the mother ship and other malicious software that generally
keep you from enjoying your computer.
Here we will look at 5 anti-malware programs. We like free so let’s take a look
3 free and 2 pay programs.
Ad-Aware SE Personal, free, by lavasoft, http://www.lavasoftusa.com. Ad-Aware
was one of the first guys on the anti-malware scene. The company is based out of
Sweden and has a global presence. Lavasoft now makes several versions of their
popular Ad-Aware product. The free version, Ad-Aware Personal SE, does a good
job of scanning and is relatively fast which may or may not be a great selling
point since it seems that the applications that take longer to scan tend to find
more.
It does have a nice, clean interface and most of its features are customizable.
Updates are easy to obtain and can be set to download automatically when the
program starts. Ad-Aware does not provide constant real time protection.
Ad-Aware must be manually initiated to perform a scan.
AntiSpyware Beta, free, by Microsoft, www.microsoft.com. Here is a new kid on
the block from the king of the jungle.
As you’ll notice this is a beta version of the software which means it is still
in the testing mode. It was release on January 6th of this year. Microsoft makes
no mention of when the program will be released in its final version. I have
been using the program on several machines for over a month as of this writing
and have been impressed with its results. I have seen it catch several real
malicious pieces of malware that others didn’t including Trojan downloaders
which are capable of downloading and launching files from the Internet on your
computer. It also downloads a program from the adware class to your computer.
This program then directs the Internet browser on your computer to a portal
where other types of adware and other versions of the trojan will be downloaded
to the infected system. AntiSpyware lets you perform an Intelligent Quick scan
or a Full System scan. Obviously the full scan will take longer but may detect
more malware if it is present. It provides real time protection and automatic
updates like most antivirus applications do. AntiSpyware also protects your
Internet browser from being hijacked and alerts you to programs trying to insert
themselves in your startup menu. While I am impressed with Microsoft’s
anti-spyware contender I wish they would have included the option to eliminate
malware as it is found during a scan. Some of the other anti-spyware
applications give you this ability. AntiSpyware only works with Windows XP,
Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 Server.
SpyBot, free, http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html. Spybot is
a veteran anti-spyware program and came on the scene about when Ad-Aware did. I
don’t care for the interface as much as AdAware’s but there are many settings
that let you fine tune it just about any way you want. In the settings menu you
can check out your host and your Winsock file which is what Windows uses to help
your computer connect to the Internet and many malware programs attack this file
crippling your online connection.
Different anti-spyware applications may report on different things. Spybot has
had a problem of reporting DSO-Exploit as a problem. DSO-Exploit was an Internet
Explorer vulnerability that has been fixed with updates many moons ago however I
still see Spybot reporting it. Spybot also reports elements of Windows Media
Player and the Weaterbug program. The bottom line with SpyBot is that you need
to be careful before you delete what it catches, you might miss out on the
weather report or your latest tunes.
PestPatrol, $29.95, by etrust, www.pestpatrol.com. PestPatrol is one of my
favorites. I was trying to exorcise an evil piece of malware from my daughter’s
computer last year and none of my usual tools would work. I called on Mr.
Internet who tipped me off to PestPatrol. I was amazed at the speed and veracity
of the program. PestPatrol will update itself and run in the background for real
time protection. I like the fact that PestPatrol will let you neutralize the
pests as they are found and then it will continue the hunt right where it left
off. PestPatrol also lets you see the name of the pest and its location as it
finds it.
If I were left off on a deserted island and could only have one anti-spyware
application PestPatrol would probably be it. The only thing that I don’t care
for is PestPatrol’s “pop” sound that is makes as it stops cookies from running.
But hey, at least you know the guy is on the job.
SpySweeper, $29.95, by webroot, www.webroot.com. I tried SpySweeper at the
urging of a magazine review. SpySweeper is fast and thorough. You can stop a
scan and delete what miscreants have been found but unlike PestPatrol you will
have to start the scan all over again. SpySweeper has a set of “shields” that
give you real time protection from browser hijackers, malware trying to insert
itself in your start menu, manipulate your host file and other villainous
activity. Webroot offers a free 30 day trial of SpySweeper.
While keeping malware at bay is not rocket surgery no one anti-malware
application has the claim to fame of being the master of this field and it is
suggested that you use more than one reputable application.
Before trying out any anti-malware application I recommend that you first surf
over to http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm and check it out.
Some of the guys that claim to be on your side actually aren’t.
Good luck and stay safe.
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