Anti-Intruder Info

AV Programs	Anti-Spyware	Microsoft	Online Scanners	Forums	More Apps	Doxdesk

Anti-Virus ,Anti-Parasite & Anti-Spyware Information

Computer virus infections, spyware and other such malicious entities,though not specifically flash or multi-media presentation related, they are unfortunatelysomething that affects about every aspect of their making,running,distributing, you name it. So, gathered here on this page are some helpul tools,I'm sure there are many fine programs I've not included.Have a look,hope it helps.- Mark Baird
(NOTE:See Flash Player Manager for security settings in flash)

If you don't have anti-virus and anti-spy protection get some. And keep them up to date, for new threats are being introduced all the time.
There has been some debate concerning the recent security updates that Microsoft has issued, particularly SP2, which has caused many programs problems,even the Internet Explorer has ceased to work according to some users.Some XP users have decided to forego the updates and handle the security holes with alternate methods.
This may work for the experienced computer veteran,but for the rest of us, we will probably fare better updating as Microsoft suggests If you don't have an AV program, and you can't afford one of the big names ( ,McAfee , Norton, etc)there are some good free ones.In the Anti-Spyware department,the best known apps are free or at least offer a free version.


With Anti-Virus programs you can run into problems (conflicts) if you have more than one installed on your system,and there are some apps that clash with one another causing poor performance,for instance, when I started to install the free AVG, program on my wifes computer, the set-up, detected that Roxio's CD recording app was also installed,the version of which, some how conflicted with AVG,they did supply a download link toa Roxio download page where an update could be obtained, but this type of thing you run in to from time to time,so try to ascertain if the AV program you are about to install has any known issues with other programs you have on your computer.

There are lots of links to anti-virus and anti-spy apps on the web, but, we really have to be careful which ones we use,don't click on the link of an ad that says "your computer is probably infected with spyware, click for a free scan" unless you are familiar with the site, it seems that those kind of ads are sometimes employed by the bad guys .Makers of spyware and other unwanted software might disguise their programs as anti-spyware tools.

Unlike AV apps , you can have more than one Anti-spyware application on your computer without problem.In fact,it's recommended to use more than one. I updated Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy on the same day and ran them back to back,and the second found some the first didn't.The next week I updated them both again,and reversed the order in which I ran them, again the second found something the first did not.

I have not personally used all the apps and services that are listed on this page, but many I have,all links listed here were obtained from sites that I trust.Remember that it's you who ultimately decides what to do with your system,and it's you who'll bear the responsibility should there be any damage done to it.

Anti-Virus Programs

Norton Symantec

 Norton, a well known and trusted company has been a leader in the anti-virus industry for a long while.They offer a 90 day free trial of their popular application.
Click links above for more info and prices.

 

Viruscan

  McAfee and Viruscan like Norton, above, have been atop the field of virus fighters,they also offer a 90 day free trial.Click links above for more info and prices.

 

AntiVir

AntiVir® PersonalEdition Classicfor Windows 98/Me/NT/XP/2000/NT Linux/OpenBSD/FreeBSD/Solaris
free-av.com – Protection and security against viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware, including dialers.
Free for personal use.

 

AVG

They offer commercial products,and a free version lacks the support their paid-for version does,but it works fine.be sure to read their page for other info.

AVG Free Edition is available free-of-charge to home users! AVG Free Edition is for private, non-commercial, single home computer use only.

 

 

Avast

Avast offers a free edition for home users, here is there statement:

avast! 4 Home Edition is a full-featured antivirus package designed exclusively for home users and non-commercial use. Both of these conditions should be met! Our company offers the Home Edition free of charge, since, in our opinion, it is possible to avoid global virus spreading by efficient prevention; however, many user are not able to or do not want to pay for antivirus software.

 

 

Anti-Spyware,Hijacker & Parasite Programs

Spybot Search & Destroy

Spybot Search&Destroy (free to use) has been in the forefront of the battle against intruders since its arrival and it can be used to scan and remove existing known items and has tools to help prevent certain known intruders from striking again.They call this "Immunization".Spybot Search and Destroy has many tools,like file shredders,some IE Tweaks, monitoring of or displaying BHO's Hosts file,Uninstall, Browser pages, ActiveX,Process list,System startup,and Winsock LSP
   Safer Networking.org S&D Tutorial

 

AdAware

AdAware is free for non-commercial use only,Ad-Aware® SE Personal Edition,from Lavasoft,is one of the best known anti-spyware apps around,on many a computer,it's used along with S& D as a one-two punch in the fight against malicious software invasion.
From AdAware site:

"Ad-Aware is designed to provide advanced protection from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components."

Tutorials for using Adaware:

• HelpDesk Adaware
• Help2Go.com

 

 

SpywareBlaster

SpywareBlaster doesn't scan and clean for spyware - it prevents it from ever being installed. By setting a "kill bit" for spyware ActiveX controls, SpywareBlaster can prevent the installation of any spyware ActiveX controls from a webpage. It does this while not interfering with "friendly" ActiveX controls - so your browser can work correctly and you can have peace of mind! You won't get any more annoying "Yes/No" boxes popped up, asking you to install a spyware ActiveX control (which can increasingly be found in pop-up ads!). In fact, Internet Explorer will never even download or run the spyware ActiveX control! In addition, SpywareBlaster can prevent many of these spyware ActiveX controls from running, even if they are already installed on your system. The newest lastest version can even block spyware/tracking cookies

 

HijackTHIS

HijackThis is a utility that produces a listing of certain settings found in your computer.

HijackThis will scan your registry and various other files for entries that are similar to what a Spyware or Hijacker program would leave behind. This app does not remove items automatically,the user has to decide what to remove. Interpreting these results can be tricky as there are many legitimate programs that are installed in your operating system in a similar manner that Hijackers get installed.Therefore you must use extreme caution when having HijackThis fix any problems. For help in this regard see The Forum section,many of the forums like Help 2 go's Help2Go Detective,offer assitance in evaluating the log files generated by HijackThisBe sure to instruct it to make backup copy.

HijackThis Tutorial & Guide
A very thorough guide and tutorial on using HijackThis to remove Browser Hijackers & Spyware
Tutorial is available in Spanish and in German

CWShredder

CWShredder™ finds and destroys traces of CoolWebSearch. CoolWebSearch is a name given to a wide range of different browser hijackers. Though the code is very different between variants, they are all used to redirect users to coolwebsearch.com and other sites affiliated with its operators. CWShredder now cleans the CWS.Cassandra variant that includes a desktop hijack as well as a browser hijack.

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner detects a multitude of spyware, adware, trojan, keylogger, dialer, foistware and trackware components; sources of irritation that antivirus software does not deal with.For a complete list of items scanned see Online Encyclopedia

 

Web Resources

Microsoft

Microsoft Security Info

Microsoft,and their customers have been hit hard by malicious attacks. Windows is virtually everywhere and the Internet Explorer,despite losing some ground to Firefox, is still far and away the most used browser in the world.The OS and the browser, along with Outlook Express and Windows Messaging,because of their widespread use,have been prime targets for intruders.

So, Microsoft has many offerings to help educate the masses,here are descriptions and links to some of those resources.

Microsofts Recommendations
Update your software Adjust Internet Explorer security settings Use a firewall Surf and download more safely Download and install anti-spyware protection

 

No-Charge Support 1-866-PCSAFETY or 1-866-727-2338 This phone number is for virus and other security-related support. It is available 24 hours a day for the U.S. and Canada. For phone numbers outside of the U.S. and Canada, select your region.

 

Security software:
Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)here From MS:If you are running : -Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server™ 2003 Please download and run
Windows Updates

 

Security at Home Videos Downoads (All titles found on page link above)
Protecting your computer against spyware, Dealing with spam e-mail Keeping your computer up to date Protecting your privacy online Using online newsgroups Security overview Defending against viruses and worms Teaching your kids about online safety

Online Scanners

• Audit My PC (Firewall,Patches ,port scanner,Spyware,Internet Speed )
• BrowserSpy(Info about JavaScript, Java, Plug-ins, Components, Bandwidth, Language, Screen, Hardware, IP, Cookies, Web Server,more.
• Housecall (Virus)
• Panda Activescan (Virus)
  
• The PCman's FREE Virus Scanner Test (Tests your AV software)
• The Parasite Module (Parasites )
• Symantec Security Check Page (security scan virus detection)
• Trend Micro Anti-Spyware For the Web (spyware)
• Virus All    (Virus,Also Trojan Horse & Vulnerability Scanners)

Forums

• With an emphasis on anti-virus and anti-spy-parisite
  • Castle Cops
  • Help2Go
  • Lockergnome's Problem Solvers
  • PC Pitstop
  • Spyware Info
  • Spyware Warrior
  • Wilders Security Forums

Software Sites

• PricelessWare Security Programs
  • Some of the best freeware available in the following categories
    • Anti-Spyware
    • Anti-Virus
    • Encryption Tool
    • Firewall
    • Password Manager
    • Packet Sniffer
    • Password Viewer
    • Script Defense

   

• Foundstone
  • A division of McAfee, they offer several unique utilities for your:
    Network Security
    • Stress Testing Tools
    • Forensic Tools
    • Intrusion Detection Tools
    • Scanning Tools
    • Foundstone S3i® Tools
    • Assessment Utilities

 

• Merijn.org
  • All in one nice menu of downloads,a group of small yet powerful apps.
    • HijackThis
    • Itty Bitty Process Manager
    • Brute Force Uninstaller
    • CWShredder
    • BugOff
    • ADS Spy
    • BHOList
    • Kill2Me
    • KazaaBegone

  Doxdesk

   Doxdesk shows that Andrew Clover has put a lot of time and effort and is doing as he stated in the 'Mission statement' on the Doxdesk About Page
  (The following is an excerpt)

  "Its purpose is to help affected users understand what is happening with their computers and how to deal with it of information about parasites,products,and how to combat and prevent them."

  I highly recommend a vistit to this site.There is ,of course, a list of applications to fight parasites,like this page and many others,but Doxdesk also has a list of apps to avoid using,Disreputable anti-parasite software,which he breaks down in to categories (The backstabbers ,The unwanted,The hypocrites, The dodgy dealers) complete with screenshots ,modus operandi and history.A very complete Prevention page, and his dictionary of terms is not a 'throw-terms-together' affair, but reads as well as his other pages.
  By the way,he's also written a detection script which will check your system for you,it's in the Online Scanners section above, the "Parasite Module". If you want to check for parasites,and learn a bit about more about them, click link below.

Note:For more on the subject of disreputable anti-parasite software,see
The Spyware Warrior List of Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites,by Eric L. Howes