Anti Spyware recommendations

[dale@fcg]

What are the various software combos used by y'all today to combat spyware?

Spybot, SpywareBlaster, Admuncher, SpySweeper,CCleaner?

[Pi rules]

Free recommendations:
Windows Defender isn't bad. Ad-Aware & Spybot are decent, but don't offer as much protection. I believe that Spyware Doctor has/had a free version with scanning only.

Non-free:
Spy Sweeper - a little resource-heavy, but fairly good detection
Spyware Doctor - good detection
Counter Spy - very good detection

SpywareBlaster is prevention, not scanning, but I strongly recommend it.

Also, make sure you look at this (http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm#swk_note) before getting a product. It's a list of known rouge antispyware programs. I also use ewido, which is somewhat anti-spyware.

[dbarrow]

AdMuncher does what it says. Pretty impressive.
AdAware is "after the fact". It scans and removes what never should get in to begin with.
AdAware SE Plus with AdWatch locks and blocks. Nothing gets past it and nothing alters the registry without permission. Still my #4 line of defense behind router, firewall, and Nod32. I swear by AdWatch but you have to get the paid version of AdAware to get it.

Forget scanning/cleaning AFTER the junk has already gotten in! The object is blocking it from ever entering in the first place. Concentrate your search for programs that effectively block intrusion at the source.

Firefox users: get the SITE ADVISOR plugin
another great tool to warn you of sites that download and install garbage behind your back. Free and it works!

[Terry Hanushek]

Doug

Firefox users: get the SITE ADVISOR plugin
another great tool to warn you of sites that download and install garbage behind your back. Free and it works!
SiteAdvisor also works well with IE - see my comment's in the "Free $500 Gift card.. Laptop" thread that SiteAdvisor warned that registering with a certain site resulted in an incredible amount of spam email.

Thanks for this recommendation.

Terry

[dbarrow]

Anti-Spyware Leader Unfazed by Microsoft
http://www.comcast.net/news/technology/index.jsp?cat=TECHNOLOGY&fn=/2006/05/21/396564.html

...Thanks to its market-leading anti-spyware software, Spy Sweeper, sales have soared 20-fold since 2002, and last year the privately held company raised an eye-popping $108 million in venture capital. ...

[Pi rules]

Another prevention extension to Firefox is Adblock. I've had it for a while and now have a ton of filters. Between this, Spyware Blaster, and my hosts file, I rarely if ever see ads (which give tracking cookies, sometimes considered spyware). If I do see an ad, it isn't for long. ;)

[dbarrow]

Forgot AdBlock, I have been using it so long I failed to mention it.
Another MUST HAVE extension for FF!!!

[dale@fcg]

http://www.siteadvisor.com/

Is this what I'm lookin for?

[dbarrow]

Yuppers!
That's the one.

We have posted about this one before.
It exerts no drag on page loading and can tell you oodles about the site.
This is especially usefull when doing Google searches as it will highlight the results with the sites that potentially have tons of garbageware on them so you can avoid ever opening them.

A most worthy application. Get it while it's still free!

[Pi rules]

I tried Site Advisor, and it is quite good for a free program. I also recommend it now. Thanks! :)