22 replies to this topic

[rockz]

This would have been discussed before I would like to get an update on the subject. Please see someone else’s thread
http://www.spywarein...showtopic=10512
before contributing here.
I have Ad Aware (I thought the free version did not give updates but my free one does) Spy Sweeper (free version - does not give updates) and spyBot - free and gives updates but fairly irregularly and does not have a paid version. I think they should, as it is very popular and the $ would fund research and might assure it's continuance.

Ad aware seems good but I feel more secure using SpyBot as well. My computer technician friend says Spy Sweeper is superior to the others but my experience is that running it after SpyBot only finds heaps of cookies, many of which I want to keep as having them means that when I come to a site like this I am automatically logged in. Using the online phone book (Yellow Pages or General Phone nums [Australia] ) means the state and other settings are there already and I don't have to continually set them, etc etc etc.

I am beginning to think that even though I would not mind paying for the "best" one of these, SpyBot ( free) does the best job but that a couple of others like Ad aware would increase one's confidence and that cookies could be "managed" by a "cookie manager" if such software exists. I imagine with such a device you could every now and then look thru and select the cookies you want to keep.

What say the forums users out there on their experiences of comparing the spyware killers and does anyone know of an independent entity that has done an impartial “bench test” on them?

[cnm]

Spybot SD plus Ad-Aware. Ad-Aware has more updates, lately. Each will find things the other misses.
Reboot between using each, so if there is any problem you will know which one caused it and which to restore from.

[Tuxedo Jack]

Run them both, then learn to read HijackThis logs. Trust me, if you know what goes on inside Windows, you'll be far more knowledgeable about what goes there and what doesn't.

[rockz]

Thanks so far,
just downloaded the new version of SpyBot. Much faster and heaps more "definitions"!

[ErikAlbert]

Rockz,
SpySweeper doesn't update its "Malware Definition Database", unless you buy SpySweeper and you have to pay $20 per year (cheapest subscription). IMHO alot of money for not having a 100% protection.

SpySweeper is good and removes more than 26000 spyware objects, but removes also alot of "cookies", which increases of course the number of spyware objects. A big database is always impressive for ignorant users and sells better.
Personally, I don't consider cookies as very dangerous. They are harmless text-files and only the content of a cookie can reveal private information, but there are other and cheaper ways to control cookies and you can read cookies with a text processor, like wordpad or word to verify their contents.
The real dangerous malwares are those that use executable programs to pester you. An executable program can contain any kind of malicious instruction and you can't read those programs. Who knows what these programs are doing behind your screen.
For instance : Bazooka Spyware Scanner (= freeware) detects only 542 spyware-objects, but when this software gives you a warning, get rid of that malware as soon as possible, because this software handles only dangerous malwares.
Don't underestimate SpybotS&D, it removes also dangerous spywares besides cookies and is recommended by many websites, that discuss security.
Just read all the advices of this forum and they are good, because I compared them with my personal notes.

My advice : use any FREE good anti-malware software you can get and wait as long as possible to buy a software, meanwhile you can read and learn alot about these softwares in this forum and other websites.
Besides newbies this forum has also professional people to give you advice, based on a long experience.
Remember : a question is NEVER stupid, only answers can be stupid.

Free tip : if you uninstall and re-download/re-install SpySweeper (once per month or so) the "Malware Definition Database" will be updated. I know this because I use SpySweeper myself.
The main reason, why I use SpySweeper is : SpySweeper detects and REMOVES spyware. Many commercial anti-spyware softwares offer you a free download and they detect spyware, but don't remove it until you buy the software.

ErikAlbert

Edited by ErikAlbert, 29 June 2004 - 02:57 PM.

[cnm]

No commercial one is any better than the free ones. Frequency of update is a key measure. Currently Ad-Aware is in the lead. But as we keep saying, use both Spybot SD and Ad-Aware.

[doofynz]

aranea is not a bad one I use my friends developed it

it kills trojans and spyware

http://www.freeimage...&st=0#entry1497

[Freebird]

In my opinion, the best, and cheapest way to protect yourself from spy/adware is to dump IE and get a Firefox, Opera or Mozilla browser and make sure you have a decent firewall, like Zonealarm (free) or Kerio. 99% safer than installing defensive program after defensive program to protect IE. IMO

Perversely, when I run my security sweep, every couple of days - and I find no infections - I am a little dis-appointed.

Edited by Freebird, 02 July 2004 - 07:05 PM.

[ErikAlbert]

Maybe the question should be :
WHICH IS THE BEST OF THE BAD SPYWARE KILLERS?
because none of them are good enough.

You better change your Internet Browser like Freebird said and watch out where you go and what you download on the internet.

[doofynz]

I second that

[ErikAlbert]

Thanks doofynz.
For awhile I thought I was the forum idiot here.

I prefer to spend my time on preventing malware infection, than spending hours and even days to get rid of ONE nasty CWS-variant.
If you read all these stories in the forum "Malware Removal". Unbelievable !!!

Maybe this forum needs a second BootCamp, where people can learn
- where to surf
- where to download files
- how to backup their personal files and minimize the risk of losing files
- how to install your harddisk from scratch
- etc.

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way. What a relief !!! Pfffffff.

[doofynz]

I agree on using firefox because I am web developer and my sites all seem to look good in firefox and opera but when it's comes to IE they don't and I have to fix it to make it look good.

firefox is easy to use just like IE.

It just going to take some time for people to change to firefox or another browser like opera and get the message IE is bad.

lots of people think they can make of buck out of anti spyware programs by scamming people.

having a firewall is good like having a decent virus scanner.

do have adware and spybot on your pc.

no one should have spyware on their computer.

just be carefull

[ErikAlbert]

OK doofynz,
I'm planning to re-install my harddisk in the near future, but I still have doubts : Mozilla v1.7 OR Firefox v0.9.1.
Whatever I choose it will be better than MSIE.
Firefox seems to be the most popular one in this forum and Agnitum Forum.
I have read somewhere that Mozilla was safer than Firefox, but they never tell me WHY. So I consider these remarks as worthless.

Well it will take a very long time to convince people. More than 70% still uses MSIE.
I guess most people have to learn it the hard way.
Maybe spyware will become the best free advertising method for Mozilla, Firefox and Opera. At least ONE positive side of malware

Edited by ErikAlbert, 03 July 2004 - 03:53 AM.

[rosso_acido]

As already said, Spybot is by far more aggressive than AAW, but the latter is a lot more frequently updated. I've been using them both almost ever since I was alerted to the existence of spyware, and plan to continue using both of them for a long time in the future.

doofynz - I tried Aranea yesterday. Not a bad little proggie, really (it only scans the registry for known malicious entries, though) - but it doggedly kept wanting to change my homepage to Google. Not that it was a problem actually, but SpywareGuard and Tea-Timer raised havoc even after I copied and pasted the URL to my current homepage!

Thanks for the heads-up anyway, it's always interesting to discover new free tools. Still, I'd rather use it as a "third opinion" than as my primary or only anti-spyware programme (or on a PC that doesn't have very frequent access to the Internet).

ErikAlbert - I'm using both Mozilla & Firefox on two different cpmputers. What I can tell you about Firefox is that it's a lot more lightweight and easier to configure. I also think it's faster than Mozilla, but that may depend on the machine and/or operating system, among other factors.

Best,
R.

Edited by rosso_acido, 03 July 2004 - 04:36 AM.

[doofynz]

with Aranea down the bottom it says start page type in the start page you want

I think it's not too bad. I know the guys who make it. nice people who hate spyware as much as we do.

they mainly develop imaging software which is good

[rosso_acido]

I never said it was bad.

Just maybe needs some more work (which programme doesn't?). I did what it said about typing in your preferred homepage (copied and pasted it, in fact) but had the same problem - although as I said, that wasn't really a problem since it FINALLY let me customise the URL (took a number of retries and telling SG to shut up, though).

I've installed it on my other PC with no problems. But what I meant was that I wouldn't completely trust just one programme for anti-spryware protection. I'm using a good number of them on both my PCs and still don't feel totally protected - call me paranoid, but that's my middle name anyway.

Take care,
R.

[doofynz]

yeah I know what you mean it better to have more than one anti spyware program

[rockz]

Thanks everyone.
The new version of Spybot absolutely flies through the check list which now has over 14,000 things to check. It also has a monitor you can configure, it blocks things trying to come in from websites and alerts me. I ran the immunise function which means it is watching out for stack of crap that might want to get in. What surprises me is that some sites you would "trust" are trying to poke things into your computer.

COOKIE MANAGER
Any one recommend a good cookie manager?
I tried a couple but they were a bit amateur.
I imagine a good one could be told to remove and bar all cookies containing a word (for example "gator"). Keep and allow cookies with a word say, "spywareforum."

Cheers to all.

[rockz]

forgot to say:
earlier Freebird said

"In my opinion, the best, and cheapest way to protect yourself from spy/adware is to dump IE and get a Firefox, Opera or Mozilla browser and make sure you have a decent firewall, like Zonealarm (free) or Kerio. 99% safer than installing defensive program after defensive program to protect IE. IMO"


I have ZoneAlarm but am not aware that it looks at spyware???

[Tuxedo Jack]

ZoneAlarm can block outgoing connections, which is a key part of spyware. No outgoing connections from that piece of software equals no data transmitted.

[Paranoid]

Unless it's implemented as a BHO of course.

[Tuxedo Jack]

That's why we have HijackThis and BHODemon as well as alternative browsers like Firefox and Opera.

[Paranoid]

Of course, of course....

Just pointing out for the record that their firewall won't protect them against the most common form of adware/spyware that track usage /surfing habits .