Anti Spyware/Adware

[Falcon21]

Check out these two free programs:

SpySites

SpySites includes a database of over 1,500 known Spy/Sleaze sites and guides you through the simple process of including them in Internet Explorer's Restricted Zone and setting policies to prevent them from performing intrusive acts on your PC. By setting the policies for the Restricted sites zone to a very high level of security, you can be assured that any web sites added to the Restricted sites zone cannot do certain things which could compromise your privacy and security such as installing and/or running:

ActiveX controls
Java applets
JavaScript
Cookies
Download and installation of Desktop items
Use of email address as anonymous FTP password
Hijacking your Home page and/or Search page
Installing their "Sleazeware" without your knowledge

Internet Explorer's Restricted Zone can be extremely effective blocking these actions but Microsoft's Help file doesn't explain exactly how it works, what it does or how to use it. By using SpySites to set policies you will prevent sites from intruding on your privacy and possibly taking over your PC. Those annoying popups may still appear but their ability to set Cookies or perform other actions on your Computer will be blocked.

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 SpywareBlaster version can even block spyware/tracking cookies!
And SpywareBlaster does not need to be running in the background to provide this protection!

The SpywareBlaster database contains information on these known spyware Active-X controls. Make sure you run the Check For Updates feature frequently to get the latest database! (And make sure you check the new items to protect your system against them!)

SpywareBlaster also provides the exclusive System Snapshot! - Take a snapshot of your computer in its clean state, and use System Snapshot later to revert many changes made by spyware and browser hijackers!

SpywareBlaster System Snapshot works a lot like Microsoft's System Restore for Windows ME/XP - however it exclusively targets items used by spyware and browser hijackers to embed themselves into your system - so you can get the results you want: a spyware-free system. It provides the following benefits:

Only targets items used by spyware and browser hijackers to embed themselves into your system - so you can get the results that you want: a spyware-free system
Detects changes and additions - and alerts of both on a restore operation
Provides a list of changed/added items - so the user has full control over what will be restored
Covers hundreds of items - including the most popular areas altered by browser hijackers and spyware, as well as many currently un-tapped areas
And much much more!

[Zetaphor]

One of the best programs I have found is the Free AdAware 6: http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10...ml?tag=lst-0-2

I have its previous versions for a couple weeks now, and they have removed every and any spyware on my system. It may cause a problem for Kazaa Lite users, as they have this "dummy file" to trick some of the Kazaa components, and it gets deleted every time you scan. Just re-install KLite, and put the dummy file in the exclusion list, and every will run smooth.

[nihil]

Javacool is cool.....I have posted a couple of tuts regarding defensive countermeasures.............There are several other contributions from Javacool that I think are worth looking at.

Cheers

[thehorse13]

One of the best programs I have found is the Free AdAware 6

If you like Ad-Aware, you'll love spybot search & destroy. Besides, Ad-Aware is no longer free for business use while Spybot is free for anyone to use. It is also faster and has many more features.

Check it out here:
http://spybot.eon.net.au/index.php?l...&page=download

[Falcon21]

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/ is less well known, but is quite good. However, its detection is based on file name or folder name as far as I know, so sometime it give false detection. It does not remove the spyware/adware, but direct you to the webpage where you can find manual removal instruction.

Also check out spywareguard http://www.safeguardprotect.com which I think will be available soon. May be you can bookmark the page.

[adityaa1]

spybot is really cool! do try it!

[Ennis]

I would just recommend that everyone uses both SpyBot and Ad-Aware as I have used Ad-Aware and it has let some spyware slip past or perhpas not what could be defined as spyware but little things like browser hijacker's etc. So they are better combined I guess is my message.

[jhollings]

Lavasoft's Adaware would be my choice it removed a lot garbage from my systems and those of clients. Its the one I know and trust, and its free. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/