Re: Spyware prevention


"Maxine" <mg@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Xns982E6EDEBD15Bmgusenetatpcgdotnet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The latest issue of Consumer Reports rates F-Secure and Webroot's Spy
Sweeper as the two best for spyware protection.

I'm about to get a new computer and want to prevent spyware from the very
beginning. I've always just used Spybot and the free version of Ad-Aware.
But I'm willing to spend some money if it's worthwhile.

Opinions?

Thanks,
Maxine

I'm not trying to sound sarcastic, but if you really want to stop spyware,
then delete the Internet Explorer icon from the desktop, and install Mozilla
Firefox. "Right-out-of-the-box" it is not susceptible to most methods of
spyware/malware infestation, and includes a pop-up blocker. It is very
customizable by offering different desktop themes, and the extensions are
fantastic for customizing the browser to your specific tastes. An extension
called Adblock is available to block annoying banner ads, and it can be used
to filter out websites with specific words or phrases. An add-on extension
to Adblock is "Filterset G". This installs a list of known ad generators
into Adblock's block-list.
Firefox, along with all of the themes, extensions, search engines add-ins,
etc., is completely free. There is no cost at all.
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/ (Firefox download page)
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/central/ (Info on all the custom add-ons)

I do this for my customers with every system that I build or clean. IE will
still be available from the QuickLaunch bar or from the Start-->All Programs
list, if it's really needed, such as for Windows Updates.

At this time, it is not necessary to spend money to secure your system.
I troubleshoot and clean malware infested systems. My system is used to go
hunting for malicious websites, and yes, it cruises through the back alleys
and gutters of the web. I even click on the bad links that are posted in
this forum as a test for my system. The real test though, is the 2 teenagers
and their various friends that also use this computer : )
I have almost stopped running malware scans on this system, as whenever I do
scan the system, I never find more than 2 tracking cookies. (Both from my
homepage's website.)
My system consists of, and I recommend the following for securing the
system:
Mozilla Firefox http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
Extensions: Adblock https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/10/
Extensions: Filterset.G https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1136/
Kerio Firewall http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm
Avast anti-virus http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html (updates
automatically)
SpywareGuard http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (make sure
to update it after installation.)
SpywareBlaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (make
sure that Mozilla/Firefox protection is enabled)
That's it. That's all I have found is necessary, and I'm not convinced that
I need SpywareGuard, as I have not seen a warning from it in a very long
time. I do keep a wide variety of malware scanners on hand, but all of them
seem to find only those 2 tracking cookies I mentioned above. (I use A2,
Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D, SUPERAntispyware, X-Cleaner, etc.)
A few free programs will block virtually all of the malware. The one caveat
to this is if a window opens and asks if you want to install a program, an
update, a codec, or something else, usually to be able to view content on
that website. If you click Install, Approve, Yes, OK, or allow it in some
other way, then you will have bypassed most of the protections that are in
place on your system. If the website is one that you can trust, then it
might be safe to install an update, but if you are just surfing around to
unknown sites, absolutely do not let them install anything in your computer!

Sorry for the long post, but I don't like making suggestions or statements
without explaining the reasons for my opinions.
pc doc


.

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