Top 5 Free Antispyware Tools
Spyware is among the most prevalent PC annoyances I am aware of. It threats our online privacy, not only by monitoring our activity; but also by potentially collecting personal information such as passwords and transmitting them to unauthorized 3rdparties.
Luckily, although spyware threat is definitely on the rise, so is the quality and capabilities of the available Antispyware tools. Interestingly, some of the best Spyware preventers and removers are 100% free. Today, I would like to quickly go over those tools, aiming to make you aware of them, so you can pick which of them to add to your PC security toolkit.
Ad-Aware
A must-have Spyware remover, Ad-Aware is a powerful yet easy-to-use tool that scans your PC files and its registry and allows you to remove potential Spyware. If you are a Webmaster or blog owner who runs the Alexa Toolbar on Internet Explorer, be aware that Ad-Aware will recommend to remove the toolbar and its associated files after scanning your PC :).
Trend Micro HijackThis
Another masterpiece. HiJackThis is a Spyware detection tool that identifies programs and registry keys that can potentially be exploited by Spyware. HijackThis is specially useful in situations in which your web browser was”hijacked” by an annoying website that takes over your home page and refuses to be wiped away from it. That said, please note that HiJack this is not easy to use and prone to errors, and thus i strongly recommend that if you are not profficient with HijackThis usage, you’ll better consult more knowledgeable folks (this forum is a great place to post your HikackThis logs and ask for some guidelines from experts).
SpywareTerminator
A free and easy-to-use Spyware monitoring and removal tool. Spyware Terminator features a “clean” user interface and a real time protection service, that allows you to block malware as it tries to get installed in your PC. One caveat is the fact that Spyware Terminator is currently not officially supported on Vista.
SpywareBlaster
SpywareBlaster is a Spyware preventer which disallows the installation of malicious programs and tracking cookies. A good choice if you are not using the aforementioned Spyware Terminator.
Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.5
A long timer, Spybot - Search & Destroy is a good Spyware detection and removal tool that you can use in conjunction with Adaware of Spyware Terminator. Spybot also allows you to fix Registry inconsistencies, a feature that you definitly might want to use from time to time.
Although i am a big fan of free software, i can’t avoid recommending two moderately priced antispyware tools that offer some good value. Those are Trend Micro Antivirus Plus 2008 AntiSpyware and WinPatrol. So if you are looking for a commercial antispyware or have a few spare bucks to spend you might want to consider them as well.
Now is your turn, what’s your favorite antispyware tool? Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
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Comment by Kurt on 27 December 2007:
I am also a big fan of Spybot S&D. So far it has worked flawlessly, and it not nearly as annoying as Ad-Aware. Plus, I believe that you can use it commercially w/out license restrictions