E-Volution IT

There are many free applications that help in the detection, prevention, and removal of most forms of malware that are not specifically anti-virus programs. Most major anti-virus providers are closing the gap between fighting viruses as opposed to other malware (malicious software) by incorporating malware detection/prevention/removal (DPR) into their anti-virus applications. I don’t presently think that gap has been completely closed because some of the anti-malware apps out there have had many years of development, whilst it is only a relatively recent advent for AV suppliers to develop malware detection into their AV apps.

So, what are the options for free malware DPR? There are many, and users should be aware that numerous anti-malware apps available on the internet are in fact malware themselves. This articles is in addition to the many of the applications I have listed on the Trojan & Malware removal page.

• Microsoft Defender: One strong contender is the freely available Defender program from Microsoft. Check it out here.
• JavaCool SpywareBlaster: SpywareBlaster can help keep your system spyware-free and secure, without interfering with the “good side” of the web.
  Get it here
• JavaCool SpywareGuard: provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster’s protection method.
  An anti-virus program scans files before you open them and prevents execution if a virus is detected - SpywareGuard does the same thing, but for spyware! And you can easily have an anti-virus program running alongside SpywareGuard.
  SpywareGuard now also features Download Protection and Browser Hijacking Protection!
  Get it here
• Spybot Search & Destroy: go here
  I’ve been using this application for some time now and find it useful.
• Lavasoft Adaware (free version): Check it out here
  Adaware has been on the scene for a long time and has a sound reputation in the malware detection arena. It is worth having a look at.
• NoAdware: download it from here

If you plan on buying an anti-virus application suite I suggest selecting one that includes comprehensive malware detection (trojans, adware, spybots, and other malware).

A-Squared: Another application I have recently come across and found effective at detecting and removing malware from a client’s computer was A2 or A-Squared from Emsi Soft. They have a free version and a more comprehensive licensed version. I used the free one and found it to be of value. Check it out here (http://www.emsisoft.com/en/)

Other Prevention Tips

This next point is going to seem like a bit of a contradiction. What I am going to say is that a lot of spyware makes its way onto peoples’ computers through installing free software, yet here I am giving directions to install all sorts of free software!!

So what’s the story?

Well, basically if you are going to install free software it is important to do a bit of a background check on it first to make sure it has a reputation of being clean. One way is to only download free applications from sites (like Softseek.com) who certify that all the downloads that make available are malware free. The other way is to do a search on google with the name of the application you are considering along with words like “malware”, “adware”, “spyware”. So your search phrase might look like “[app name] malware adware” and see what comes up.

If you have the latest versions of the various prevention and guard tools I have talked about and the latest signature files then you should be able to scan the installation file you have downloaded for any given application to see if it has any known nasties in it. If you have real-time protection in place (such as the above mentioned Javacool Spyware Guard) then that should in most cases detect spyware trying to install itself when you try to install a new application you’ve downloaded from the internet.

Further information:

The info at this in the Wilders Security Forum provides some good tips and tricks. Many of these tips relate to Internet Explorer which is a browser I do not recommend using (partly because it has so many things you must do to it to make it secure). I recommend Firefox—nicer to use, more secure, free, and it’s not made by Microsoft.