As I am a huge fan of Unix/Linux and the opensource world and IT security, I rarely have had any good security products to recommend for Microsoft Windows, and especially on the client side. But over the last years, the security products protecting windows installations has been improved dramatically. When I think about Spyware protection, this magnificant peace of software comes to my mind.
Spyware Search and Destroy is free to install and use, however, you should consider donating a little money, if you find it useful, which I am almost convinced that you will.
Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm in trying to see if something snooped into your computer, too :)
To see a list of threats that Spybot-S&D can remove, click on Support in the navigation bar at the left, and there on Threats. If you want an introduction how Spybot-S&D works, please read the tutorial. If you fear incompatibility with other software you are using, we can assure you that will not be the case. Still, we have created a compatibility overview listing some software that compatibility has been asked for before.
Spybot-S&D can also clean usage tracks, an interesting function if you share your computer with other users and don't want them to see what you worked on. And for professional users, it allows to fix some registry inconsistencies and extended reports. A list of features is available if you click on features.
Spybot Search and Destroy is a must have if you want to protect yourself against spyware. Runs on Microsoft windows 95, windows 98, windows NT, windows ME, windows 2000, windows XP, windows 2003, Tablet PC Edition and Windows PE.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Technorati Tags:
Spybot search and destroy, spyware, malware, Microsoft windows 95, windows 98, windows NT, windows ME, windows 2000, windows XP, windows 2003, Tablet PC Edition and Windows PE.
