CHAPTER 4 - ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE

You can easily remove much, if not all, of your spyware problem by using one of the many spyware removal tools on the market.

A good spyware remover will take care of the majority of spyware problems, but sometimes you’ll be dealing with a particularly nasty bug that requires the help of an expert who knows what to look for and how to remove it manually.

Any or all of these tools reduce the time and effort required to remove spyware by automating the task of detection and removal, leaving you to do little more than install the software and hit the scan and remove buttons. What’s easier than that?

However, using these tools, websites and forums will help you to cure most of your spyware ills – many of them for free. 

The most reliable and well-known are described in this section. 

Spyware Detector

http://www.spywaredetector.us   

Max Secure Software’s Spyware Detector is an inexpensive program that looks for more than 100,000 unwanted items. Spyware Detector does an efficient job and is very easy to use. You can customize your sweeps to include or exclude cookies, your system registry, and memory.

Spyware Detector can be invisible, it can deliver a pop-up alert window during a scan, or it can display an animated tray icon to indicate activity without disrupting you. Better yet, laptop settings will protect you even when you are not logged into the network.

Norton Internet Security  

http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/internet_security/nav2006/index.html

Norton Internet Security is an effective and easy to use barricade against many spyware, adware, key-stroke logging programs, worms, and Trojan horses. Norton AntiVirus also protects your email, scanning both incoming and outgoing. The outgoing scan causes a two or three seconds' delay, but it’s worth the protection.

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) 

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

Yes, some might consider it ironic that Microsoft, known to have various holes that spyware companies targeted, has produced its own anti-spyware product, but it seems to be a good product. Microsoft’s Beta, available for Windows 2000 and higher, scans your computer for spyware and lets you remove it yourself. It also stops known spyware from being downloaded, as well as stopping pop-ups and changes to internet settings.

SpyBot S&D (freeware) 

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/

Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove many different kinds of spyware. Not only that, it’s free – although donations are encouraged – so even if you download it just to see what’s on your computer you’re not out anything except the spyware you delete.  

The first time I downloaded it I discovered I had over forty different kinds of spyware on my computer!  

For a free service, Spybot is pretty thorough. Before you start, read the tutorial. Spybot also has a compatibility listing that will show you if any of your programs won’t work right with Spybot on your computer, but that’s rarely a problem.

Ad-aware 

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Ad-aware is free for home use. It’s also available at a low cost for small businesses, and they also have an edition for IT professionals.  

Like Spybot, Ad-aware is easy to use. It scans quickly and efficiently and has automatic updates. However, this is a program specifically for adware and it does not offer protection against spyware or viruses. Also, there is a possibility that some utilities with adware components won’t work right if they are removed.  

 But Ad-aware is the best protection you can get against – well - adware.

Geek Superhero 

http://www.geeksuperhero.com/

Geek Superhero doesn’t just remove spyware,  it also protects you from programs that install unwanted icons or “un” favorites in your browser.  For example, if you install AOL’s Instant Messenger, you’ll have other unexpected icons and bookmarks in your browser. Geek Superhero alerts you to these installations so you can decide which ones to keep or which ones to delete.   

Geek Superhero also has a pop-up blocker that blocks the cookies put on your computer to track your browsing activities.  

It also has a tool that shows how your space is being used on your hard drive and more options to disable other Windows features that are rarely, if ever used.

PestPatrol 

http://www.pestpatrol.com/

eTrust^® PestPatrol^® Anti-Spyware detects and removes a lot of spyware. It also protects  your computer from information theft and unauthorized access.  They also have periodic updates to keep track of the newest variations of spyware. Like many other spyware removers, it lets you scan your whole computer or specific disks, files or folders and the scans can be automatic or scheduled whenever you wish.

HiJack This

http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/

HiJack This is a homepage hijacker’s detector and remover.  Since the hijackers are always finding new methods, it  is continually updated as well to detect and remove new hijacks. The problem is that HIJackThis can be a bit complicated and sometimes you get false positives so unless you are sure what you're doing with this program, you should always consult with an expert before deleting anything. More information on HiJackThis is in Part 5.

StartUpList   

http://www.spywareinfo.com/%7Emerijn/ 

StartUp List lists every program that starts automatically on your computer.  It troubleshoots malfunctioning systems, Trojan and viral infections, and new spyware and malware.

Trend Micro Anti-Spyware

http://www.trendmicro.com/home/default.asp

Trend Micro Anti-Spyware is a free online tool that checks and removes spyware on your computer. It also reports the results, shows which spyware was detected and prompts you before the removal process.  

Yahoo Anti-Spy Toolbar

http://toolbar.yahoo.com/

The Yahoo Toolbar for Internet Explorer and the newly released Yahoo Toolbar for Firefox offers not only basic search capabilities, but also a pop-up ad blocker, an anti-spyware scanner and other customization options.  

The Anti-Spy feature scans your computer for questionable applications and reports a list of suspicious files. And there's a handy bookmark feature that maintains the bookmarks that you store in Internet Explorer.  

On the downside, Yahoo! Toolbar does lack the handy automatic form fill-in features found in Google Toolbar and MSN Toolbar.

Other Removal Options

Remember, you can check the Add/Remove Programs section of Windows to see if any adware or spyware is listed. Some of the quasi-legitimate adware programs may include uninstallers, but malicious pests do not.

There is a fairly complete list of adware programs, what they do, and how to manually remove them (if possible) at http://doxdesk.com/parasite/.

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