Freeware Security Applications Thread
5th Revision
For more detailed guides on removal / prevention of malware, please see The Consolidated Security Thread.
Statement regarding operating system support: Please post all information in regards to Windows Vista compatibility (with specifics on x32 or x64) in the Consolidated Security Thread for any of the applications listed below that have not already been flagged. Vista (x32) and XP 64 support are only confirmed in those programs that state compatibility in their bulleted description. Windows 2K/XP (32-bit) support is assumed.
NOTE: Some of the information stated in this thread is little more than my opinion or that of others. Most of the information here is a gathering of research done by (in no order) MechBgon, Medea, John, myself, and others. Neither I nor they take any responsibility for anything that is stated here or that you download onto or do to your system.
All programs listed below are free to home users (and some maybe free to other groups):
Table of Contents:
Section A: AntiVirus
Section B: Firewall
(all are free to home users only)
Section C: AntiSpyware
Section D: AntiSpam
Put your system to the test!
Thanks John, Medea, adlep and MechBgon. I could not have written this without you guys
5th Revision
For more detailed guides on removal / prevention of malware, please see The Consolidated Security Thread.
Statement regarding operating system support: Please post all information in regards to Windows Vista compatibility (with specifics on x32 or x64) in the Consolidated Security Thread for any of the applications listed below that have not already been flagged. Vista (x32) and XP 64 support are only confirmed in those programs that state compatibility in their bulleted description. Windows 2K/XP (32-bit) support is assumed.
NOTE: Some of the information stated in this thread is little more than my opinion or that of others. Most of the information here is a gathering of research done by (in no order) MechBgon, Medea, John, myself, and others. Neither I nor they take any responsibility for anything that is stated here or that you download onto or do to your system.
All programs listed below are free to home users (and some maybe free to other groups):
Table of Contents:
- Section A: AntiVirus
Section B: Firewall
Section C: AntiSpyware and AntiRootkit
Section D: AntiSpam
Section A: AntiVirus
- Which Antivirus product finds more viruses?
- Please see the following detection rate tests:
- AV-Comparatives
- Virus.GR
- virusbtn
- AOL Active Virus Shield
- Of special note:
- John's AOL AVS FAQ
Pros - Uses Kaspersky Antivirus as its base
- Automatic Updates every hour
- Email Scanning
- Real Time protection
- Identical detection rate to Kaspersky (which has the best detection rates in most tests that I have seen) and should have the highest detection rates of any free antivirus product.
- XP64 support
- VISTA SUPPORT COMING SOON, will not currently work in Vista
Cons - Registration required
- Good for one year (as of now)
- AOL may send spam to the address that you registered the AVS with.
- Shady EULA.
- Lacks some features of KAV, please read Kaspersky's AOL AVS FAQ for information regarding features removed in the AOL distribution.
- Bundled toolbar, avoid installing toolbar by following mechBgon's instructions
- avast! 4 Home Edition
Pros- Automatic Updates
- P2P, IM, and Email Scanning
- Real Time protection
- Better Detection rate than AVG (but less than Antivir)
- XP 64 support
- Skinable
- Vista x32 and x64 support
- Tutorial
Cons - Lower detection rate than Antivir
- Free to home users only
- Antivir PersonalEdition Classic
Pros- Lightweight
- Higher detection rate than AVG or Avast
- Real time protection
- No registration needed
- Automatic Updates
- Tutorial
Cons - No email scanning (but does scan before execution)
- Free to home users only
- AVG Free Edition
Pros- Lightweight
- Email Scanning
- Real Time Protection
- Automatic updates
- Vista support (x64 not confirmed)
Cons - Lower detection rate than Antivir and Avast
- Free to home users only
- CLAMWIN
Pros- Lightweight
- Email Scanning (outlook only, no OE)
- OpenSource (free to everyone)
- Automatic Updates
- Easy to schedule scans and updates
Cons - Poor detection rate (lower than AVG, but the devs focus more on the viruses in the wild than "legacy" viruses)
- Email Scanning only works with Outlook (not OE)
- No realtime protection
Others to note- Free Mcafee Security Suite for Comcast Customers
- Free year of eTrust for Microsoft Vista Customers (Vista x64 unconfirmed)
- Bit Defender 8 Free Edition (no realtime protection)
These online scanners run via ActiveX or Java.
Section B: Firewall
(all are free to home users only)
- Which Firewall is the most secure?
Please see this site for leak tests of common firewalls.
- Comodo Personal Firewall
- Recently named Editors' Choice at PC Magazine.
- Review
- Kerio Personal Firewall V215
- Still a solid firewall and many prefer its UI and lower system resource use over the newer 4.x version, which is no longer freeware.
- Review
- Kerio Personal FireWall 4
- Kerio has a free mode on their version 4 firewall that appears after your 30 day trial expires.
- Feature comparison of free versus paid versions
- Review
- ZoneAlarm Free Edition
- The always popular free version of Zone Alarm's firewall product
- Review
- Outpost Free Edition Firewall
- GhostWall
- Very low system resource use
- XP x64 support
- Ashampoo FireWall
- Low system resource use
- Easy to use
Section C: AntiSpyware
General Removal Tools- CrapCleaner
- Vista Support
- Utility used to clean up cookies, temp files, and other places that spyware can hide.
- Tutorial
- Spybot Search and Destroy
- AdAware Personal
- a-squared Free edition
- Specializes in Trojan, Dialer, and spyware removal.
- Tutorial
- Microsoft's Windows Defender
- Automated updating, spyware scanning, and removal
- Real Time protection
- Vista Support
- Tutorial
- Bazooka
- Spyware scanning utility
- Does not remove spyware, but tells you what kind you have and his site has steps on manual removal.
- Hijackthis
- AVG AntiSpyware
- Spyware scanning and automated removal
- Based off of Ewido antispyware (purchased by AVG)
- Tutorial
- SuperAntiSpyware
- Vista Support
- Never use any rogue antispyware product.
RootKit Information and Removal- Please see The Consolidated Security Thread for more information about rootkits. Rootkits, due to their close integration with your OS can be very hard to detect and remove. Many applications exist to aid users in the detection of rootkits. Such programs include:
- RootKit Revealer is probably the best tool to detect possible rootkits.
- Consolidated list of Rootkit detection and removal software (some are free, some are not)
- Review of Anti-Rootkit tools
- another review of Anti-Rootkit utilities
Specific Infection Removal Tools (for popular malware)- About:Buster
- Removes the About:blank Hijack.
- Look2Me Remover
- Removes the Look2Me spyware.
- KazaaBegone
- Removes adware files associated with kazaa
- Ad-Aware VX2 Cleaner Plugin
- Removes the VX2 Spyware
- Nail/Aurora Removal
- Guide to removal of the malware stated, see link for more details.
- Also see the Symantec removal tool.
- Wintools, SpecialGoods/ NewGenLook Removal Tool
- Removes the Wintools Adware and the variants that contain its adware.
- John's Malware Removal kit.
- By John of Anandtech
-
- Bit Defenders large removal tool list
- MajorGeeks AntiSpyware Tools Section
Prevention Tools and Tips- Cookie management.
- Cookies can be used by marketing companies to compromise your web surfing privacy, read more here.
- Be sure to tweak your cookie settings in your browser to block third party cookies.
- SpywareBlaster (below) offers protection against known bad cookie sites in FireFox and IE.
- SpywareBlaster
- Free for home and educational use only.
- Vista Support
- Uses no resources once protection is enabled
- Tutorial
- NoScript
- Provides protection against the execution of various scripts, such as VB scripts or Java scripts that maybe used to compromise your computer via malicious emails or other means. It basically modifies a registry entry that keeps scripts from being executed when clicked upon, you can always manually execute them via the right click context menu
- Spybot and MS Windows Defender both have various forms of real time protection and passive protection.
- HOSTS file and IE-spyad
- IESpyad Tutorial
- Prevents the loading of malicious web pages
- Create limited user accounts. Limited (standard) user accounts can prevent the installation of malware without using any system resources. It is suggested that one always use a limited (standard) user account for day to day activity and only switch to administrator when one wishes to install something. Note that Windows Vista's default user account is a standard account. To learn more about this and how to apply it, read the following guides on how to create and use them: XP or Vista.
- Enable full Data Execution Prevention[/b] for all services and programs by the following mechBgon's instructions (for windows XP): Rightclick on My Computer > leftclick on Properties > Advanced > see mechBGon's setup image. Vista users please see these instructions
- Windows Integrity Control is a new feature of Windows Vista. Become familiar with it, it can save you from infection.
- CrapCleaner
Section D: AntiSpam
Comparison chart of AntiSpam products (made by the SpamPal folks, it maybe biased).
- SPAM Fighter
- Free for home users only
- Works only with Outlook and Outlook Express
- Uses a master blacklist against known spammers that is created by the users of the software, when enough people tag a sender as a spammer, it blacklists that sender for all users.
- ThunderBird
- Alternative freeware (opensource) email client.
- Vista support
- Has a built in adaptive antispam filter that gets better the longer you use it.
- MailWasher
- Preview emails before downloading them.
- Bounce unwanted email back to sender, so it looks like your email address does not exist to the spammer and they may remove you from the database.
- Freeware version available for home users.
- Spamassassin
- OpenSource antispam tool
- SpamPal
- Another free antispam tool
- Windows Mail
- Windows Vista's version of OE.
- Offers built in junk mail filtering similar to OL 2k3.
Put your system to the test!
- Test your browser's security: Follow the tests located here. hey should tell you what you are vulnerable to and some security tips along with it. This is by no means harmful.
- Microsoft Basline Security Analyzer: Test to see if your system has all available security patches applied and to identify common security misconfigurations by running this application from Microsoft.
- Test your firewall: By running Shields up!.
- Software Inspector offers a security check of installed software to see if they are all updated.
Thanks John, Medea, adlep and MechBgon. I could not have written this without you guys