Good anti-spyware program?

I installed new AVG Anti-virus yesterday and i saw on their page that AVG Anti-spyware was included in commercial version of AVG. I also noticed anti-spyware tab in AVG users interface so im confused:S. anyone to explain the situation? that AVG Anti spyware was to good and now and i hate to give it up . Anyways is there any good free anti spyware protection software? i dont need real time protection so much, just for the occasional scan .

 

For anti-spyware, AVGAS is one of the best. I don't think there's any free anti-spyware that actaully works anymore; you would need to stay with either AVG (which is not a bad choice) or buy SUPERAntiSpyware (not a bad choice either). Personally I would stick with AVG since you paid for it.

Hope this helps

 

Ah. I forgot about MBAB. Yes, LOCOENG is right - that one is good as well

 

i haven't payed for AVG. I use free version. AVGAS was free now you need to buy it that's why I'm asking. I downloaded spyware terminator. we'll see how it's going

 

What about Spybot Search & Destroy or Windows Defender?

 

Spybot is so outdated and ineffective against new malware it's not even funny. Actually, it is

I've never liked Windows Defender... M$ doesn't make really good security products.

 

Prevention is the Best AntiSpyware…….. Block it!..

• Spyad <= IE/Spyad places over 4000 websites and domains in the IE Restricted list which will severely impair attempts to infect your system. It basically prevents any downloads (Cookies etc) from the sites listed, although you will still be able to connect to the sites.

• MVPS Hosts file <= The MVPS Hosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well know ad sites etc. Basically, this prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1 which is your local computer

This also blocks Pop-Ups and Ads that are Bad..

 

Hey 2oldgeek; do you know if the rules which Advanced Windowscare, SpywareBlaster, and Spybot's immunization feature partly derive from what you have mentioned?

No, Spybot should not be used as a protection or prevention; only the immunization feature is good for that. Spybot has no heuristics to speak of, so prevention against new malware is obviously out of the question. No, it is instead better used against known but hard-to-remove malware, for it digs deep.

For a good prevention against new new new malware, I suggest both Superantispyware and A-squared. Both have excellent heuristics, the latter much more than the former, and excellent definitions. What one of the two products lack, the other fills up that gap. They simply are a inseparable pair. However, it must be noted that A-squared's heuristics are what one would consider paranoid, and although can be used to detect zero-day malware, it will also detect harmless tools like process killers as malware, therefore it should be used with great caution.

Best Regards

 

Yes, they are dirivitives of what I said... I tend to go with the main stream and not the off shoots.... LOL

 

tried spybot. its bad. at least i think so. i have windows defender preinstalled. not much use of it. ill stick with spyware terminator.

 

The only antispyware I use is "returnil" , it's free it doesn't slow down your computer and it deletes/defeats all known/unknown virus/spyware etc. Works great if you use internet explorer (spyware magnet) as your browser.

It's easy to use, anytime you are getting ready to go on the internet, just engage "returnil", this automatically and instantly puts your computer in virtual mode (you can't tell the difference between virtual and actual mode). When in virtual mode, nothing is written to your c: drive, everything that occurs happens in memory. If you get attacked while in virtual mode, the virus or spyware only lives in memory.

A reboot will bring the computer out of virtual mode and the computer will be like it was before it entered virtual mode. It works great. After using this program for over a year, I consider all antispyware software outdated if not obsolete. Not one single antispyware program can delete all traces of spyware or work better than "returnil". This is the best "free" program available.



http://www.majorgeeks.com/Returnil_Virtual_System_Personal_Edition_d5702.html

 

The point is, you have to activate it before you're infected. There's not much point in using it if you're already infected. It sounds like a great prevention tool, but at the same time sounds useless against infections already present.

 

I am currently running SpywareGuard in combination with Spyware Blaster and then doing manual scans with Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D. Also I run scans with Advanced WindowsCare V2 which says that it scans for spyware. (Not sure of its effectiveness but I run it anyway its good for other things.) But based on what I am reading in this thread I am afraid this might not be enough, maybe someone could guide me in the right direction. I use Avast 4.8 Home Edition and Comodo Firewall Pro.

 

Hey ferguj1.
Don't wish to convert you or anything, but in my opinion, Antivir Free is far superior to Avast, and even though Comodo is a pretty good firewall, it has been known to be a bit of a hog. If you experience no problems with Comodo, then so be it. If you wish to have a system speed up, I recommend Filseclab Firewall along with Windows Firewall. That is a sufficient combination which is low in consumption of memory and also pretty secure. You can leave Comodo as a "on-demand" firewall whenever you feel like you need extra security. Also, I recommend A-squared and Superantispyware as on-demand scanners instead of Ad-aware, which has failed in its detection the last few years. Advanced Windowscare's spyware detection is extraordinarily good for a tune-up product, but it has no heuristics, so it should not be used as a primary spyware scanner.

Hey loood.
I don't recommend Spyware Terminator. It is absolutely useless in dealing with new spyware, as it detects malware according to their location, not code, so it would be useless against vundo and other new malware.

Best Regards

 

I never mentioned Spyware Terminator. Something like SUPERAntiSpyware would be far superior.

 

Hey cdavfrew thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into the programs that you mentioned. I haven't necessarily noticed Comodo being a system hog as much as the non-stop security pop-ups. I appreciate it doing its job but it needs to learn and remember my answers a little better, but it is free so I guess I can't complain too much. I installed AVG Free Edition and ZoneAlarm Firewall on my Mom's computer as a comparison to mine and wondered what the feelings on those programs were. Also I am not doubting your info at all so please don't take it that way, but when I researched Ad-aware I found almost all positive results, maybe you could send me in a better direction for finding out about products. I look to you guys on AD for lots of information and guidance and appreciate all the help.

 

This is all I use
1.) zone alarm firewall
2.) avg antivirus (free)
3.) firefox browser
4.) returnil

I don't have any antispyware/spybot/anti-trojan software installed, maybe it would be a good idea to have spybot install as long as it doesn't run in the background and just use to run a scan every once in a whole.

I use to have webroot spyware sweeper installed but it was always comming up clean on all the weekly scans. I removed it because it was causing computer/internet slowdown.

If you already been infected "returnil" won't help you, but if your setting up a new/clean system it would be a definite worthwhile addition. With "returnil" you can open an infected e-mail and it won't destroy your computer, it has been tested and proven to defeat the "killdisk" virus.

 

I like the combination of the following:

AVG AntiSpyware
Malwarebytes' AntiSpyware
Spyware Blaster
(and if possible, Windows Defender)

 

Returnil sounds pretty good then. Though I suppose the problem is the same as the problem with antibiotic-resistant bacteria... if everyone uses it, someone's bound to find some loophole and steal all our credit card numbers or such.

Basically all that's worthwhile in antispyware is either MBAM, SAS, or AVGAS. Nothing else is really worth considering.

No, SpywareBlaster is not antispyware; it's prevention.