Today I want to tell you about a phenomenal little program that I have been using for quite some time now. SpywareBlaster, made by Javacool Software, is a great “blacklisting” program that stops spyware and helps ensure you don’t accidentally receive any spyware or malware. Unlike other anti-spyware programs, SpywareBlaster doesn’t scan your computer for bugs. Instead, it plugs known security holes that are frequently taken advantage of by malicious software.
Another great attribute of SpywareBlaster is its lightweight nature. The program take very little time to install and updating it is also very quick most of the time. SpywareBlaster doesn’t leave any running processes open, since it merely patches areas in hazard, so it won’t even cut into your RAM!
When you bring up the first screen, you’ll initially see this menu. It displays all of the programs or areas that you have the option to restrict, as well as the total number of updates you have loaded (and on one date). You’ll notice that IE and Firefox are not the only browsers available. If it detects them, it will also stop software and protect Flock, Seamonkey, Netscape, and any browser that uses the IE engine (like AOL). This is a fairly broad net that will cover most browsers. Hopefully they are developing support for webkit (Safari and Google Chrome) someday too!
On the left-hand side of the main window, there is a toolbar. That toolbar contains 4 sections: Protection Status, System Snapshot, Tools, and Updates.
The Protection Status section is the primary view and can be broken down by sites and browsers. In each subsection, you can manually control every single item in the program’s library. For IE, there are extra options for preventing the spyware that directly takes advantage of that browser.
The System Snapshot tool is essentially the same as the system restore for an operating system. This tool is limited to browser settings and other web-related settings.
The Tools menu has a fairly wide variety of options. Most of the tools are specific fixes for things that can happen to IE. If the homepage has been locked, the program name changed, or something similar to that, SpywareBlaster should be able to help. There is also a “safe” to protect backups of the hosts file (which is often targeted by spyware) as well as a Flash blocker.
Lastly, the Updates menu allows you to rapidly update the SpywareBlaster library. Also on this menu, there is the option to purchase automatic updating. SpywareBlaster is completely free, but if you don’t want the hassle of updating every week (which I’ve just built into my personal schedule), you can buy a license and the program will update automagically.
Personally, I’m amazed we at MakeUseOf didn’t catch this little program before now. Maybe it is such an obviously great program that we figured it had already been done before! At any rate, definitely grab your copy of SpywareBlaster. It’s a wonderful accessory to any other software to delete spyware you’re already using and won’t intefere with it.
Tagged: anti-spyware • block ads • malware • safer browsing • spyware
