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Announcing The Winners Of Our McAfee Total Protection 2010 Giveaway!

Jackson Chung — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:30:10 +0000

February’s giveaway has finally come to an end. Within the past five days, we’ve received a shocking 300+ entries, spread over two of the largest social networks; Twitter and Facebook.

This month, there can only be 3 lucky winners.

Are you one of the people fortunate enough to receive a copy of McAfee Total Protection 2010 shipped to your doorstep? Cross your fingers.

Read on to find out who will be enjoying a malware-free 2010.

Congratulations to the winners!

	Melissa Soblotne
	@sefcug
	Danielle Conkle Roesmann

We’ve sent each of you a message to your social inbox. Please reply directly with your shipping address. We’ll follow up again once the copy of McAfee Total Protection 2010 is deployed.

If we don’t hear from you, we’ll assume that you’re not interested. Your prize will then be given to someone else.

So folks, that’s the end of February’s giveaway. We’re planning to organise similar monthly giveaways in the future so don’t despair if you didn’t get it this time around. Meanwhile, check out the available free options that can help you protect your PC from malware.


AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0	avast! Free Antivirus	Avira AntiVir Personal	Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
Download	Download	Download	Download
AVG Free provides you with basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows and is available to download for free.	State of the art scanning engine provides reliable protection against viruses, spyware and other forms of malicious software.	Protects your computer against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and costly dialers. New: Basic Anti-Spyware.	Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is an anti-malware application that can thoroughly remove even the most advanced malware.

You might also want to check out the 7 Essential Security Downloads You MUST Have Installed.

Thanks for participating! See you again next month!

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Reminder: We’re giving away 3 x McAfee Total Protection 2010 [ends Feb 5th]

Jackson Chung — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:30:03 +0000

A couple of days back, we announced that we will be giving out 3 copies of McAfee Total Protection 2010 to three lucky winners. Each copy is able to protect three PCs in your household, perfect for families with multiple computers!

Everyone from all over the world can join this giveaway. To find out how to be in the running to win yourself a copy, click here. The giveaway ends Friday Feb 5th, 2010. Winners will be announced on Saturday Feb 6th, 2010.

What are you waiting for? Enter now to win!

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We Have 3 Copies Of McAfee Total Protection 2010 [MakeUseOf Giveaway]

Jackson Chung — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:30:47 +0000

We decided to reward our readers with even more benefits and this is what we’ve come up with. Every month, we’ll feature a cool product to give away. It could be an application, a subscription to a web service, a cool gadget; the sky’s the limit!

This month, we’re giving away 3 copies of McAfee Total Protection 2010 (1-year subscription) which normally retails for $79.99 each. Each copy is able to secure up to three PCs; which is a great tool for families with multiple computers.

It’s worth mentioning at this point, that McAfee scored third in a test by ArsTechnica; detecting up to 98.9% of potential malware and beating other popular security applications by companies like Kaspersky, Symantec and Sophos.

How do you get your hands on a copy? It couldn’t be simpler.

All you need to do is follow us on Twitter or be a fan of our Facebook page. Once you’ve done that (or if you’re already a follower/fan), enter your Twitter username in the comments section. Or write something on our Facebook wall.

We will randomly select 3 winners on Friday. You will be notified via Twitter DM or Facebook message, so keep an eye on your social inboxes! The winners will receive a physical version of Total Protection 2010 shipped to their doorsteps from Amazon!

Click here for more information about McAfee Total Protection.

In the event of product unavailability, MakeUseOf reserves the right to replace the giveaway item with another product of similar value.

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What is 2o7.net Tracking Cookie? All You Need To Know.

Guy McDowell — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:57:15 +0000

To some degree, we’re all familiar with cookies as they relate to websites. Most of you are aware that they are out there and serve some purpose. Some of you know that websites use them to store information locally on your computer. There are also those cookies that track information about you and your web habits and report it back to the website that gave you the cookie.

Right about now, you may be thinking you don’t like that idea. Me neither. Yet, even worse are those cookies that track your activities, gather information and report it back to a website that you’ve never visited – a third-party website. The 2o7 cookie is one such cookie. What is this 2o7 cookie? Let’s take a look at it.

What is This 2o7 Cookie?

The 207 cookie is intended to track web usage and other information. The exact information that the 207.net cookie will track varies from user to user. The information is gathered and reported back to 207.net allegedly anonymously. Meaning, that it contains no information that can be used to identify that the information came from you.

This is hard to verify as there are many, many versions of the 207.net cookie. I’ll get into that in a second.

Who Made 2o7 Tracking CookieIt?

A marketing firm called Omniture creates the cookies that report back to 2o7.net. They do this on behalf of their customers, which include such heavy-hitters as eBay, Wal-Mart, Expedia and Ameritrade. That’s why it’s hard to tell exactly what the cookie you have may be tracking. eBay will want different information than Ameritrade. One may be tracking the effectiveness of an e-mail campaign, while the other may be tracking their banner ad campaign.

Omniture set up the 207.net domain name as a way to maintain a degree of anonymity and to put the load of all these cookies onto a server that is used for nothing else. From a technology point of view, this is a good practice. From a public relations point of view, it’s a flipping disaster!

How Does this 2o7 Cookie System Work?

When you visit a site that is a client of Omniture, the site drops the cookie onto your computer. The cookie tracks the information it’s designed to track and sends it to the 2o7.net site. Now, Omnitrade does operate other domains that their cookies report to as well, but 207.net seems to be the most popular.

Omnitrade compiles the data into something meaningful and sends that information to their client. If that’s the case, then these cookies are relatively innocuous. However, some clients may also request to have that information sent to someone else as well. That’s where things get a bit colluded. Who are they sending it to? For what reason? Is it really anonymous?

Is the 2o7 Cookie Bad?

People that look at the cookies and see the 207.net part and then visit the 207.net domain would see nothing – a blank page. Then they would do a whois on the domain name and find that it is owned by Omniture. Not knowing who in hades Omniture was, things seemed, dare I say it, ominous? (Omniture does now have a page there that explains the generalities of the cookies.)

The other aspect to these cookies is they do take up resources. They do affect your Internet speeds and your computer speed. It may be an insignificant amount or it may bring you to a near-standstill.

Yet overall, cookies aren’t that bad. There are bad ones, but for the most part they are very helpful. They store information such as website preferences, login information and such, that make it easier to use many websites.

How Do I Stop the 2o7.net Cookie?

If you are still unsure about the 207 cookie, you can delete it and block 3rd party cookies from being set again. You do NOT need special software for this. Omniture does have a page that can help you with this, but guess what? Yep, it sets another cookie. The opt-out cookie only works for the browser and computer that you set it on. So if you use Firefox on your home computer, that’s the only one the opt-out cookie will block from 2o7.net.

Here’s a small tutorial on how to block 3rd party cookies in Firefox, then in Internet Explorer.

How to Block 3rd Party Cookies Like 2o7 in Firefox

It’s pretty easy, yeah. Click on Tools in the top toolbar. Then click on Options. Just like below.

When the Options window opens, click on the cute mask for Privacy, then uncheck the accept third-party cookies checkbox. Now, you will receive only cookies that report back to their originating site. Easy peasy!

Block Third-Party Cookies Like 2o7 in Internet Explorer

Pretty much the same as Firefox, really. Click on Tools in the menu bar, then click on Internet Options.

When the Internet Options window opens, click on the Privacy tab. Now you’ll see the slider. To block only 3rd party cookies, slide the slider to Low. Realistically, having it on Medium at the least is probably safer.

Now with all that done, you have no worries about the 207.net cookie. Sound good?

If this article helped you, I’d be glad to hear about it. If you know something more about 207.net cookie being more dangerous than I’ve described, let us and our readers know in the comments.

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Panda Cloud – The Antivirus Like No Other You Have Seen

Joel Reyes — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:55:33 +0000

Recently Panda Security released its new addition to the Panda software security family, Panda Cloud Antivirus Beta. Panda Security is a leading security applications developer that empowers you with the proper tools to fortify your computer.

This lightweight antivirus application caters to your system without having to take up half of your PC resources. Panda Cloud Antivirus is based on cloud computing, and is only partially installed on your computer and keeps core files on a dedicated server on the Internet.

The graphical user interface is very easy on the eyes and is actually one of the top interfaces I’ve found for free antivirus software’s.

Features and Reliability

One of the key features of this antivirus software is that you don’t have to manually update it. Complicated configurations and having to download new signature files is pretty much a thing of the past this Panda Cloud Antivirus. However, this doesn’t mean you remain unprotected when disconnected from the network: this antivirus app features a local cache that keeps the program up and running, continuously working at 100%.

When I ran a quick scan, the scan itself lagged a little at first, however it quickly picked up after 30% of the computer had been scanned. For the most part, the speed of Panda Cloud Antivirus is dependent on how much free memory you have, how many apps are installed, folders, and a variation of stored data. You should expect a regular scan to take an average of 40-70 minutes to complete.

Once the program has been installed, if you ever wish to open up the task manager to check on the effects of Panda Cloud on your system you’ll be able to find it listed in your task manager under PSANHost and PSUNMain. One thing that I can say is that during the scanning there were very few apps that were noticeably acting sluggish, even the Internet connection and PC speed where up to par.

This new program should take up around 50 MB on the hard drive and eats around 17 MB of RAM when in use.

Conclusion

All in all, besides lightness as its main attribute, Panda Cloud Antivirus is quite a simple antivirus tool that can’t be scheduled to run automatic scans. It would also be beneficial for this antivirus software to include effective filters for web, email, or support to detect any spyware. However, as a software that’s very much still in beta, it’s what you’d expect.

Panda Cloud Antivirus was designed fo Windows XP and Windows Vista, with Windows 7 support in the near future.

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3 Tools to Test Run your AntiVirus/Spyware Program

T.J. Mininday — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:35:07 +0000

Too many times we rely on our Anti-Virus/Anti-Spware to just work. We think since we have it installed, that it’s safe and sound. I think we’ve come to find these days, many Anti-Virus applications do a very poor job of protecting you against ad/mal/spyware, even though they claim to do so.

And these days, we rarely see “viruses”. They typically fall into the spyware category. Pop-Ups, porn and fake AV products seem to be the most popular of malicious material presently. While your AV sits in the system tray hanging out and doing absolutely nothing to protect you.

The majority of the time you end up relying on on another product to get the annoyingware off of your machine. So now you’ve got a $60 bloated product eating up resources on your machine and doing absolutely nothing to protect you.

In order to be preventative, it would be nice to maybe give some of these products, which usually have a trial version, a run for their money before making the plunge and purchasing the full product. I’ve found a few tools to give each of these a test run, and see how well they actually are protecting you.

Testing your Anti-Virus

An IT security group based in Europe called Eicar has come with a few different tools to test the effectiveness of your preferred AntiVirus application. There a few individual files to download and run, along with a ZIPPED file that will test your AV software and their ability to scan for viruses deeply embedded into other files. I should point out that Eicar does have a disclaimer:

Important note: EICAR cannot be held responsible when these files or your AV scanner in combination with these files cause any damage to your computer. YOU DOWNLOAD THESE FILES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Download these files only if you are sufficiently secure in the usage of your AV scanner. EICAR cannot and will not provide any help to remove these files from your computer. Please contact the manufacturer/vendor of your AV scanner to seek such help.

So, in other words, unless you have complete trust your in prevention, I would use either a virtual machine or another test machine besides your main system to do this test.

Testing your Anti-Malware

Malware is a whole different ballgame, and is much more common and prevalent in today’s “internet” world. A common, everyday search can easily ring in loads of pop-ups, adware, and deeply buried malware, spying on keystrokes, monitoring cookies and just being down right annoying. The problem is that it’s always evolving, and many protective products can’t always prevent malicious activity. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attempt to block it.

Spycar attempts to hijack your system, similar to typical malware activity and gives your protection a test. Spycar does not include any “exploits”, so you do have to click OK during the process for the test to take affect. If your preventative software is successful during the process, a built-in TowTruck application responds with a rating on your prevention and then returns your system to it’s original state.

There are several different tests to run through. All attempting to try and take advantage of all the various activity that normal malware would. These tools are fantastic. Especially for a brand new system you may be setting up in a business or enterprise environment.

Although not mandatory on all PCs, having some type of protection on your computer today is almost always a must. The problem that most tech savvy users have with them, is that most, just don’t work and most eat up way to many resources. Having a way to actually test some of the options out there, is a fantastic way to make your final decision. So you try it out…Download the latest AVG, Symantec or NOD32 trial and see which comes out on top with each of these tools.

Have any good sites to audit your pc for free? What sites are guaranteed to attempt to hijack your machine? What anti-malware apps do you use?

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How To Spy On Your Spouse With Your Computer

Ryan Dube — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:01:22 +0000

A relationship is not always the easiest thing in the world to manage, and when you suspect your spouse of cheating, life can be very difficult. Are you being overly paranoid? Are you seeing signs of infidelity where none exists?

While it should always be a last resort, it is possible to spy on your spouse with your computer and set your mind at ease, or escape a troubled relationship with a clear conscience.

Is This Ethical?

This article will cover a few simple ways that you can spy on your spouse with your computer. While MakeUseOf authors have covered a number of very useful tools to prevent others from spying on you, such as Aibek’s article on How to Cheat Keylogger Spyware or Varun’s article on Public Computers Made Safe, the concept here is actually the monitoring and logging of how people are using your computer.

The ethics are certainly debatable, but in the end, you must ask yourself how ethical infidelity is. If you discover that you’re being overly paranoid, then uninstall all of the applications and continue on in your marriage with confidence. However, if you discover that you’re married to a liar and a cheat, isn’t it best that you find out now rather than many years from now? Once you’ve worked through the techniques in this article, you will have the answer to your questions either way.

Use VNC to Monitor PC Use & Capture Evidence

VNC is a very popular, free remote computing application. While it’s an excellent way to remotely control a computer, it is also one of the best applications for spying on unsuspecting users.

This approach requires a unique configuration. First, install the full free version of VNC on the computer that you want to monitor. Install it in “service mode,” which will automatically launch the application every time the computer starts up. Enable password protection by opening the configuration and clicking on the “Authentication” tab. Next to “VNC Password Authentication,” click the configure button and create a secret password.

You’ll also want to configure it so that when you connect with your PC or laptop, it doesn’t affect the computer and signal to the user that something is up. In the properties screen, click the “Inputs” tab and configure the VNC server to ignore all inputs from clients.

Make sure all boxes are unselected. The final step is to install the software on your laptop or PC at some other location. Once it’s installed, open the application in “viewer” mode and view properties. Click on the “Inputs” tab and make sure that the boxes are unselected for the viewer to “send” anything to the server.

Once you have the server (the suspect computer) and your viewer configured, you can connect to the remote PC whenever you like and monitor how the person sitting at the computer is using it. This can be boring and tedious, or you might find your unsuspecting husband/wife visiting some questionable websites…

Accessing Cell Phone Records

One of the more common methods that cheaters use to secretly communicate with their “lovers” is through the cell phone. Many people feel that since their cell phone is so easy to use in secluded locations, that it is a safe way to facilitate an affair. Unfortunately for cheaters, the cell phone is the worst device for trying to have private conversations.

Few companies are as diligent at keeping such detailed records as cell phone companies. Not only can you view the date and time that certain numbers were called, or which numbers called the phone, but often you can also view the length of the phone call. How do you have a look at those records?

If you are listed as one of the owners on the cell phone account (most families have multiple cell phones under one account) then you have every right to view the bill. The easiest way to do this is online. If your spouse hasn’t set up an online account yet, that’s even better. All you have to do is configure the account for online billing using your email address. However, if your spouse already has an account set up, getting access is simple.

First, visit the online login page (this example is from AT&T Wireless).

Click the “Forgot your password?” link, and you’ll be taken to another page where you can have the password sent to the cell phone.

The trick to doing this is to submit this form late at night when you can “borrow” the cell phone. Submit the number on this page, click continue, and then view the password that gets sent to the phone via text message. After this, you’ll have full access to the entire online log of cell phone calls. Be careful, if you are not listed on the account, you could potentially get into legal trouble – so tread carefully.

Use a Keylogger To Log All Computer Usage

While there are dozens of MakeUseOf articles outlining how you can remove keyloggers from your PC, in this case you are actually going to install one so that you can monitor all activity on the PC. Running a keylogger can reveal some very fascinating information about your spouse. One example of such a keylogger is the free version of the Revealer Keylogger.

When you launch this application, you can set it up to automatically launch at Windows startup. You can also define the special key combination that will open the invisible application.

This particular application doesn’t allow stealth startup, so if you want to use this app, the best approach is to start it up secretly just before your spouse is about to use the computer. Then walk away into another room and allow the application to do its thing.

Many free keyloggers do a terrible job capturing keystrokes, especially if the user types fast. I tested four free keyloggers and found that Revealer was the only one that captured every keystroke. It even logs application use as well. The results of such a log could turn out to be rather shocking – so be prepared!

Final Words

It’s important to keep in mind that all of the techniques detailed above should be used as a last resort. Many people find themselves in some very difficult situations, and however hard they try, they just can’t get to the truth. Technology can offer answers that a lying spouse refuses to provide. By capturing the evidence that proves infidelity or disloyalty, you can then free yourself from the burden of living a life full of doubt and worry.

What is your opinion on the ethics of using technology to spy on your spouse? Is it OK or is it an invasion of privacy? Share your opinion in the comments section below. Do you also know of any other software tools which can be used? Tell us about them too.

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SpywareBlaster Can Stop Spyware Before It Starts [Win]

Jimmy Rogers — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:01:43 +0000

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.

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Browse Safely & Avoid Viruses & Spyware With HHOTT

Simon Slangen — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:01:10 +0000

I’m a man of many browsers. I’ve tried pretty much all of them. Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Firefox, Chrome and so on. Even the original Mozilla browser is on the list.

All of these are great browsers, and they stand out for different reasons. Different features and different ways of browsing. However, although content has changed drastically throughout the years, the basic principles of browsing has remained pretty much the same.

HHOTT View means to change all that. It’s a plugin for Firefox and Internet Explorer.

HHOTT View

HHOTT View gives us fast and safe surfing, ideal for those paranoid folk out there, and perfect for those without a firewall (software like that tends to irritate me more than viruses do).

So How Does It Work?

The concept can be divided up into two parts; the warning icons and the preview browsing.

Warning Icons

Each and every link will be provided with a small warning icon when you hover over them. These will tell you if the link is safe or not.

There are four possible icons.

The green icon indicates a safe link. You ought to be able to visit the other side without harm done.

The red icon indicates an unsafe link. The site might contain viruses and spyware. It’s highly advised not to proceed.

The grey icon can indicate a number of things, but all comes down to the fact that there is insufficient information available. This can be because of the site in question, there are still some sites that need to be reviewed, or because the service is unavailable due to update or program failure.

The blue icon indicates that the safe browsing feature is currently turned off. How to enable it is explained below on the page.

Preview Browser

Now, if you want to know exactly what’s behind the link, you can use the preview browser.

Hover over the warning icon to trigger a pop-up with the contents of the link. This way you can view what’s on the other site without needing to browse there. You won’t even have to leave your current page!

This pop-up interacts just like a normal browser, and will allow basic surfing. You can scroll through the pages, click through to other pages, watch embedded media, and even save favourites! The only things that are missing in my opinion are the warning icons and further page pop-ups.

Installing HHOTT View

You can download the HHOTT View installer from this page here. This one works for both Firefox and Internet Explorer. After choosing your language and running the installer, you need to enable the HHOTT View toolbar in your browser.

To do so, click with your right mouse in the toolbar area, and make sure that HHOTTView is checked.

Sometimes the HHOTT toolbar won’t be available until you restart your browser or – in drastic cases – your computer.

Using the toolbar, you can also adjust the settings of the HHOTT View plugin, like enabling or disabling the safe browsing feature.

HHOTT View is a really great plugin that can aid you in browsing both quicker and safer. If you’re up for a new way of browsing, you must definitely give it a try.

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Stop & Delete Spyware With Malwarebytes [Windows]

Jimmy Rogers — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:01:31 +0000

By now, the threat of spyware has become as prevalent as that of viruses. Consequently, there are a ton of spyware removal programs out there. Why should you choose one program to delete spyware over the other? Well there are a few reasons, but generally it comes down to features and greater protection. If a spyware scanner has some unique features, like advanced registry options, then that’s a good reason to use it. Also, some scanners don’t have a lot of options, but have a good library of threats to protect against.

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is a good example of the latter. It may not be as feature-laden as Spybot Search and Destroy, which has a ridiculous number of tools, but it is a very lightweight alternative with good spyware coverage.

Until recently, my only two programs to delete spyware were Spybot S&D, as I mentioned before, and Spyware Blaster, which is a preventative blacklist. Now I’m considering adding Malwarebytes to my list. The install is very quick because there really aren’t a lot of bells and whistles on the program. While some might see this as a downside, when installing spyware protection on a new machine or on the machine of a less-techy person, Malwarebytes is quick and non-confusing.

After install, check to see that the updates are as recent as possible. This is done on the “Update” tab. It should automatically update upon install, which is another nicety for a quick start, but I’d double-check. Once you’re all updated, try scanning. A short scan will target common hot-spots and a full scan will cover everything but take a long time. Here’s a scan I ran recently:

The scanner will show what area is being scanned, how many objects have been scanned, and how many have come up as problems. The time on this scan is relatively short, but you may want to use it during a period of inactivity, as your system will slow dramatically during the scan. Here are the results of that scan:

After being scanned by Spybot S&D, Malwarebytes found a number of nasty little files lurking. Most of these were in the registry or in infected program files. This shows the value of having mulitple spyware libraries from which to run scans. Also, if you already have Spybot S&D or something similar, there is no reason to have duplicate tools.

The program does have a few more options open to you. You can restrict what is scanned and you can also add a contextual right-click option to scan individual files.

This second option is handy for anytime you have to download a file that you think is suspect. Most virus-scanners also have this capability, but this will check for malware as well.

Malwarebytes has two extra tools on board. The first is a set of bug-reporters and false positive flaggers that will help make the network more efficient in hunting out spyware.

Also, there is a program for deleting locked files. This can be handy when you need to delete a file that is either in use (which is generally unadvisable) or simply corrupted and difficult to delete by normal means.

Good luck managing your spyware and remember that having multiple programs installed is the best way to eliminate the need for frustrating repairs and reformattings.

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Hitman Pro: Unleash 8 Anti-Spywares with a Single Click (Windows)

Saikat Basu — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:01:17 +0000

Sometimes one is just not good enough. Especially when it comes to something as malevolent as spywares and trojans. The solution from Hitman Pro could be something akin to a multi-barreled approach. A combination of 8 anti-spywares out there for the dangers posed by cyber snoop tools preying on your computer.

The basic premise behind Hitman Pro is that a single anti-spyware tool is often insufficient to detect the sheer variety of malicious code in the form of spyware and /or trojans. It is not an anti-spyware by itself but it downloads some of the popular anti-spyware scanning engines to scan your computer.

Therefore Hitman Pro is more of an umbrella for the rest of the scanning engines to work under. The scanning engines include names like – Prevx CSI Free, Trend Micro, Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE, Spybot Search&Destroy, Webroot SpySweeper, Ewido AntiSpyware, PC Tools Spyware Doctor and Sunbelt Counterspy. It also bundles in two trial anti-virus scanning engines (not real time protection) Trend Micro Sysclean and McAfee VirusScan.

The anti-spyware programs include trial versions of paid software like the Webroot SpySweeper and PC Tools Spyware Doctor. When the trial period is over, you will have to disable them or alternatively if you have the paid component then Hitman Pro recognizes and accepts them.

The interface gives the user control over which spyware engines to install and once the setup commences, the process is pretty much automatic. It’s as if the program switches on its auto-pilot. Each program is downloaded and installed in sequence along with the updates. The interface is vanilla simple and this obviously is a double-sided feature. The simple interface offers ease of understanding and use but it also takes away control over individual engines. The only option that’s available is to select the scanning engines.

Along with automatic scanning, Hitman Pro offers some extra features like a behavioral scan, browser protection and an expert mode.

The “behavioral scan” looks at suspicious registry entries and collates all orphaned links with related information. The users can then go over the results and remove the displayed files.

The “browser security” features (called ‘SurfRight’) allow for a safe surfing environment protected from trojan attacks.

The “expert mode” gives some control to the user to deal with the threats detected. The expert mode also retains a record of the earlier detections so that the user does not have to do a full scan again. At the end of it all, the program generates a single report file for your perusal.

After using the software for some time, I’ve discovered both its good and bad sides. Here’s a small rundown…

The good…

An integrated all in one solution to take care of your ‘defense’ shield.
It’s a great free solution for those who don’t like to be saddled with the individual complexities of an anti-spyware program.
Simple basic control with a single click operation.
Updates and patches are downloaded automatically.
Uses the better known free anti-spyware software. Also has support for the paid ones.

The bad…

Lack of individual control over the scanning engines.
Multiple engines take up time and slows down the system. It’s best to run the engines when the system is idle. (An auto shutdown checkmark is a thoughtful help)
As the individual engines bloat with repeated versions, downloads over slow connections could become a problem.

Hitman Pro’s appeal lies in its one-icon solution for multiple anti-spywares. Hitman Pro and its quiver of engines could just help us circle our wagons against the attack of the trojans.

Hitman Pro 2 (2.7.6.0) runs on Windows 2000, XP and Vista.

Note: As of date, Hitman Pro 3 is in beta phase and available for public download. However it offers a different flavored solution to its earlier version. It does not use third party software but relies on its own new sophisticated heuristic technique.

Why don’t you download it, give it a go and then let us know what you think of it? Did it manage to find extra spyware that was hiding in your computer?

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Best Programs To Keep Your Computer Secure

Will Mueller — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:42:37 +0000

There is far too much spyware, adware, malware in general. Unfortunately, all of this can be easily received involuntarily. Unfortunately as well, many people do not have sufficient enough programs to make sure these pieces of junk are removed properly and your computer is safely restored. Here I will show you the best free applications to keep your computer secure.

Anti-Virus

AVG Anti-Virus

AVG Anti-Virus – AVG has been around since 1991, and have been updating their program since then. This program as well is definetely one of the best anti-virus programs out there. (See MUO Poll on Best Antivirus Software). AVG has numerous features that most certainly assist in keeping your computer secure, including periodic scans, built in email scanner, the ability to heal some virus infected files, and a “virus vault” that holds virus’.

Mark previously wrote a review on the new AVG 2008 Antivirus here.

ThreatFire

ThreatFire – ThreatFire is an extremely sweet Anti-Virus application. It does not only do all of the things many Anti-Virus applications do, it also addresses problems differently. On a regular Anti-Virus application, numerous different steps need to be taken to find and destroy a threat, unlike ThreatFire which automatically detects threats and malicious behavior, and addresses them automatically in the background while keeping logs of this.

On their website it states that ThreatFire has 243% more protection then traditional Anti-Virus applications in tests and that ThreatFire has examined 17,836,589,477 programs for suspicious behavior!

Avira

Avira Anti-Virus – Avira AntiVir is one of the highest rated Anti-Virus applications out there.

It runs in the background checking for malicious behavior and runs occasional checks, while checking opened and closed files.

Anti-Spyware

Windows Defender

Windows Defender – Microsoft created Windows Defender which is an incredibly awesome Anti-Spyware application built into Windows Vista and is available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

It includes many features that make it one of the best applications out there, including: Monitoring start up applications as well as system configuration and Internet Explorer, monitoring applications as they run, etc. Again, check out our poll what’s the best spyware removal.

Spybot Search and Destroy

Spybot Search and Destroy – This program has been around for a while now. I use it for many things as a general security suite as well.

Spybot removes Adware, Spyware, keyloggers, trojans, usage tracks, shreds malicious programs, the option to get back the programs that have been removed, etc.

Secure File Erasers

Eraser

Eraser – Eraser is one of the most used file removers. It can erase files and folders, password protected files, temporary files, internet cookies, paging files, internet cache, compressed files, etc. It adds an option to “Erase” something to the right click menu when you click on a file or folder.

You can check previous MakeUseOf review of Eraser here.

UltraShredder

UltraShredder – UltraShredder is another one of the most used secure file shredders. It overrides files with random characters, while saving it to the disk, and then removes the file without the recycle bin of course. Thus, if a file recovery service attempted to access the file, all they would find is random characters. See our earlier round-up on free file shredders here.

Keeping your computer fast

CCleaner

CCleaner – CCleaner is one of the most essential tools for keeping your computer fast. It takes up an extremely small amount of space and should be used often. The specific use of it is to remove and/or fix temporary internet files, cookies, other types of temporary files, fix the Registry, and fix applications.

It includes an extra start-up list to allow you to edit and an uninstall option to replace the standard Windows Uninstaller.

Defraggler

Defragger – This application is from the same company that created CCleaner. It is an incredibly awesome disk defragger that replaces the standard Windows Defraggler. Unlike many defragging applications, Defragger allows users to defrag a certain file or folder, and not an entire drive if you like.

The actual application is small, around 1 MB, and thus can be put on a flash drive. After it is done, Defragger creates a map of your hard drive showing the parts that were fragmented and how much space they take up, etc.

Defraggler is a great disk defragmenter, though some people may prefer something else, for other disk defragmenting tool check out earlier article on 5 Disk Defragmenter Programs to Defrag your PC.

Startup Control Panel

Startup Control Panel – Startup Control Panel is one of the most effective applications for speeding up your computer out there. It gives you a list of applications and other things that start on startup and allows you to remove those to speed up your computer start time.

Be sure not to uncheck your Anti-Spyware or Anti-Virus software, yet there are many things you can remove. It comes with the option to download the full program (59 kb) or a single executable (34 kb).

WinPatrol

WinPatrol – WinPatrol is another extremely helpful small program, that assists in not only speeding up your PC, but also keeping it secure. It runs in the background and monitors system changes to find added and taken away registry keys. Mark briefly covered it in an article last year.

Is there anything I have forgotten? Anything in the list you disagree with? Let us know in the comments!

(By) Will is a complete computer nerd and geek and currently works on his website at Advanced Tech Solutions and his blog at Online Free Tech Tips.

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Free Port Analyzers – Defeat Spyware And Botware

Bill Mullins — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:45:12 +0000

Windows XP has a command line utility which will help you determine if you have spyware or botware running on your system. Netstat displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections.

I use this utility as a test, to ensure that the anti-malware tools and firewall running on my systems are functioning correctly, and that there are no open outgoing connections to the internet that I am not aware of.

How to use Netstat:

You should close all open programs before you begin the following process, if you are unsure which ports/connections are normally open while you are connected to the internet. On the other hand, if you are familiar with the ports/connections that are normally open, there is no need to close programs.

There are a number of methods that will take you to a command prompt, but the following works well.

Click Start>Run>type “cmd” – without the quotes>click OK> this will open a command box.

From the command prompt, type Netstat –a (be sure to leave a space), to display all connections and listening ports.

You can obtain additional information by using the following switches.

Type netstat -r to display the contents of the IP routing table and any persistent routes.

The -n switch tells Netstat not to convert addresses and port numbers to names, which speeds up execution.

The netstat -s option shows all protocol statistics.

The netstat-p option can be used to show statistics for a specific protocol or together with the -s option to show connections only for the protocol specified.

The -e switch displays interface statistics.

Running Netstat occasionally is a prudent move, since it allows you to double check which applications are connecting to the internet.

If you find there are application connections to the internet, or open ports that you are unfamiliar with, a Google search should provide answers. A very good source of information is Steve Gibson’s website, Shields Up, where you can test all the ports on your machine, as well as testing the efficiency of your firewall. Take the firewall test; you may be surprised at the results! If your Firewall fails, get yourself a better one here.

If you are unfamiliar with, or uncomfortable with using the command structure, there are a number of free real-time port analyzers available for download.

(1) Process and Port Analyzer is a real time process, port and network connections analyzer which will allow you to find which processes are using which ports. A good little utility that does what it says it will do.

Quick Facts:

View currently running processes along with the full path and file which started it
View the active TCP Listeners and the processes using them
View the active TCP and UDP connections along with Process ID
Double click on a process to view the list of DLL’s

(2) CurrPorts allows you to view a list of ports that are currently in use, and the application that is using it. You can close a selected connection and also terminate the process using it. As well, you can export all, or selected items to an HTML or text report. Additional information includes the local port name, local/remote IP address, highlighted status changes and more.

Quick Facts:

View current active ports and there starting applications
Close selected connections and processes
Save a text/ HTML report
Info on local port name, local/remote IP address, highlighted status changes

(By) Bill Mullins is a blogger who writes on Internet Security, System Tools, Free Software, and provides downloads links. Check out his blog at Tech Thoughts

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Do you have a Spyware Removal Program? Which one? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Aibek — Sat, 24 May 2008 21:57:05 +0000

There are three programs that are absolutely essential for keeping your PC safe. These are AntiviRus, Firewall and Spyware scanner/removal utility. We have already asked you about your favorite Antivirus software and Firewall tools. So this time we want to find out what is the most popular spyware removal among MakeUseOf users.

And if there are folks who still don’t use any anti-spyware program then they can see what is the highest voted one and hopefully give it a shot. While most spyware are fairly harmless- just tracking cookies that don’t really pose much of a security risk. There are some that perform seriously malicious functions as well.

Please vote ! (You can select up to 2 choices.)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Download Links

If your favorite program is not listed then please tell us about it in comments.

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10 Free Online Malware and Virus Scanners

Travis Quinnelly — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:44:42 +0000

Occasionally I find myself working on a computer that has some problems. Maybe its malware, maybe its viruses, either way…it mucking up the PC and just generally slowing things down. Has this ever happened to you? If you’ve surfed the Internet for very long, you’ve probably experienced this and/or you’re prone to getting something downloaded and installed without your consent.

During these times I would normally use the trusty SpyBot – Search & Destroy application because it’s superior in many ways, but if I don’t have it with me or feel like just doing a quick online check without having to install a client application, the few choices below provide a good alternative.

BitDefender – Easy on-demand virus scanner using powerful BitDefender engines. It scans system memory, files and drive boot sectors. It also automagically cleans infected files. Uses ActiveX components (IE Only)

CA – Online virus scanner. Just agree to a little ActiveX component and you’re scanning with ease in just a brief moment. Uses ActiveX components (IE Only)

ESET – Online malware scanner. With just an acceptance of ESET’s TOS, you can scan your PC for known malware including viruses, worms, Trojans, phishing, and spyware.

ewido – Simple cleaner for malware. Uses ActiveX components (IE Only)

F-Secure – Simple virus scan from web. Uses ActiveX components (IE Only)

Jotti – Simple file checker. Jotti uses several scanners to look into the file you upload to determine if it’s infected.

McAfee FreeScan – McAfee FreeScan is a great virus scanner using the award-winning McAfee Scan Engine. Uses ActiveX components (IE Only)

NanoScan – Great, fast scanning application previously covered by the MUO Directory.

Panda ActiveScan – Get a free Panda scan that checks for viruses, spyware and other various internet threats. Current count over 185,000 viruses, worms, and trojans. Uses ActiveX components (IE Only)

TrendMicro – Scans for Viruses and Malware. It also scans for vulnerabilities and and fixes them to prevent re-infestation.

(By) Travis Quinnelly

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