One of the biggest annoyances that have emerged in the last few years is the virtually unchecked growth of Spyware. The situation has grown so bad, that today nearly 1 in every 4 PCs is infected with some Spyware, Adware or Trojan.
These infections not only annoy the users of the infected machine, but also present a great danger as they hook up these machines to huge botnets. These botnets are used for everything from launching DDOS attacks on websites to committing credit card frauds and other such mischief.
In some cases, these spyware act as keyloggers on your machine and end up broadcasting your private data such as credit card numbers, passwords of your netbanking account and other personal details to malignant parties.
Here's a look at 3 anti-spyware applications that are free and offer a good range of features.
1. Spybot Search and Destroy
1. Spybot Search and Destroy
File Name: spybotsd14.exe
File Size: 4.80 MB
OS: Windows (All)
Spybot S&D as it is popularly known has been around for a long time now. It was established at a time when spyware was still in its infancy. Since then its author has worked and refined this program to keep up with the ever-evolving spyware market. As a result even today Spybot S&D remains, one of the major forces in the fight against spyware. This wonderful and free program is capable of removing malware, spyware, adware and Trojans. It also gets timely updates, which include signatures for new Trojans/spywares, new help files and any new features that are necessary.
File Size: 4.80 MB
OS: Windows (All)
Spybot S&D as it is popularly known has been around for a long time now. It was established at a time when spyware was still in its infancy. Since then its author has worked and refined this program to keep up with the ever-evolving spyware market. As a result even today Spybot S&D remains, one of the major forces in the fight against spyware. This wonderful and free program is capable of removing malware, spyware, adware and Trojans. It also gets timely updates, which include signatures for new Trojans/spywares, new help files and any new features that are necessary.
Download link: Click here
2. Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE Personal
File Name: aawsepersonal.exe
File size: 4.63MB
OS: Windows (All)
Lavasoft like Spybot S&D, is another veteran in the fight against spyware. Since their inception in 1999, their popular software has been downloaded more than 200 million times and is today regarded as one of the definitive programs in the fight against spyware. Lavasoft Ad-aware SE Personal offers protection against dialers, browser hijackers and malware. Like Spybot S&D it offers timely Internet-based auto-updates to its anti-spyware database, has a very fast file scanner and actually offers a deep-level scanner that can root out even the most potent spyware. This is a good move, as deep-level scanners are normally not found in free products. Though the program we are mentioning here is a free one and offers lesser features as compared to its paid versions, it is still full-featured enough to keep your system clean of most spywares and Adware Trojans.
File size: 4.63MB
OS: Windows (All)
Lavasoft like Spybot S&D, is another veteran in the fight against spyware. Since their inception in 1999, their popular software has been downloaded more than 200 million times and is today regarded as one of the definitive programs in the fight against spyware. Lavasoft Ad-aware SE Personal offers protection against dialers, browser hijackers and malware. Like Spybot S&D it offers timely Internet-based auto-updates to its anti-spyware database, has a very fast file scanner and actually offers a deep-level scanner that can root out even the most potent spyware. This is a good move, as deep-level scanners are normally not found in free products. Though the program we are mentioning here is a free one and offers lesser features as compared to its paid versions, it is still full-featured enough to keep your system clean of most spywares and Adware Trojans.
Download link: Click here
3. Windows Defender
File Name: WindowsDefender.msi
Version: 1593
Date Published: 3/13/2007
Download Size: 4.9 MB
OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1
Windows Defender is Microsoft's own anti-spyware which is free and is available to anyone who uses a valid copy of their OS ranging from Windows XP upwards. It has in fact been embedded into Windows Vista and is updated centrally via Windows Update.
Microsoft Defender offers a whole plethora of functions that are normally found in paid products. Unlike others which can just merely scan and remove spyware and Trojans, Windows defender offers a real-time shield which actively works with the OS to prevent the system from getting infected. Its real time scanning is quite comprehensive and monitors virtually everything from file-creation to changes I.E. and even keeps a watch on crucial Windows services and startup files. It receives its updates via automatic push and is therefore kept well updated.
Version: 1593
Date Published: 3/13/2007
Download Size: 4.9 MB
OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1
Windows Defender is Microsoft's own anti-spyware which is free and is available to anyone who uses a valid copy of their OS ranging from Windows XP upwards. It has in fact been embedded into Windows Vista and is updated centrally via Windows Update.
Microsoft Defender offers a whole plethora of functions that are normally found in paid products. Unlike others which can just merely scan and remove spyware and Trojans, Windows defender offers a real-time shield which actively works with the OS to prevent the system from getting infected. Its real time scanning is quite comprehensive and monitors virtually everything from file-creation to changes I.E. and even keeps a watch on crucial Windows services and startup files. It receives its updates via automatic push and is therefore kept well updated.
Download link: Click here
