Detection and Protection from Spyware

Part 1 of this 2 part series looked at how common Spyware is. Let’s now take a look at how to protect your computer, privacy and identity from spyware attacks. Here are a few solutions for spyware along with my personal recommendation.

We’ve already talked about Virus Protection. In that article I recommended my personal favorite, Kaspersky. Their Internet Security Software does provide protection against most spyware. While their Anti-virus protection is excellent, their spyware protection is less so. Many Anti-virus (AV) firms claim Spyware protection, but really don’t offer end-to-end protection. They are virus experts not spyware experts.

So where do you get full spyware protection?

The best tool I like is Hijack This. Their Spyware protection received the highest 5 stars on a CNET review. Their software generates a list of potential spyware installations, allows you to analyze their threat level and remove them. The downside, and this is big, its not for beginners. If you’re not very comfortable on a computer, I can’t recommend this software for you. It takes a bit of knowledge and personal skill to identify what is a risk and what is not and you could end up removing something that you shouldn’t.

Spyware Terminator is the best solution for non-computer experts. It has a reasonably good user interface, provides good detection and protection against spyware. You can download it here. For most people, this option will be the one to go with.

Related Posts

• April 27, 2010 -- What anti-virus should I use?
• July 8, 2010 -- Protect your computer from unauthorized communication of personal data
• June 8, 2010 -- Email settings a security vulnerability on your blog?
• May 13, 2010 -- Protect your computer during your public demos
• May 11, 2010 -- Clear browser history before letting your customers use your computer

Filed under:
Protect Your Computer, Security by Chris