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People generally believe that you get nothing for free. Or, if something is free, it's probably not worth it. This is not true for software, or to be more specific, freeware. I have looked around, tested, and tried out various freeware and have finally installed the ones that I felt were the most suitable, and in my opinion, I have a system well protected and secure against viruses, spyware, adware, trojans, worms, and other malware. I will be reporting on the software that I have installed on my system along with the download links. Note that this article is aimed at freelancers and home users who use Windows PCs. I don't use other operating system and can make no claims about the usefulness of this article for users of other systems. All software mentioned here is available free on the Internet, and some needs to be registered. The ones that I use are marked in red.
A virus is a type of program that can replicate itself by making (possibly modified) copies of itself. It is an executable code that spreads itself by means of 'hosts'. A virus can spread from one computer to another only when its host is in contact with an uninfected computer, for instance when a user sends it over a network or carries it on a removable disk. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
Viruses can infect different types of hosts. The most common targets are executable files that contain application software or parts of the operating system, boot sectors of floppy disks, script files of application programs, and documents that can contain macro scripts. Viruses have existed for many different operating systems, including MS-DOS, AmigaOS, and Mac OS, but today, the majority of viruses run on Microsoft Windows.
Here are some golden rules:
Here are some antivirus programs that will give your system some degree of protection. The programs are all free. Some of them may need a registration code and your e-mail address to work, but none of them will use your e-mail address to spam you. Note that the list is not in any particular order of preference.
1. and 2. coexist on my system without any problems. AVG has a neat automatic update function. The updates to virus definitions are quite frequent (once or twice a week). Note that it might be better to switch off the email scanning feature of AVG because it tends to disrupt email downloads, especially when used with Becky (http://www.rimarts.co.jp).
Spyware gathers and reports information about a computer user without the user's knowledge or consent. Generally, spyware can perform many different functions, including the delivery of unrequested advertising (pop-up ads in particular), collecting private information, re-routing page requests to illegally claim commercial site referral fees, and installing stealth phone dialers.
Here are some free anti-spyware products that I have found to be particularly satisfactory because of their frequent updates. Note that no antispyware alone may get rid of all malware, so it is wise to install two or more anti-spyware applications. I run the first two at least once a week and rid my PC of spyware. I also use SpywareBlaster, which prevents spyware from being installed.
A Trojan horse or a Trojan is a malicious program that is disguised as legitimate software. A Trojan horse program may look useful or interesting to an unsuspecting user, but it is actually harmful when executed.
Trojans cannot replicate themselves, in contrast to some other types of malware, like viruses or worms. A Trojan horse can be deliberately attached to otherwise useful software by a programmer, or it can be spread by tricking users into believing that it is a useful program.
Quoting from Wilkipedia:
Trojan horses can be designed to do various harmful things. Examples are
A freeware anti-Trojan application that I use and its download link are given below.
1. a-squared Free 1.6
(http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/)
A firewall is a barrier between your computer and the outside world, a piece of computer hardware and/or software that limits access to a computer over a network or from an outside source. It is therefore used to prevent hackers from getting into a computer system. Just as a fire is most likely to spread through open doors in a building, your computer is most vulnerable at its ports (the doors), which make it possible to go on the Internet or let Internet traffic enter your computer.
Even an ordinary computer user can set up and install the basic features of a firewall without outside assistance. All you need to is to tell the firewall what applications can go outside your PC - such as your browser (say Firefox or Internet Explorer) or your mail reader (say Becky or Eudora). That's about all. The firewall shuts all other doors and prevents hackers from accessing your PC.
Some of the firewalls free for personal use offer excellent protection. Here are some with their download links:
After installing some of the products mentioned above, you can check how safe your PC is by going to the Shields Up site at https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2, and running at least the Common Ports to check which of your ports are open to the rest of the world.
Here's wishing you Safe and Happy Computing!
Gururaj Rao (honyakusha@gmail.com )
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/transtech/