spyware

I have a confession: I've been running my Windows XP system sans anti-virus software for many months. Crazy? Perhaps, but I consider spyware a much bigger threat these days, and I'm well-protected against it. I also detest the wallet-draining performance anchor that is anti-virus software.

How's that for a rousing recommendation of Norton AntiVirus 2008! Today only, you can get it from Fry's for $0 after a $50 mail-in rebate. This is the 3-user edition, meaning you can install it on up to three PCs, and it also includes anti-spyware protection and rootkit detection. Plus, Symantec … Read more

With a new year comes new computers, and that means new security problems. Viruses, spyware, rootkits, hackers--a fresh machine can be susceptible to the most insidious of plots. Lucky for you, here in the CNET Download.com defense bunker, we've devised a list of essential and free top-rated security programs to protect the honor of your computer and ensure that your sanity will last longer than your resolutions.

… Read more

What do you do when the spyware you're trying to pluck free from a hard drive is smarter than it looks? If you're most people, something drastic involving extra money, time, or hired professionals. If you're Ravi, something else entirely.

Find out the trick up Ravi's sleeve in this week's Spyware Horror Story.

>>See all Spyware Horror Stories

Browser wars? Check. Operating system battles? We got those, too. Web mail skirmishes? Search engine sorties? Nothing new there, except for a slightly drawn-out metaphor. We can also add to the list of hotly contested software the Internet Explorer toolbar. Having sort of fallen by the wayside in the past few years as Web-based widgets have replaced browser-based ones, the somewhat-ignored toolbar is seeing a resurgence, thanks to Google and Yahoo.

Google has just released Google Toolbar for IE version 5 beta of its feature-rich and ready-to-use toolbar for Internet Explorer, and Yahoo has also recently updated its powerful Yahoo Toolbar with Anti-Spyware that comes bundled with antispyware. How do they compare?

… Read more

It's amazing to think there are people out there still using dial-up, and that anyone hit with dial-up disabling spyware would, to be blunt, care. Though he has high-speed Internet, Jonathan does care, and reminds us that plenty of users out there have their own reasons for sticking with telephone-ordered Internet. For many folks, a dial-up disaster is an Internet disaster.

Read Jonathan's tale of spyware aggravation, or scroll through all Spyware Horror Stories.

Julio knows enough about spyware to recognize it when he sees it. And he does. An afternoon of setting up his friend's wireless home network gets detoured as Julio pulls out every trick he remembers to rid his friend's PC of the offending adware.

However, splintering the Trojan is only half the battle. The other half resides in wireless network security. Will Julio remember all the tricks of making home networks secure?

Read up on it in this week's Spyware Horror Story.

>>See all Spyware Horror Stories

While searching for new Windows themes, Saad finds an inauspicious link in a Web forum that leads to an invasion of unwanted software on his PC. Luckily, he follows the advice of CNET Download.com editors to restore his system to a healthy state.

Get advice for avoiding similar dangerous sites during your own Web browsing sessions. Read Saad's tale of Windows theme woes in this week's Spyware Horror Story.

>>See all Spyware Horror Stories

Spyware: the scourge of the Interwebs! Send it packing with Check Point Software's ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware, a CNET Editor's Choice winner. Normally $29.95, the software's now available free of charge--but you've got to download it today before 8 p.m. ET. After that, it turns back into a pumpkin--er, a commercial product.

While you're at it, snag ZoneAlarm ForceField and ZoneAlarm Firewall (available via the same link). The former's free while in beta; the latter's a full-time freebie. All three products require Windows 2000 or XP (ZoneAlarm Firewall also supports Vista). (via AppScout)… Read more

ZoneAlarm is offering its CNET Editors' Choice-rated Anti-spyware program for free today, until 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The $20 program battles spyware from a different approach than most other antimalware apps. Using its extensive knowledge of firewalls, ZoneAlarm Anti-spyware uses firewalls as a basis for providing protection. Unlike most popular antispyware software, ZoneAlarm scans commonly affected system areas rather than your entire computer.

While this method scans faster than other options and is mostly effective for catching intruders, I find a comprehensive system scan to be more desirable. Still, people familiar with the popular ZoneAlarm firewall software will recognize … Read more