O Noah said:
I need some simple basic explanations for these programs.
1) Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta1)
2) Ad-Aware SE Personal
3) Spy-bot Search & Destroy 1.3
4) BHODemon 2.0
All the above have very good descriptions at their web site. Visit them
to learn them. Trial them to learn them. Use them to learn them.
Is it OK to run all of these programs in the same PC?
Ad-Aware and Spybot (no hyphen) S&D are scanners. You execute them
manually. No conflicts because they aren't left running all the time.
They do provide resident utilities which you will need to decide if you
want to run (Ad-Aware requires you to buy it to get the extras). Spybot
has its TeaTimer which is an IPS (intrusion prevention software) utility
but Prevx (Home version is free) is much better and is an IDS (intrusion
detection software); however, you will need the initiative to understand
and investigate what it reports so to know if to allow the action(s)
that it alerts on. Prevx is not a newbie tool, but then neither are
most security tools since the user needs to know more than how to hit
keys on the keyboard and navigate a GUI desktop. Using a firewall which
provides for application anti-spoofing, DLL checking, and outbound
application authentication requires the user know how to answer the
prompts. Saying Yes to every prompt or disabling those features pretty
much means you've wasted the memory to load a security product that you
repeatedly void its protection.
BHO Demon you can leave running if you are scared of BHOs (browser
helper objects, only for Internet Explorer) getting installed - but then
you had to make the choice to install them by using lax security
settings or saying Yes to the prompts. Spybot and MS AntiSpyware also
have tools to list the BHOs but they don't provide the database to
provide info on the known BHOs. Because I upped my Internet security
zone settings, I don't need BHO Demon wasting memory all the time, so I
just run it manually when I want to check the list of BHOs and then exit
it to unload it.
MS AntiSpyware does have its monitors that are left resident in memory
if you leave those options enabled. Understand that MS AntiSpyware,
like WinPatrol, *polls* for changes made to critical areas. They do NOT
intercept the changes as does Prevx. With Prevx, the change is
immediately detected, the process trying to make the change has to wait,
and you decide whether or not to allow the change (and whether to
remember it for future changes by that same application). MS
AntiSpyware and WinPatrol periodically poll for changes which means they
always tell you about the change long after the change was made. The
process might not even be around anymore. That why these products can't
tell you who made the change which is also why they don't have the
feature of letting you determine if you want to allow or block future
changes from an application. Prevx is like the screen door to block the
flies from getting in while MS AntiSpyware and WinPatrol are like
flycatcher strips to catch the flies after they already got in. Prevx
is better, MS AntiSpyware and WinPatrol are okay, and you can use them
together (but don't bother running both MS AntiSpyware and WinPatrol; MS
AntiSpyware is better than WinRover).
Should I recommend these programs for home use?
YOU cannot recommend any program until YOU are familiar with it. You
will have to actually spend time familiarizing yourself with these
programs. If you want someone else to do the recommendations, tell your
clients, coworkers, boss, friends, or family to go ask whomever you are
relying on for those recommendations. Faux wizards are easily revealed.
Are there any similar programs that are also reliable?
A Google search will turn up many. Beware of the rogue products which
are ripoffs of other products or produce false positives to get you to
buy their product. See
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm.
