Ron & Ree said:
[BTW, I've noticed that quite a few security related threads are
rather repetative. Perhaps Pricelessware should have a links section
that points to several good discussion/rating sites. Alternatively,
perhaps a security semi-expert would be willing to write a summary
that could be referenced there and in some of these posts.]
Bob,
You didn't give us much to go on. Is this a semi-emergency (e.g.,
even 30 day trial would help [gasp - no heart attacks, please]) or a
long term solution? Which OS? 1 PC or network? What other security
software is in use (e.g., antivirus, in/outbound firewall).
Home/Educational/Commercial? (Below "free" generally refers to home
use.)
Here are a number of items that might meet your needs.
GFI's free online TrojanScan mentioned above comes from a reputable
commercial company. Look around their site. I flagged GFI LANguard
for a high priority revisit.
---------- [From the website]
GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner (N.S.S.) checks your network for
possible security holes. It scans your entire network, and provides
information such as a machine's service pack level, missing security
patches, open shares, open ports and more. GFI LANguard N.S.S. also
offers complete patch management: Missing patches and service packs -
both in the operating system and in applications - can automatically
be deployed network-wide.
GFI LANguard S.I.M. is a utility that provides intrusion detection by
checking whether files have been changed, added or deleted on a
Windows 2000/XP system. If this happens, it alerts the administrator
by email. Because hackers need to change certain system files to gain
access, this freeware utility provides a great means to identify any
servers open to attack.
----------
SysSafe Safety Monitor looks very promising, but I only used it
briefly on one PC. That PC already had serious stability problems
that SysSafe Safety Monitor made worse. I definitely want to explore
this one more, though. The description is great.
http://maxcomputing.narod.ru/ssme.html?lang=en
I've been running SpyHunter (free) in parallel with Ad-aware and
Spybot just recently. SpyHunter targets trojans, adware, etc.
SpyHunter appears to be the most thorough scanner for adware (removal
requires $ upgrade) by a slight margin over Ad-aware with Spybot
definitely third (since Ad-ware 6). SpyHunter is also the
slowest/most resource intensive. Each did find something the others
missed.
Spybot does offer a nice Immunize feature with two functions that are
more specifically applicable to trojans.
X-Cleaner Free is from the remove MRU tracks school but also targets
trojans. The ad copy says the Pro version identifies a lot more
malware.
SwatIt! (free) looks OK to me, but to each his own. It is only
updated monthly unless you subscribe. If you subscribe, you might as
well buy Pro.
I installed Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner last week and ran it a
couple of times. Does anyone know anything about it? It ran so fast
I'm not sure it did anything. Perhaps autostart and run? Active
processes? Few items tested?
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard from Javacool are also a good
combination for finding and preventing trojans and other malware.
Several antivirus producers offer cleaners for specific problems. If
memory serves Bit Defender(?), Panda, KAV, Trend, McAfee, and Norton
(in roughly that order) all did. All(?) antivirus products look for
at least some trojans and detection has improved greatly (if you start
at zero, ...). (See Antidote comparison below.)
Here are a few sites I flagged during my browsing but haven't
organized. Some contain reviews, some links, and some mostly
commercial or dated info. In no particular order and with a few
miscellaneous comments from memory (which hasn't been serving me very
well of late):
The aforementioned wilders.org (.net?)site has lots of good info and
links, but is a little hard to follow and is unevenly maintained
(sometimes dated). The Javacool Software products have a following.
Be sure to look at "other".
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4415
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/security?text=1
Dated and mostly commercial.
http://www.anti-trojan.net/en/onlinecheck.aspx
Online Trojan-Check (Remote Portscan) [Similar to several other
sites.]
http://www.hackfix.org/miscfix/icons-av-all.shtml
Comparative results and discussion. See other pages.
NB - See results for Antidote. Then search for Antidote SuperLite.
http://www.anti-trojan-software-reviews.com/
Reviewed 42 products and recommended 6 (all commercial?).
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/index.php?page=products
Some interesting freeware but main programs are shareware. I thought
the worm guard was free, but a glance shows a price. In descending
likelihood: my memory is going, policy changed, fine print somewhere.
Ooops. Out of time. I'll try to add to this later this week --
unless someone posts a few links to some sites that provide
comprehensive information (please).
