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Security

The Internet is a nasty place, full of spyware, malware, and other programs bent on doing you harm. Here are four free utilities that can help protect you.

SpyCatcher Express

Antivirus software usually won't protect you against spyware, which is where SpyCatcher Express comes in. This freebie scans your system for spyware, and removes what it finds. Better yet, it offers live protection, just as popular freebies like Ad Aware SE Personal and Spybot Search & Destroy do, so that it stops spyware from infecting your PC in the first place. When you first run it, it does a system scan to check for spyware, and then delete any it finds. After that, you configure it by setting your level of protection, as well as deciding when to do automated scans. SpyCatcher Express will also download new antispyware signatures automatically, so that you always have up-to-date protection.

In addition, SpyCatcher Express includes a variety of other unique tools, such as a System Explorer, which offers a detailed list of all the applications running on your system, as well as ActiveX components and an Internet Explorer plug-in. It also lists all the programs that run on startup.

Download: SpyCatcher Express

a-Squared HiJackFree

No matter how much antispyware protection you've got on your PC, it's not enough. Spyware is notorious for being able to slip through the cracks of antimalware programs, and you're best off if you have more than one such tool on your PC. That's where this freebie comes in. Use it as a backup to your main antispyware utility, for extra protection. It doesn't offer "live" protection like SpyCatcher Express. Instead, use it to examine your system, to see if it's been infected, and then kill the malware. It's a surprisingly powerful tool, and with far more features than we can cover here. But these are the basics: Run it and click the Online Analysis button; it will then check your system for malware and issue a report online. If it finds any nasties, it will tell you. You can then use the program to delete the malware.

There are also tools for viewing what programs are using your TCP ports, and for examining programs that run on startup. For a free program, it's surprisingly powerful.

Download: a-Squared HiJackFree

VistaFirewallControl

Microsoft has been touting the new Windows Firewall in Windows Vista, which it says for the first time includes an outbound filter as well as an inbound filter. Outbound filters are important, because if you've been infected with a Trojan horse or similar software, it makes an outbound connection without your knowledge, letting someone else take control of your PC. Some malware can also turn your PC into a spam-spewing robot, sending out e-mail without your knowledge.

Unfortunately, the outbound filter in Windows Vista is, in essence, turned off by default. And as a practical matter, it's impossible to manually configure it to block malware from making outbound connections. That's where the free VistaFirewallControl comes in. Install it, and whenever an application tries to access the Internet, a screen pops up with the application name, the publisher, and similar information, as well its path and file name. You can enable or disable the inbound or outbound connections it tries to make, either permanently or just this one time. If you're not sure if the program is malware or not, go to www.processlibrary.com and do a search for the file name, for details. All in all, VistaFirewallControl is a great way to make sure your PC isn't making unwanted outbound connections.

Download: VistaFirewallControl

Tor

Browsing the Web makes your life an open book. Web sites can track your online activities, know what operating system and browser you're running, find out your machine name, uncover the last sites you've visited, examine your history list, delve into your cache, examine your IP address, and use it to learn basic information about you such as your geographic location--and more as well. How to protect yourself? Use Tor, which protects your anonymity as you surf and use the Internet. With Tor, all your communications (not just Web surfing, but also instant messaging and other applications) are in essence bounced around a giant network of Tor servers called "onion routers," until it's impossible for sites or people to be able to track your activities.

When you download Tor, you get other software that works in concert with it, including Privoxy, a proxy program. All the software is self-configuring, so you won't need to muck around with port settings or the like. Tor runs as a small icon in your system tray. To start Tor, right-click it and choose Start from the menu that appears; to stop it, right-click it and choose Stop. Once it starts, simply use the Internet as you normally would. If you're somewhat paranoid, you can regularly change your Tor "identity," to make it even harder for anyone to track your travels. Tor also includes a nice bandwidth tool that graphs your bandwidth use.

Download: Tor