Prevention, detection, and cure: 12 programs that will provide the best all-around security for you and your computer – for free
April 8, 2010 212
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Malicious people with malicious intent are constantly trying to gain access to your computer to make a buck at your expense. Whether it be your credit card number for a quick transaction, or something more personal like a SS number for identity theft, anyone anywhere can be infected by all sorts of malware and viruses. The following list contains 12 free programs that will help provide excellent protection for you and your computer allowing you to have peace of mind. Why pay when you can get excellent protection for free?
The following list has been broken up into three tiers:
- Tier 1 – this tier contains the basic essentials of computer security software that everyone should have. I highly recommend you install all the software listed under tier 1.
- Tier 2 – this tier contains software that are supplements to the software listed under tier 1; they are programs that you should have installed but don’t need them, per se. However, unless you are a very experienced techie, I highly recommend that you install all the software listed under tier 2 also.
- Tier 3 – this tier contains software that goes above and beyond the protection an average user will need. The software in tier 3 are fairly unique in the sense that they don’t really overlap in functionality with the software in tier 1 and tier 2 but rather provide a unique aspect of protection. Tier 3 is completely optional; think of it as the “pick and chose” tier – you may select to install only some of the software from tier 3 or none at all. You can also install all the software in tier 3, but that will really be “overkill” protection, if you get what I mean.
Note: Unless specifically stated otherwise, all software is supported by 32-bit and 64-bit.
Note: Most of the software below are for “home” and/or “non-commercial” use only.
Anti-Virus, Spyware, Malware, and all-around Anti-Scumware
What: avast! Free Antivirus
Why: avast! Free Edition provides protection against viruses, rootkits, dialers, phishing scams, spyware, and adware; in other word avast! Free Edition provides you protection against all scumware/malware. It also comes with multiple different real-time protection shields, such as an e-mail scanner, web scanner, IM scanner, file scanner, etc.
Originally an Avira fan, I have been converted to avast! ever since the release of v5.0 for the simple fact that it provides excellent protection while still being fairly light on computer resources, providing a boatload of features, and having a very aesthetically pleasing interface. All that with no continuous advertisement pop ups like in Avira. (Avira is still terrific though, mind you.)
avast! Free Antivirus system requirements:
- Processor: Pentium 3 or higher
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32/64 bit)
- Hard drive: At least 100 MB of free hard disk memory space (more if using Quarantine for
temporary storage) - RAM: At least 128 MB RAM
Alternatives: Avira or AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials
Read my review comparing avast! vs. Avira vs. AVG for more detailed analysis on these software.
Firewall
What: Outpost Firewall Free
Why: Originally when I wrote this article, I recommended PC Tools Firewall Plus because it was one of the firewalls that – as far as I knew – did not have compatibility issues with many people (like Comodo or Online Armor often do). However, since then I had problems with PC Tools Firewall Plus with it literally self destructing on me – and killed my internet, amongst many other mean things, with it =(. It just happened out of the blue – no idea why.
Lucky for me, recently Outpost Firewall Free 2009 was released around the same time as PC Tools Firewall Plus gave me a whiplash, so I went to check it out. Providing excellent protection, having an excellent “intelligent rules wizard”, and being a hell lot less annoying than Firewall Plus, OutPost Firewall Free 2009 is, simply put, a winner. I have never looked back since I started using Outpost.
Outpost system requirements:
- Processor: 500 MHz or higher
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Doesn’t officially support Windows 7 (yet) but it seems to work just fine on Win7.
- Update: Apparently the 64-bit version will not work on Win7.
- Doesn’t officially support Windows 7 (yet) but it seems to work just fine on Win7.
- Hard drive: 30 MB
- RAM: 256 MB
Alternatives: Comodo Personal Firewall Pro or Online Armor Personal Firewall Free Edition or PC Tools Firewall Plus or Windows Firewall
Anti-Malware On Demand Scanner
What: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Why: You ask why, I say I have three words for you: lightweight, simple, and effective. Malwarebytes is a popular free anti-malware protection that provides on demand scanning. It is very lightweight and the malware detection rate is fairly good for being a supplement. It scans pretty quickly also. And since this does not provide live protection, it will only run when you tell it to. At this point you may be thinking ‘why do I need Malwarebytes when I have avast!’, correct? Well here is the thing. Technically speaking, avast! will provide excellent protection against malware. So in essence Malwarebytes is really just optional. However, having an on demand scanner is always nice because it provides a different angle to things and may pick up something avast! misses, because we all all know that no protection software is 100% perfect. Best of all it does not conflict with any program or use computer resources (except hard drive space) on a daily basis because it is an on-demand – it only starts working when you tell it to.
Malwarebytes system requirements:
- Processor: 250 MHz or higher
- Operating system: Windows 2000 and higher. Vista may only support 32-bit – I am finding conflicting reports about it.
- Hard drive: At least 3 MB
- RAM: 64 MB or higher
Alternatives: Ad-Aware AE Edition or Spyware Doctor Starter Edition or SUPERAntiSpyware or Spyware Terminator or a-squared Free
System Monitor
What: WinPatrol
Why: Simply put WinPatrol is a lightweight program that provides excellent supplementary protection. WinPatrol is not an anti-virus, or anti-spyware, or anti-[insert catch phrase here], per se. WinPatrol is an anti-make-system-changes-without-my-consent… if that makes sense. WinPatrol sits in the background and monitors your computer for “hijackings, malware attacks, and critical changes” and alerts you about them. A few very handy things WinPatrol protects you against include, but are not limited to, homepage changes, ActiveX changes, and startup program changes. I can’t tell you how many times WinPatrol has saved me from an ***hole developer who thinks he can change my IE homepage without asking me. Excellent program this WinPatrol is.
WinPatrol system requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7
Alternatives: AnVir Task Manager
Website Advisor
For Firefox/Flock users
What: LinkExtend
Why: The two most popular website advisers are McAfee Site Advisor and Web of Trust. Both of them provide good information on websites and help steer us away from possible websites. Of course no one service is perfect (it is impossible to be 100% accurate on every website on the internet). This is why we have LinkExtend. LinkExtend is a Firefox/Flock extension that provides information on:
- Safety – Informs you if a web page is malicious, sends spam, contains spyware, online scams, identity theft, and more
- KidSafe – Alerts you about sites that are unsafe for children and let’s you erase these sites from your Firefox history automatically
- Ethics – Rates ethical behavior of a site’s company including social responsibility, business practices, environmental impact, etc.
- PageRank – Represents how important a page is on the web, based on the Google link analysis algorithm, ranked from zero to ten
- SiteTraffic – Shows you how popular a site is, based on the average page views and users for a particular site or web page
- Visited – Tells you when you last visited a site, what pages you accessed, and lets you remove the site from your Firefox history
If you prefer to not view all this information, LinkExtend options let you pick and choose what you want to see. Additionally if the toolbar annoys you, if you “Customize Toolbars” (right click) you can click + drag any of the ratings, place them at a different position on your Firefox toolbars and turn off the LinkExtend toolbar. That way you don’t have that annoys toolbar there yet you can still enjoy LinkExtend. LinkExtend also has a context menu feature that allows you to view the ratings of a link – Shift + right click on a link to see it.
The great thing about LinkExtend the ratings generated by LinkExtend are from a combination of sources, including Site Advisor, Web of Trust, Browser Defender, Google Safe Browser, and many more. You can also view the individual ratings from all these individual services. So in essence LinkExtend is the “Google” of site advisers – it gathers ratings from popular services and shows you all of them for the website in question. Of course since it gathers information from multiple sources, LinkExtend does cause a minor increase in website load times but that is the trade off for the abundance of information you get.
For everyone else
What: Web of Trust (WOT)
Why: Web of Trust provides preemptive warnings about websites before you visit them. It places a circle next to a link, and depending on the color of the circle, you know what kind of website it is (green = good, red = bad). If you visit a website below a certain level, you set the level through preference, you will be warned about the website and must confirm you want to visit it. WOT information on websites comes from a cross reference of its databases and community rating/feedback. WOT rates websites based on four categories: trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy, and child safety. The information on WOT is generally good and reliable although not perfect. While McAfee and WOT are generally similar in performance, I chose WOT over McAfee because WOT supports more platforms. Currently WOT has plugins for Firefox and Internet Explorer with plans for a plugin for Chrome in the near future; for Safari and Opera, it provides a bookmarklet. McAfee only works with Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Alternatives: McAfee Site Advisor or Finjan or K9 Web Protection
Anti-Keylogger
What: Keyscrambler
Why: Keyscrambler – literally – “scrambles” your keystrokes when you type in your Internet browser, so keyloggers can’t log your keys. In other words, it ensures that your important passwords, personal data (that you often have to fill out forms with), etc. is safe in the case that you have a keylogger installed on your computer and you don’t even know it. (The keylogger will get a much of useless garbage instead of your real keystrokes.)
Keyscrambler system requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit);
- Browsers: Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Firefox 1.5 and later, Flock 1.0 and later (the paid version supports more browsers than the three mentioned)
Preemptive Spyware Prevention
What: Spyware Blaster
Why: Spyware Blaster is a program that blocks cookies, ActiveX and URLs of known malware websites in Internet Explorer and blocks cookies for known malware websites in Firefox. The great thing about Spyware Blaster is that it is not running all the time. Spyware Blaster is somewhat like an vaccination shot for your computer: you run it once and your computer is vaccinated against all those spyware websites. However you need to update the Spyware Blaster database at regular intervals (suggested is once a week but once a month should be fine – you have to manually update it) and re-vaccinate your computer every time you update the database.
Spyware Blaster system requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista
- Browsers: Internet Explorer (or any browser that uses the IE engine), Firefox, Netscape, Sea Monkey, Flock and K-Melon
Alternatives: OpenDNS
Behavior Blocker
What: Threatfire
Why: Varying from the norm signature based protection, Threatfire uses a unique ‘behavior based’ detection system. This methodology not only helps prevent conflict and slowdowns if Threatfire is used with other security software like avast! or Avira, but it provides a whole new angle at detecting scumware on your PC. Threatfire is one of the only free anti-malware programs that provides full real time detection and protection. Other programs such as Ad-Aware AE and Spyware Doctor provide limited real time protection that are signature based, raising the chance of conflict between security programs. Threatfire has the ability to detect all kinds of scumware; however the real-time protection is only for malware while there is an on demand scanner for everything else.
Alternatives: None as far as I know.
Threatfire system requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7/Vista/XP/2003
- Note: 64- bit Vista and Win7 is now supported.
Anti-Dangerous Outdated Software
What: JavaRA
Why: Java Runtime Environment is often times targeted by scum looking a way to install scumware onto your computer. To respond to this, JRE (Java Runtime Environment) is often patched and updated. The problem is, after a patch/update the older version are just… left there. This, obviously, is very dangerous – more harm than good. JavaRA is a simple program that removes old version of JRE. JavaRA does not run all the time. Just run JavaRA after you download it for the first time and run it every time after you do an update of Java. Vista users need to run this as Administrator.
JavaRA system requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, and Win7
What: Secunia PSI
Why: Secunia PSI is a software that focuses on updating software which cause a security risk. Secunia scans your computers and looks for software that are missing security patches or are “end-of-life”. If it finds them it tells you and you then fix the problem as necessary. Secunia PSI is the desktop version (you must download it) while Secunia OSI is the online scanner (slower and less features). You should just run this scanner once in a while to make sure you don’t suffer from a dangerous out dated software.
Secunia PSI system requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 or higher, 2003, Vista, and Win7
Secunia OSI system requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 or higher, 2003, Vista, and Win7
- Browser: Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Firefox 2 or higher, Opera 9 or higher and Safart 3 or higher
- Required software: Latest version of Windows Update and Java JRE 1.6.x or higher
Ad-hoc Host Intrusion Protection Software (kind of)
What: GeSWall
Why: GeSWall has taken it upon its self to be the “prevention” part of the three step computer security plan. Similar to Sandboxie, or any other sandboxing program, GeSWall “isolates” programs; however GeSWall focuses on the main “entry points” from where scumware can enter your computer, including but not limited to, your internet browser instead of all programs in general. Different to Sandboxie, or any other sandboxing program, GeSWall’s “isolation” does not involve sandboxing programs; rather GeSWall limits file permissions and restricts access to system resources/important files. The “isolated” program runs just fine but all files (and/or folders/registry keys) downloaded from an “isolated” program (knowingly or unknowingly) are automatically treated as “untrusted”. “Untrusted” files/folders/registry keys have no system access – no permissions. Therefore with no system access, even a scumware file/folder/registry entry will be able to do diddly squat to your computer. You are told anytime an “untrusted” file tries to make any system changes. Just go and delete the scumware files and no harm is done. Simple, yet effective. If you ever want to download something, yet your are running an “isolated” browser, you just need to manually right click on that file and make it “trusted” after you finish downloading it.
The one thing I like about GeSWall is that it does not slow down your browser if your run it “isolated” as opposed to minor lag if I run a browser “sandboxed” with Sandboxie.
GeSWall system requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Win7
Alternatives: Sandboxie or SafeSpace or Altiris SVS or JauntePE
Remove-All-Changes-From-Computer-After-Reboot Software
What: Returnil Virtual System Home Free
Why: Returnil Virtual System is a program which aims to provide protection to users in an unorthodox manner. Usually when a user wants protection against malware, and other bad things, he or she installs security software like avast!, Avira, Kaspersky, Norton, AVG, NOD32, etc. which actively, and on demand, detect and remove infected files. Although the new 2010 version of RVS also includes an anti-virus/anti-malware component, RVS’s core method of system security is this: it creates a “virtual copy” of your main system partition (the partition which you have Windows installed) and whatever changes are made to your computer are dumped when you restart your computer (there are opinions to tweak how it does that, but generally speaking, that is how it works). This approach is the ultimate protection because even if you download malware unknowingly on your computer, RVS gets rid it (100% completely) when you restart your computer. Of course, any other changes made to your computer are also undone (like Windows Updates; so be sure to turn RVS off when running Windows Updates).
Returnil Virtual System system requirements:
- Operating System: Windows XP/2003 Server/Vista/2008 Server/Win7
Alternatives: Microsoft SteadyState
That sums up my recommended list of 12 best free protection software. The logical behind this list is quite simple: prevention, detection, and cure. The combination of these 12 software will provide you all-around security for you and your computer. However they are not a replacement for the human element – the best way to stay safe is to avoid shady and questionable websites/downloads! Good luck =).
Feel free to post your thoughts, experiences, or suggestions below.
Originally written on Jan 27, 2009. Last updated April 8, 2010.
* Processor Pentium 3, 128 MB RAM, 100 MB of free hard disk space
* Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32/64 bit)
* Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32/64 bit)
http://ssupdater.com/modules/Forums/index.php?showtopic=4423&st=0#
Out of 500 malware samples, Malwarebytes found 32. I was a beta tester for the program and do not recommend it. It’s still in it’s infancy stage as a security app. Until it has time to improve it’s track record do not use.
I myself use Avira Premium therefore have no need for Malwarebytes (although I have used it in the past and it has served me well), like I stated at the very bottom.
However, I base my recommendations off the following:
Remember that Malwarebytes is an on demand scanner, so if you truly don’t feel comfortable w/ Malwarebytes, you are welcome to use multiple on demand scanners for optimum protection.
Great article, especially the recommended pairings and alternative suggestions, since most magazine articles that I have seen simply list their top picks and it’s up to you to figure out which A-V goes with which firewall, etc. Your 64-bit picks are even more unique (if you can be more unique).
Thanks IE. Mind if I call you IE? :D
I rethought my suggestion about firewall for 64-bit; better people try Comodo first then go to Windows if they have compatibility issues instead of the other way around.
My mother is a computer software engineers, and she recently bought a laptop at Circuit City (not because they were on sale, but it was a good deal at the price being offered) that was a 64-bit.
It has 4GB of RAM (!!!), and was below $800. Not only that but it was Lenovo, a brand owned by IBM (!!!).
I have set up less computers, so I got to set it up (:
I just spent a day reading reviews for software, and my mom also wanted Cygwin and ActivePerl, so I downloaded & installed a lot of stuff (~700MB of updates).
I also set it up with a virtual machine of Windows 7 (my mom wanted a VM of Windows XP, too, but even with the install disc from another computer, the licenses are $99 or torrented.
Also, if people don’t mind betas, Kaspersky:
http://www.kaspersky.com/windows7
is good & free.)
Dear Next Gen. Trekkie (a/k/a Capt. Picard): I have seen 64-bit laptops for about $500 or 600, but they usually have less RAM, HDD, etc., which limits running the more demanding software like Vista Ultimate, and especially actually using the 64-bit capability of the machine, let alone its multiple cores, which I assume yours has. Howeveer, I must correct one detail, namely Lenovo is a Chines company that bought IBM’s Thinkpad laptop business–they are definitely not a brand owned by IBM. BTW, I’d say your using a VM for Win7 was a very good move, since it’s only a Beta at this point. If your Mom wants to run some flavor of Linux (I recommend Ubuntu), you could dual boot with XP (some ‘puter shops still have legal OEM discs for sale or you can go online if you’re careful – I got a local copy of Pro to upgrade my Dad’s XP Home for $75), but I definitely CAN NOT recommend downloading any XP from a torrent.
Nice list, although I do agree with you for the most, it isn’t perfect in my opinion. I suggest that you add DropMyRights, SandBoxie, or even Returnil Virtual System Personal Edition to your list. Why? Because all three are simple enough for novice users, and provides effective protection for their computers.
DropMyRights limits whatever program you integrate it with into using a limited user’s privileges. All you need to do to use it, is to create one shortcut that have both the DropMyRights program, and the target program. Here’s mine: “C:\Program Files\DropMyRights\DropMyRights.exe” “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe”. Notice that I used it on my web browser, Firefox. That way, whatever that tries to infect me via the web browser (which is very common these days) will have reduced privileges on my system. You can use it for you e-mail program as well, although many might not need it, because they use webmail (me included). Sure you can use Run as…, or just login in a limited account, but that’s too troublesome for most, and might cause problems such as installing Firefox add-ons. The only problem is that a few legitimate sites will need administrative privileges, such as Windows Update, but you still can just run your browser as normal. If you use it for install purposes, you might end up with problems, so I suggest you not to, and instead find out more information about what it is, or use an alternative method that I will list below. If you use it for other trustworthy programs that need administrative privileges, don’t. I, myself, only use it for my web browser anyways.
The next 2 programs, SandBoxie, and Returnil uses something called a sandbox. The only difference is that SandBoxie is only used for selective programs (that will be limited after 30 days, along with having a nag, I believe), and Returnil is for your whole system and requires a reboot for full protection. A sandbox is like a virtual environment that separates your system from whatever you use it on. Whatever that you do within the sandbox will not affect you’re system, malware included, but it can have leaks (nothing’s perfect after all). There are going to be problems with those kinds of programs though, mainly because of legitimate things you want to do, such as saving an image or downloading. You don’t have to worry about it in SandBoxie though, Quick Recovery (http://www.sandboxie.com/index.php?QuickRecovery), and Immediate Recovery (http://www.sandboxie.com/index.php?ImmediateRecovery) can save your day. You can also restore any files acquired in the sandbox onto your real system for both programs. They do require a larger learning curve though. Lastly, the newest SandBoxie has a DropMyRights-like feature, so you can have the best of both worlds.
That’s not all, but for many users it’s more than enough. As for people who truly cares about and/or needs security, I also suggest they also use customized HOSTS files that blocks specific bad sites (MVPS HOSTS and Spybot’s Immunize), and programs that does the same such as SpywareBlaster. They’re pretty much self-explanatory, only thing is they require updates.
Then there’s Group Policy editing, and advanced stuff like that, but I won’t touch on that, because I (and most other users) don’t have the knowledge to.
Lastly, if you want to be truly 100% safe (for your computer that is), frequent backups of your important data, and occasional drive images will pretty much guarantee that. Also, if you’re lucky, programs like Recuva can recover files that are deleted by viruses, and the like.
Hope that helps.
Uh, forgot that Web Protection/Internet Filter is included on your list. In that case, forget about my 4th paragraph, but I still think MVPS HOSTS, and Spybot can be included on that. If I’m wrong, please tell me why.
Hello,
I heard that Avira PE Free Edition does not scan e-mail, is this true? If so, how does one protect against infected mail?
Jeff,
This list was originally the ‘top 7′ – Sandboxie was the seventh. But before I published, I removed Sandboxie for a number of reasons; ever since I published this list I have been debating with myself on if I should re-add Sandboxie to the list. I may just end up doing that.
As for DropMyRights, MVPS Hosts and Spybot, I don’t think they are necessary. Overkill in my humble opinion – there is a such thing as too much security :) Not to mention Spybot has lost its touch.
Jon,
If anything malicious is downloaded via an email Avira will pick it up, so in the sense you do have email protection. I also believe you can make Avira scan your email files by adding in a custom extension via options (Configuration -> Expert mode -> Guard to scan when reading and witting according to a moderator post on Avira forums) – I am not 100% sure on that though.
Also if the email contains any sort of phishing link, between Avira Phishing protection, K9 Web Protection, and WOT, you should be fine.
However, did you try to get the 6 months free Avira Premium? That is my best suggestion right now. Deal with having to use the free one after your 6 months are over.
I already got rid of DropMyRights, now I use SandBoxie with Drop Rights restriction. I know, it might be an overkill, but I think it’s worth it. Anyways, how good is OpenDNS? Sure I can use K9, but I believe OpenDNS is more convenient, and faster in terms of internet speed (a very important aspect for me). The thing is, I think it requires the Windows DNS Client service, until I started the service the website keeps on saying the I’m not using it, when I first went through the Get Started during Step 2. I cannot enable it any further though, because of my large HOSTS file, which causes my system to slow down. Now I’m wondering if it’s doing it’s job. If it’s not, is it good enough to replace MVPS HOSTS and Spybot’s Immunize?
OpenDNS seems like a really good concept. As far as I know, you can either use OpenDNS by changing the DNS settings your computer, router or server.
Here is a review by PCMag on OpenDNS.
I have not used OpenDNS nor will I ever use OpenDNS because, personally, I just dont feel comfortable with their privacy policy.
Hi Ashraf,
great review with excellent programs.
Just 3 questions for you:
1) can these applications be used both with XP and VISTA as OS?
2) how much RAM does THREATFIRE eat with the real-time protection feature enabled?
3) why not include JETICO and above all the last version of ZONE ALARM among the freeware FIREWALL alternatives to PC Tools Firewall Plus?? Have you tried them??
As for the ANTISPYWARE PROGRAMS I think you forgot to mention the AWARD-WINNING ANTISPYWARE A-SQUARED 4, a great tool to clean your computer from Malware (probably the best free tool to detect Trojans, Backdoors, Keyloggers and Rootkit.
Full review here:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/a-squared-a2-Free.shtml
The shareware version called a-squared Anti-Malware 4.0 ($ 40), free for 30 days, which was given for free by GAOTD last August,keeps your PC free from Trojans, Viruses/Worms, Keyloggers, Dialer, Rootkits and Spyware/Adware in REAL TIME with the power of two major scan engines and double realtime protection and behavior-based detection GUARD (Malware-IDS)similar to THEARFIRE.
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/antimalware/
But if you look for a great SCANNER ON DEMAND, I suggest trying A-squared Commandline Scanner (best results in SAFE MODE where most malicious programs can be caught ’sleeping’ as Windows loads only system-critical services):
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/cmd/
Finally, if you are a FIREFOX USER, I think you’d better take a peep at this article written by myself on the MOZILLA FORUM in which I talked about the BEST ANTI-PHISHING FIREFOX EXTENSIONS LIST of my knowledge available on the market:
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=949885&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
I installed NETCRAFT TOOLBAR and I have to admit that it works like a charm…LOL!
http://toolbar.netcraft.com/
Waiting for your feedback!
Cheers
Giovanni
Giovanni,
Of course there are more options then the ones I listed above. But I already posted by why I chose them. You are welcome to use and test as many as you want.
And as for others firewalls. Because the three I mentioned, Comodo, Armor, PC Tools are the top three. Between those three, one should be able to get at least one working. Check out Mautousec for more information on best firewall protection.
Yes all of them should work fine on both XP and Vista. Not sure about the RAM for Threatfire.
Thanks for the clarification – great site. A friend, who does online banking, investing etc. just asked me if there was better, less ‘hungry’ protection available besides McAfee or Norton. I had just started researching this and was being inundated with possibilities when I happened upon your site. I will implement your suggestions for my friend, as well as myself.
Thanks again
You are quite welcome. I hope it all works out for you.
Hi Ashraf again!!
What about HIPS programs, namely those particular SW capable to detect malware programs that are cleverly disguised to avoid being detected by the most common ANTIVIRUS and ANTISPYWARE programs mentioned by you in this stunning article??
Well I think you should definetely add something about this issue because even the best commercial FIREWALLS, AV and Antispyware programs available on the market cannot guarantee a 100% protection package against MALWARE.
There are dozens of good HIPS programs in the market you can istall for FREE although most of them generate a lot of needless and annoying warning messages and turn out to be very intrusive and cryptic indeed.
Ok THREATFIRE (formerly Cyberhawk) is definetely a good FREE and not intrusive HIPS program because it uses white lists, black lists, policies and behavior analysis rules, along with other techniques, so as to reduce the number of messages users must deal with.
But in my humble view there are other FREEWARE and not intrusive HIPS that are worth having a look at, such as:
- ProcessGuard Free
- WinPatrol
- Samurai (very GOOD PROGRAM despite being pretty unknown: http://turbotramp.fre3.com/)
- Comodo BoClean (excellent HACKER PROOF software: http://www.comodo.com/boclean/boclean.html)
- ArovaxShield
- System Safety Monitor PRO, exceptionally FREE here:
http://www.syssafety.com/online.html?depart=support
Just fill in the form to get the free lifetime unlimited license key of the PRO version. The key will be emailed to any regular (paid or free) license holder via email).
But the MASS of PC USERS who has not the right skills to use the HIPS mentioned above, maybe can easily replace them with sandboxes HIPS, which are much easier to understand and use with no frills attached.
The best ones I know, besides Sandboxie, are the following:
- GeSWall
- SafeSpace
With Sandboxie, you can disable any program in your Sandbox to access the web and have one Sandbox for each program.
But according to many geeks GeSwall can be a better alternative to Sandboxie!
SafeSpace is also an excellent sandbox program which isolates internet applications in a VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT, protecting both your computer from malware infection, and also your private data from theft because it creates an impenetrable barrier between your PC and the WEB, protecting you and your personal information against all known and unknown threats, so you can surf where you want, listen to or watch what you want, download what you want.
It configures itself once installed, automatically adding protection to common internet applications and locking down your private data. When the SafeSpace session ends, or the user logs off, all changes are deleted.
SafeSpace supports Windows XP SP2 and SP3 and Vista 32-Bit editions.
Absolutely a KEEPER…and best of all it’s FREE…LOL!!!
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/SafeSpace.shtml
See screenshots here:
http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/SafeSpace-Screenshot-81690.html
And here (see below) the SAFESPACE PUBLISHER website where you can download not only the program but also its USER GUIDE in PDF:
http://www.artificialdynamics.com/content/products/personal-edition.aspx
Cheers
Giovanni
Hi Ashraf,
thanks for your prompt reply!
Yes the FIREWALLS mentioned here are the best ones but for many PC USERS JETICO is even better than COMODO FIREWALL and ONLINE ARMOR, even though it’s quite difficult to configure.
And the last version of ZONE ALARM (which is also compatible with VISTA) appears to be much better than its previous versions even though with this tool is nearly impossible to perform any P2P file sharing…LOL.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Firewall/ZoneAlarm-Free.shtml
http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/ZoneAlarm-Free-Review-14799.shtml
As for PC Tools Firewall Plus do you know how much RAM does it eat?
Sorry if I ask you this but at present my HOME PC is running with just 512 RAM….LOL!!
I’ve just read a review about this FIREWALL on SOFTPEDIA but it looks like the editor does not agree with you at all…LOL!!
He said:
Firewall Plus is a good application to start learning about the protection provided by firewalls. It does not have complicated options and even a kid can configure it. The program will offer some sort of protection and common attacks will be blocked.
The Bad
Well, the protection provided is not that foolproof and there still are some leaks even if enabled. But one of the main disadvantages is that you cannot force the applications to use, only the regular ports and in case another door is opened, you will not even know it (and your computer may catch a cold from the drought).
The Truth
From what I saw, the application is designed for newbies that want to say to their friends they are behind a firewall, but experienced users will soon realize that this is not a too reliable firewall.
In the end, let’s just say it can only get better.
Full review here:
http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PC-Tools-Firewall-Plus-Review-44948.shtml
What do you make of it?
On the other hand ONLINE ARMOR got a better USER RATING maybe because it’s not just a FIREWALL as it includes a AV using the Kaspersky Antivirus engine and an effective Program Guard (at least this version):
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Firewall/Online-Armor-Free.shtml
But according to SOFTPEDIA the best FIREWALL is still COMODO:
The Truth
Comodo Firewall Pro is a hell of a protecting tool, actually one of the best currently on the market as it comes with a very user friendly interface, easy to understand options and plenty of flexibility with regards to both firewall and Defense feature.
Defense can be permanently deactivated and the firewall will keep on protecting the system unhindered. During our testing it prevented leakage of information to remote locations but in some tests it failed to stealth up the ports, although all of them were closed.
All in all Comodo Firewall Pro does a stupendous job with deflecting surreptitious attacks and the fact that it is an absolute freeware (it can be used commercially as well) only adds more value and turns it into a general preference of the users.
http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Comodo-Firewall-Pro–Review-72979.shtml
All in all I think that COMODO is still the best FREE FIREWALL available on the market even though I didn’t undestand why it screwed up your computer pretty badly the last time you tried to install it (maybe it’s something to do with your PC configuration).
Take care
Giovanni
Giovanni,
PC Tools Firewall Plus, Comodo and Online Armor are generally the three most recommended firewalls on any computing community. Jetico is making a name for itself but I have no personal experience with it and Mautousec does not rate it very highly either so I will not be listing it. As for ZoneAlarm. The Pro version is pretty good. Free pretty much sucks, more or less.
Also, notice that the review you linked to for Firewalla Plus is of version 1.0.0.9. The current Firewall Plus version is 5.0.0.37. So quite a difference. And as I said, check out Mautousec. The website is considered to be fairly reliable.
Threatfire provides enough HIPS protection but for extra extra care WinPatrol is also a nice product.
I completely agree with your recommendations, and I would like to say that this is best freeware anti-malware recommendation list I have seen yet.
Keep up the great work,
-John
Forgot to mention on last thing, how about adding Virus Total Uploader to your list? It’s name is pretty self-explanatory, it uploads a selected file to the VirusTotal website, where it gets scanned by multiple AV scanners (all with updated signature of course). Although you can simply upload via your browser (and on other sites such as Jotti), this handy utility makes it more convenient to upload those files, although the size restriction is a little stricter. I find it extremely useful at determining whether or not to risk opening an unknown file.
Hello,
Went to the Avira website to take advantage of the 6 mo free Avira Premium offer, but found no mention of it. Checked out their forum and saw that when asked about this, the moderator’s answer was: <> Seems like you have to buy PC-World. Has anyone else mentioned that or offered an alternative way to get this offer? If this is the case, and seeing as I want to keep it as easy as possible for my friend who isn’t that computer savvy, would you say that Avira free and Threatfire would provide adequate protection?
The moderator’s answer was:
<>
OK, I’ll try it this way:
“That is a special offer in association with PC-World. It isn’t an offer to the General Public and abuse of these offers is tantamount to theft, which Avira is aware of”.