Keep spyware at bay


We're all familiar with computer viruses and the havoc that they can cause and many of us take steps to prevent problems by using an anti-virus package.  Yet a suprisingly small number of people are aware of the potential problems that spyware can cause - yet spyware on a computer can cause far more damage, not only to your computer but to your life should a hacker get his hands on your bank details.

Spyware can vary from the annoying page hijacker, which redirects your home page, to keyloggers that record usernames and passwords and sends them back to the person who infected your machine.

So how do you keep yourself safe ?

If you haven't already done so, install a decent anti-virus package and keep it up to date.  If you're connecting to the Internet using either a dial-up modem or a broadband modem install a software firewall such as ZoneAlarm (check out our previous tutorial for more information).  If you're on broadband, consider replacing your modem with a router which offers additional security by hiding machines on your network from hackers outside trying to find it.  The final piece of the jigsaw is to install an anti-spyware package and that's the topic of this weeks tutorial.

We'll be installing PC Tools Spyware Doctor which recently won an anti-spyware tool grouptest carried out by PC Pro magazine.  It won because it detected and removed the most pieces of spyware but it didn't find all of them.  As a result, we'd recommend installing a second program such as eWido Security Suite to give you some extra protection.  Both pieces of software will happily co-exist together.

Before we start, it's worth pointing out that PC Tools Spyware Doctor is not free but costs a very resonable £20 for the software and a years worth of updates.  However, you can download a trial version that will detect but not remove any spyware that it finds and it's this version that we'll be using in this tutorial.  Alternatively, if you buy the latest issue of PC-Pro magazine (cover date December 2005) they've got a special version that is fully functional for the next 6-months on the CD or DVD that accompanies the magazine.

To get started, click on the links to the left.