Top 3 Anti-Spyware Applications

As most surfers will testify to, one of the biggest annoyances that have emerged in the last few years is the virtually unchecked growth of Spyware. The situation has grown so bad, that today nearly 1 in every 4 PCs is infected with some Spyware/Adware or Trojan.

Keeping this in mind, we focus on 3 anti-spyware apps that are free and offer a good range of features. Each of these downloads have been selected with care and are easily the most popular in their category.

Spybot Search and Destroy

Publisher: PepiMK Software
File Size: 4919 Kb
OS: Windows (All)

Spybot S&D as it is popularly known has been around for a long time now. It was established at a time when spyware was still in its infancy. Since then its author Patrick Micheal Kolla has worked and refined this program to keep up with the ever-evolving spyware market. As a result even today Spybot S&D remains, one of the major forces in the fight against spyware. This wonderful and free program is capable of removing malware, spyware, adware and Trojans. It also gets timely updates, which include signatures for new Trojans/spywares, new help files and any new features that are necessary. All in all, it remains our first choice for spyware protection.

Lavasoft Ad-aware SE Personal

Publisher: Lavasoft
File Size: 2788 Kb
OS: Windows (All)

Lavasoft like Spybot S&D, is another veteran in the fight against spyware. Since their inception in 1999, their popular software has been downloaded more than 200 million times and is today regarded as one of the definitive programs in the fight against spyware. The version we have chosen here is simply called SE personal and offers protection against dialers, browser hijackers and malware. Like Spybot S&D it offers timely Internet-based auto-updates to its anti-spyware database, has a very fast file scanner and actually offers a deep-level scanner that can root out even the most potent spyware. This is a good move, as deep-level scanners are normally not found in free products.

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Though the program we are mentioning here is a free one and offers lesser features as compared to its paid versions, it is still full-featured enough to keep your system clean of most spywares and Adware Trojans.

Windows Defender

Publisher: Microsoft
File Size: 5268 Kb
OS: Windows XP

Windows Defender as the name suggests is a Microsoft offering. After having faced criticism for years on the lack of security and spyware prevention being present in their OS, Microsoft in a pre-emptive move decided to purchase a spyware product called GIANT Antispyware. This acquisition was to serve as the birth for Windows Defender, Microsoft’s own anti-spyware which is free and is available to anyone who uses a valid copy of their OS ranging from Windows XP upwards. It has in fact been embedded into Windows Vista and is updated centrally via Windows Update.

Microsoft Defender for a free product offers a whole plethora of functions that are normally found in paid products. Unlike others which can just merely scan and remove spyware and Trojans, Windows defender offers a real-time shield which actively works with the OS to prevent the system from getting infected. Its real time scanning is quite comprehensive and monitors virtually everything from file-creation to changes I.E and even keeps a watch on crucial Windows services and startup files. It receives its updates via automatic push and is therefore kept well updated. Overall for its fantastic support for spyware prevention and great file scanning, this product is just right to be included in our roundup.

Jayesh Mansukhani