Recommended Security Software

Security professionals all agree that antivirus is not enough protection for your computer, Computer-Cleanups.com recommends that all home computers should have the following programs installed:

• An anti-virus scanner with real time scanning and email scanning,
• An anti-spyware scanner to scan for spyware & other malware,
• A software firewall to monitor the traffic in and out of your computer,
• A system monitor to protect your operating system files, and
• A safe hosts file to block malicious websites.

In most cases we do not recommend the 'security suites' that package all of these things into one installation. Often one component of the suite is excellent while other components are not up to scratch. Suites often place large demands on your computer's memory and resources.

Instead we recommend individual applications that are all leaders in their particular field. Listed below are our recommeded security software packages. Those marked with an asterisk * have free versions available.

Anti Virus Scanners
Almost everyone has an anti-virus scanner on their computer and is familiar with what they do, however AV's are only useful if they are kept up to date. All reputable anti-virus vendors regularly update their virus definitions and you should make sure that your software is set to update automatically every day.

Only install ONE anti-virus scanner on your computer, or you could end up with conflicts.

We recommend:
NOD32 - best overall
Avira Antivir* - best free antivirus
AVG* - also very good

 

Anti Spyware Scanners
Like AVs, anti-spyware software scans your computer looking for malware. The differences between viruses and spyware is subtle and we are not going to discuss it here, but this article has some useful insights.

As with AV's you should update your AS software and run scans regularly.

We recommend:
AVG Antispyware*
SuperAntiSpyware*

 

Firewalls
The job of a firewall is simple - it monitors the traffic in and out of your computer and alerts you if anything unusual is going on.

It does not try to recognise malware, instead it simply monitors internet connections and allows or denies access according to a predefined set of rules.

Only install ONE firewall on your computer or you could end up with conflicts.

We recommend:
Comodo* for advanced computer users
Kerio free* for novices

 

System Monitor (Intrusion Detection)
A system monitor is a piece of software that runs silently on your computer and constantly checks your machine for any changes. It will alert you of any attempts to install software or change system files.

We recommend:
ProcessGuard - for advanced computer users
Win Patrol* - for beginner to intermediate users

 

Hosts File
A hosts file can be used to block access from your computer to known malicious websites. The hosts file maps website names to IP addresses and is used by your browser to save time when looking for websites. If you put a line in your hosts file that maps a dummy IP address for a particular website then your browser will not be able to find that site.

Details of how the hosts file works can be found in the recommended link below, along with full instructions for downloading & installing.

We recommend:
This hosts file*