- How-To Booklet
- 1. How to protect your computer from malware and hackers
- 2. How to protect your information from physical threats
- 3. How to create and maintain secure passwords
- 4. How to protect the sensitive files on your computer
- 5. How to recover from information loss
- 6. How to destroy sensitive information
- 7. How to keep your Internet communication private
- 8. How to remain anonymous and bypass censorship on the Internet
- Glossary
- Hands-On Guides
- Avast - anti-virus
- Spybot - anti-spyware
- Comodo - firewall
- KeePass - secure password storage
- TrueCrypt - secure file storage
- Cobian - backup
- Undelete Plus - file recovery
- Eraser - secure file removal
- CCleaner - temporary file removal
- Riseup - secure email service
- Pidgin + OTR - secure instant messaging
- VaultletSuite - secure mail client
- Thunderbird + Enigmail - secure mail client
- Firefox - Web browser
- Tor - anonymity and circumvention
- portable security
FAQ and Review
Submitted by genner on Thu, 11/20/2008 - 22:55.
Both Elena and Nikolai find Spybot to be a comprehensive and easy-to-use program. Its critical function--keeping a computer free from spyware--is performed automatically. Although they are a little nervous about allowing or denying changes in response to different TeaTimer queries, they both feel that they will learn to distinguish real processes from malicious ones as they gain experience.
Q: What happens to the spyware programs Spybot has found in past searches if I uninstall the program? Do they remain on my computer in 'quarantine', or have they actually been removed?
A: When you uninstall Spybot, it will delete all items held in quarantine as well.
Q: Nikolai, I keep losing some cookies and trackers I find useful. How can I prevent them from being fixed or removed?
A: Don’t worry. There are a couple of ways to protect useful cookies and trackers. First, after Spybot has scanned your system, it will list all the problems and threats it has detected there. Click on each one to reveal more information about each item, and to help you decide what you want to either delete or keep. Alternatively, launch Spybot and then select Mode > Advanced > Settings. Here, you can specify with greater accuracy which items you would like to omit from your search and destroy missions.
Q: Is Spybot difficult to uninstall?
A: Actually, it’s pretty easy. Simply Select > Start > All Programs > Spybot – Search & Destroy > Uninstall Spybot S&D.
Q: I have a slow Internet connection. How can I optimize the download speed for the detection rules and immunization database?
A: Make sure you select the database updates that correspond to your area or region of the world where you live. No point updating a database located on a server based in Asia when you’re living in Europe, if you cannot spare the bandwidth. The regions are clearly marked by flags, and so you should be able to identify the server nearest to you quite easily.
Q: How come Spybot doesn’t automatically update its detection rules and immunization databases when I open it?
A: Automatic updates happen on the network and professional versions of Spybot. Given that you are using a free version, some features are unavailable. Still, manually updating Spybot's detection rules and immunisation databases is relatively easy. Here is a handy Flash animation to show you how to update your system manually: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/howto/update.hs.html
4.1 Review questions
- What is malware and how can it infect your computer?
- What is the purpose of TeaTimer?
- When you delete something with Spybot, is it possible to recover it later?
- Apart from looking for and destroying malware, what are Spybot's other functions?