Friday, May 9, 2008

Spybot - Search & Destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.

To see a list of threats Spybot-S&D can remove, in the navigation bar at the left click on Support --> Threats. For an introduction to Spybot-S&D, please read the tutorial. If you fear incompatibility with other software you are now using, although we can assure you that there is no danger you can review our compatibility overview which lists some software whose compatibility has been analyzed.

Spybot-S&D can also clean usage tracks, an interesting function if you share your computer with other users and don't want them to see what you have been working on. And for professional users, Spybot-S&D allows you to fix some registry inconsistencies and extended reports. A list of all the application's features is also available.

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EMail-Security using GnuPG for Windows

Gpg4win is a installer package for Windows (2000/XP/2003/Vista) with computer programs and handbooks for EMail and file encryption. Both relevant cryptography standards are supported, OpenPGP and S/MIME (the latter is in progress and currently works with GnuPG2 and Claws Mail). Gpg4win and the software included with Gpg4win are Free Software.

You can choose all or some of the following modules during installation:

GnuPG: The core; this is the actual encryption tool
WinPT: A key manager and helper for various encryption matters
GPA: Another key manager, tasts are simply different
GPGol: A plugin for Microsoft Outlook 2003 (email encryption)
GPGee: A plugin for Microsoft Explorer (file encryption)
Claws Mail: A complete email program including the plugin for GnuPG

Documentation:

Gpg4win for Novices: A handbook specifically for newbies
Gpg4win für Durchblicker: A (German!) handbook about some background, for beginners

Gpg4win can be installed and tested with just a few mouse clicks. Of course you should be administrator of your system or have administration rights.

The best point to start is with the illustrative handbook Gpg4win for Novices.

We recommend to subscribe to the Gpg4win announcement mailing list to be automatically informed about new releases and other important Gpg4win news.

[ download ]
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