This article addresses one of the tools I use in the workstation environment for virus and adware scanning/prevention.
My spyware/adware/clotware prevention tool is Ad-Aware SE Professional, from http://www.lavasoftusa.com. They have a free version, called Ad-Aware Personal, which I'd highly recommend as a periodic scanning tool for ad-hoc discovery of various pests. Note the free version does nothing to prevent vermin from getting into your system, but it does a nice job of removing them. The software provides a periodic update service; one quick download, and you have the latest definitions file. The software provides the a variety of properties for file and directory selection, but I'd recommend a full scan of all directories the first few times (even though it may take a while, depending on system speed and number of files).
Tips for Ad-Aware:
- Prior to scanning, clear your temp directory: right-click on “Start“ and click “Explore“. Windows Explorer will open at the root of the logged-in user settings. Navigate to “Local Settings“, “Temp“ and delete any items you find in the directory.
- Prior to scanning, clear your browser cache: right-click on the IE icon and select “Properties“. In the General Tab, there's a section called “Temporary Internet Files“. Click “Delete Files“ to delete cached files. Clear offline content too, unless you work with cached pages while offline.
- Prior to scanning, review your “Add/Remove Programs“ section in Control Panel. You might spot some programs installed therein, especially if you share your system with other people.
- For Advanced Users Only: review the contents behind the “View Objects” button in the previous step.These objects are various COM and ActiveX controls on your system. Some are safe: wupdate, mcafee, and the like. However, if you see one that is represented by a GUID only, it is suspect. Further, if you see some names you don't recognize (or those you do as harmful) do a Google search on these names and see what other users have found. One of my favorite sites for this is http://www.iamnotageek.com. This chap has some terrific finds.
Once you've scanned, reboot the system. Note: Ad-Aware may suggest you reboot to remove objects that were in use (harmful processes running during the deletion stage) and run Ad-Aware again.
The biggest benefit off the Ad-Aware Professional is the the Ad-Watch program. This is a component that runs on startup and protects your system in real-time. The program has a spiffy event log so you can review detected activities, and it provides the means to set rules on activities you'd like to allow (some helpful programs make modifications to the registry).