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Spyware and Adware

Complement your Antivirus Software with ThreatFire Free

SUMMARY: ThreatFire Free can complement your antivirus software with other types of protection.

ThreatFire Free, available for personal use, is an application from PC Tools that complements your currently-installed anti-virus software. According to the website, this software can protect against various types of malicious and questionable behavior such as programs capturing keystrokes. This way you may be protected against recently-created malware that antivirus and anti-malware applications alone may miss.

Besides the default protections offered by this application you can add even more custom rules such as protecting the Hosts file, detecting when files are created with double extensions, and detecting suspicious screensaver files.


PC Tools ThreatFire



After installing ThreatFire Free, a tutorial will open in your default web browser. You can view this later by right-clicking the tray icon and choosing "Tutorial".

ThreatFire Free can be downloaded at the following address: http://www.threatfire.com/download/

If you want to download the free version, MAKE SURE to read all text onscreen before clicking the download link to ensure you are downloading the free version and not Spyware Doctor or another application.



Be sure to read the License Agreement before installing, especially the sections regarding the Community Protection option. Also note that "[s]ample malware files collected by PC Tools may be shared with other security providers for the sole purpose of creating signatures to protect against further spread of the specific threats".

For privacy, if you want to turn off Community Protection (note - for the free version this will disable automatic updates):

1. Right-click the ThreatFire icon and choose "ThreatFire" to open the main window.

2. Click the "Settings" button.

3. Click on "Community Protection", then click the "Disable Community Contributions" link.


Disabling Community Protection in ThreatFire



As with all software, it is recommended that you backup all important files and settings before installing.

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download. < more >