Free Security & Privacy Software

A firewall stops computers from outside accessing the data on your own computer or network. This firewall will stop traffic from passing both ways - so if you should have some unauthorised program trying to access the internet from your computer, it will stop that too unless you say it's OK. This is great if you should get a malicious program on your computer as it cannot communicate any information back to another computer without your say so.

If you need a firewall on your computer then this is probably the best free software firewall currently available. If you are using the Windows XP firewall, then you still need to use this as the Windows one only stops the unauthorised incoming traffic not outgoing!

I think pretty much everyone is aware of what spyware is by now, so next to a good firewall and anti-virus software, some spyware scanning software is also essential. Spyware Terminator is better than a simple scanner though, it offers realtime protection, aswell as manual or scheduled scans, and regular definition updates. This program is the Lessfuss anti-virus of choice!

Super Anti Spyware is very much like Spyware Terminator above. Why two anti-spyware programs? Sometimes a single program will not detect all threats or installed spyware on your system, so a second scanner is useful to double check - especially if you are still experiencing any problems.

Malware just means MALicious softWARE - These include programs that can detect which keys you press to capture your passwords, software that hijacks your system allowing it to be used by someone else, to ones that use your computer to send out spam without your knowledge. BOClean can detect these threats, and more.

AVG is an excellent piece of anti-virus software, especially as it is free! It has a real time sheild, email scanning, aswell as regular definition updates, and manual scanning. Don't have any anti-virus software installed? Then you really need it, and you need it now!

KeyPass allows you to put all your usernames and passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk. All you have to remember is one single master password or insert the key-disk to unlock the password database. With so many websites and services requiring you to remember more and more usernames and passwords, this software is an indispensible aid.

The database is encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish), which makes it next to impossible to access without the correct master password. For safe storage of sensitive data and piece of mind, this program is highly recommended!

From the makers of Spyware Terminator (above), we have Crawler Parental Control. If you need to ensure your computer is only used for certain tasks while you are away, or you want to protect your children while they browse the internet, then this program will help. The program has content control, usage logging (with email notification), system and program/application restriction, and even time control (determine how long a user or child uses your computer or spends online). A great all round tool for securing your computer, or protecting your kids!

Protecting your children is easy when there is software like this available. It really has nothing to do with your own understanding of computers. Many people fail their children by not being bothered to do something in the first place.

If you have private, secret or sensitive information to store, then you may wish to encrypt it so that it cannot be viewed by unauthorised users without the right key or password. AxCrypt has Double-click integration, which makes it as easy to open, edit and save encrypted files as it is to work with unencrypted files. It has many additional features, with no configuration required - just install it and use it. Very useful for sending sensitive documents by email or for carrying on a USB drive for extra security. Although the encryption is very secure at 128 bit, it's only as secure as the passwords you use, so always make them as long as you are able to remember!

Eraser is an advanced security tool, which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. If you have ever sold a PC or upgraded a hard drive and wanted to make sure all information was removed completely before selling it, then Eraser is well suited for the job.

Most people have some data that they would rather not share with others - passwords, personal information, classified documents from work, financial records, the list could be continued forever. Just dropping it into the recycle bin DOESN'T do it - even when you empty the re-cycle bin it still there! Windows just marks the space as useable, but the data still exists on your hard drive. This is when Eraser comes to the rescue, by overwriting the area in a pre-selected pattern, making the data unreadable. [NOTE: You should NEVER sell or give away hard drives that havn't been wiped properly].