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Written: Jun 30 '06 (Updated Jul 01 '06)
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| Full Review |
When everyone around me, family and coworkers, were beginning to feel the pinch of sluggish machines and constant mini browser pop up advertisements back in early 2005, being the helpful person that I am, I tried diligently to help rid them of their spyware infestation. Not only was manually removing them taxing and time consuming, it took a lot of research, and I still could not ensure it was all gone. What I needed was an automated process to do this and to try to prevent it as much as possible.
Chewing the people out for browsing anywhere and downloading anything was not working, so I began my quest for the “Holy Grail”, a spyware program that was most effective. I tested at least five different programs that came up in the Google search. Avoid the free ones; you get what you pay for. Sadly enough, a couple of the $20 – $40 programs that I tested also were not very effective in eliminating spyware even though I knew what spyware was on the machine. This had me concerned. Was there not a single program out there that could be my Knight In Shining Armor, the one I could always count on?
Finally, I found Pest Petrol. I downloaded the software and ordered the CD because it is only a matter of time before one has to format (one rule of thumb with computers) or reinstall. I would need this CD to quickly protect myself again once I formatted or changed hard drives (also only a matter of time).
I was pleasantly surprised that Pest Patrol not only caught spyware that the other programs did not, it found many, many more I was unaware I had. I swear by this product as long as they stay on tops of things.
I once lost my Cd with my Pest patrol and needed to reinstall, and I contacted eTrust and explained my situation. It was no problem. They sent me a new CD FREE! Now that’s going beyond most customer services.
Features of Pest Patrol
Pest Patrol is really more than just a spyware remover. It always can make one aware of other types of potentially malicious software buried on your hard drive.
ˇ Mem Checker – This allows for Pest Patrol to continuously scan your memory for “pests” as they call it and notify you by a noticeable alarm when it finds something questionable (usually spyware) loaded into your memory. Remember, there always needs to be a reboot after spyware has been removed because it’s probably still running in your memory.
ˇ Cookie Patrol – Cute bleeps and plots notifies the user whenever a cookie is trying to be placed on your hard drive. The sounds CAN be shut off, but I kind of like listening to it to let me know which sites are trying to put things on my machine without my consent or knowledge.
ˇ Updater -- This feature can be set to automatically update each time the user boots up or manually to update. I set mine to be automatic. I’m not taking any chances.
ˇ Pest Patrol – The main core of the program that is customizable to scan your drive(s) and which folders (even Recycle Bin!) and what types of “pests” it will look for. This portion of the program may intimidate many users or people new to spyware or computers altogether. I will go into detail on how to customize it.
Pest Patrol Scan
This tab allows the user to select All Hard Drives or particular folders, hard drives, floppy, or even CD-Rom Drives. To do a complete scan, especially if you suspect any spyware or it is your first time to install, I would check All Hard Drives.
Options
The Options Tab Includes some of the most important things to consider when trying to identify spyware: Where To Search, What To Search For, What To Exclude, Automatic Scans, Interface, Updates, and Help Wanted.
Where To Search
The Options are denoted with radial buttons, check marks, and Selected Files which can be selected with a Sliding Menu. Selections can be saved if you wish. I always keep mine set as All Files, and I believe this is where novices have the most trouble. They tend to leave the default settings to just specific files, and spyware may have nothing to do with those files or how they were activated in the first place! Please select All Files. I know it will take longer to scan, and if you have a slow machine, it will cause it to run slower while running (I always have mine running to catch something as I get it if it’s already identified).
There are Scan Tree Root options of Desktop and Administrative Shares depending on your certain needs.
Finally, there is the Scan Shell Tree Options with Show Hidden and Show Files. I have not noticed any difference in the ability to find “pests” with either checked or unchecked.
What To Search For
Here’s another important area that new users would not be aware is important. There are all sorts of malicious pests out there that your hard drive could harbor (mine included!), and I feel safer if most, if not all, are checked. These options are:
Adware -- Those annoying softwares that force unwanted ads to your computer whether you consented to it unknowingly or not. These run continuously in your memory tracking your browsing habits and reports this data back to a central ad server location so they can send you more advertisements tailored to your browsing needs! It violates your privacy, and this should be checked on.
Annoyance A trojan that does not cause damage except to annoy a user. But it’s annoying just the same. It’s a good idea to leave this checked.
ANSI Bomb This pest would cause your keyboard to display different unwanted things. Although I haven’t run into this type of pest before, I leave mine checked on.
AOL Pest This is for pests targeting AOL users whether as a password stealer, an exploit, Denial of Service attack, or any ICQ hack targeting AOL users. I do not use AOL or any AOL messenger, but I still leave it checked on. So, I’m paranoid. J
AV Killer This is a hacking tool that tries to disable a user’s anti-virus software so the pest cannot be detected and can reek havoc. This has happened to me before, and even Windows Task Manager could not see the trojan that was on my son’s machine. This was shut off on his machine, so I would recommend to have it turned on.
Backdoor It’s a back way into YOUR machine as some softwares, even legitimate ones such as Logitech, uses to auto update. But the malicious backdoor, well, they can do pretty much whatever they want. My son had someone that shut off his firewall while we slept, and they did all sorts of malicious things such as send out emails to friends with embarrassing information all from his machine! Once eliminated, and it wasn’t easy, I stressed to him the importance of not shutting this program off. He complained how slow it ran because of it, so I upgraded him to 2 Gig, and he doesn’t notice the slow down anymore.
Bait This is not a pest according to Pest Patrol, but it is only used in assessing how a product responds when a pest is identified. Being a paranoid person, I have it checked to find. Hahaha! I told you I was paranoid.
Binder This is a tool that combines two or more files into a single file just to hide them on you! When the host file is launched, it decompresses the malicious file. I would check this on.
Browser Helper Object Also seen in your registry as BHO. Many spywares add BHO keys to your registry that should not be there. This type of spyware will exploit Internet Explorer, go through all that you search with using the browser, replace banner ads with its own ads, will monitor your every browsing move, and report back to the originator where you are going. Another privacy invasion. Isn’t it sickening? These types of spywares also changes your home page to their search page which is a dead give away something is wrong. I would recommend this option is checked on.
Commerical RAT This searches for any commercial product that is used for remote administration without YOUR consent. I leave this one on.
Cracking Misc This is for any document or tool that gives help on how to remove copy protection. Since I don’t feel that’s a strong risk for me, I have it off on my machine but kept it On with my son’s machine.
Cracking Tool This will notify the user that there is something on your machine that has something that eliminates restrictions such as “hacked” .EXE files or any other type of “cracked” files that may be on your machine. Many games have “cracked” versions that allow for game play without the CD (which I like), so I have this Off on my machine but On with my son’s machine. I’m not taking any chances with him. He’s the one more at risk than I am with that sort of program.
Ddos This is to detect a Distributed Denial of Service attack that floods a single machine with many machines attacking the one machine. I have this checked On.
Dialer This is for trojans that dial toll numbers without YOUR knowledge or consent. I leave this checked On.
DOS This is to detect any Denial of Service programs which would flood a victim or overload their machine. I leave this checked On.
Downloader This is for a program that is to retrieve and install additional files. This is not talking about a download accelerator but a program that will install more files from another web site or ftp site with who knows what in it! I leave this checked On.
Dropper This is the part of a virus or trojan that installs the hostile code. I leave this check On.
Encryption Tool This searches for any software that can be used to scramble documents so that only the people with the correct codes can access it. For my purposes since I don’t use encryption right now, I leave it checked On. Should I begin to use encryption for things, I would remove this option since this program is very sensitive and will notify the user even of good software. It’s not very smart, but it’s as paranoid as I am, so I love it!
Error Hijacker This detects any software that changes your browser’s error pages. This could allow for rerouting of YOUR personal information and is a privacy concern. I leave this checked On.
Firewall Killer This searches for pests that disable firewalls. This is extremely important in your security. I keep this checked On.
Flooder This will detect known flooders that knock a person offline by flooding them through overpinging, and this is also called a Denial of Service attack. Back in the 1990’s, kids use to do this to me when we’d be on an online Battle.net game called Diablo. Oh, the humiliation of being knocked offline by a 13 year old! LOL
FTP Server This is for FTP servers that are installed without the user’s knowledge. This could be used to upload OR download files from or to your machine without your knowledge or consent. I leave this feature turned On.
Hacking Tutorial This will find any tutorials that explains how to hack into a system. I feel that my risk is low, so I have it turned Off, but it’s On with my son’s machine.
Hijacker This is a trojan that can change your browser’s home page and search options and redirect the user to other sites. Some programs can disallow the user to correct the redirect. And when this has infected your machine, it’s a real PAIN! I keep mine checked On.
Hoax This is just a warning from people that there is a trojan, virus, worm, or some other type of malicious activity and is sent to the user by email. I have this checked On, but it’s just a scare tactic. Should you ever receive an email like this, simply Google search the so-called virus and verify it. If it is a known hoax, you’ll see it.
Homepage Hijacker This is for any software that hijacks your home page to somewhere else. They can send your information through an unseen site. Your browser may react slower than normally. I leave this checked On.
Hostile Active X This checks for Windows programs that can be distributed from a web site and do basically anything that Windows can do! This means someone could delete your data off your hard drive or look up other information you may have in your files such as personal information, bank account information, credit cards, etc. I leave this checked On.
Hostile Java This would be for java applets that leave its barriers and explores the rest of your system. It is better to browse with Java turned off many would say. I leave this checked On.
Hostile Script This checks for .VBS, .WSH, .JS, .HTA, .JSE, .VBE extension files that many malicious hackers use to screw up a victim’s system. I leave this checked On.
HTTP Server This checks for user unaware installed HTTP server which allows someone to use a browser to look for YOUR information. I leave this setting checked On.
IRC War This searches for tools that use IRC for spoofing, snooping, sniffing, spamming, cracking passwords, harassing, fraudulent activities, forging, impersonating YOU, trespassing electronically, and all sorts of mischief. I leave this On especially since I use IRC occasionally.
Key Generator This is for tools that are created to break copy protections. I keep this set to On just in case.
Key Logger Definitely a must to be activated in my opinion. This will detect known Terminal Stay Resident programs that record all your keystrokes whether it’s typing an email or entering your credit card information to buy a purchase. This data is later sent to the malicious person. Always keep this On.
Loader This is to detect any program that is designed to load another program. I keep this on, but I have not had any problems with false positives either.
Mail Bomber This detects massive email senders that flood victims email boxes. I keep this On just because I hate spam. Haha.
Mailer This detects programs that creates and sends email with forged email headers. I keep this On.
Misc Tool This is to find any program that is designed to attack a system. I keep this checked On.
Notifier This detects any hidden notification to a hacker that the victim has his program installed and is running his program. I keep this checked On.
Nuker This is to detect programs that rummages through the registry to cause damage. I keep this checked On.
P2P This is for Peer-to-Peer file swapping. Many of those “free” services install spyware and slow your system down. Do not fall for those “free” file share sites. Nothing is free. I keep this checked On.
Packer These programs are for hackers that compresses their files. I keep this checked On even though I don’t suspect any hacking activity creation on my machine. Yes, I’m still paranoid.
Password Capture This is similar to the Key Logger as it steals passwords as the user enters or send it. Beware of trojans that imitate log ins. I keep this check On.
Password Cracker This detects programs that are used to decrypt your passwords. I keep this checked On.
Password Cracking Word List A hacker will try to bully his way into your system using this. I keep it check On just in case.
Phreaking Tool This detects tools that are used to imitate phone dialing on your system. I keep this checked On.
Port Scanner This detects programs that are used for scanning all the ports to see if one is open on a system. If one is open, there is always a possibility for letting one in. I keep this checked On.
Probe Tool This detects programs used to find your vulnerabilities. I keep this checked On.
Proxy This can be used to hide a hacker from its victim. I keep this checked On.
RAT This stands for Remote Administration Tool which is a trojan that can allow a hacker to remotely control YOUR machine! I keep this checked On.
Search Hijacker These detect hijackers, and I keep this On.
Sniffer This detects programs that enable a hacker to spy on your information between someone else and YOU. I keep this checked On.
SPAM Tool This is to detect programs that get email addresses from websites to eventually send spam. I keep this checked On.
Spoofer This searches for programs that can forge the identity of a hacker disallowing a trace back to the source. I keep this checked On.
Spyware This is a definite must. These programs slow your machine’s processes, runs continuously and upon boot up, gathers information and transmit it back to its source. Keep this On!
Spyware Cookie This detects cookies shared with unrelated sites about your browsing habits. I keep this On.
Surveillance Some softwares are made to use webcams, mics, and screen captures to spy and transmit to its source. I keep this checked On. So, I’m really paranoid now!
Telnet Server Telnet use to be a way to log into many machines. Although most servers block the port that was used, some are still allowing this. I keep this checked On. Why give a hacker an opportunity in case someone drops the ball?
Toolbar This detects toolbars that might be created by Browser Helper Objects. I keep this checked On.
Tracking Cookie This detects cookies that are shared among web pages to spy on YOUR browsing habits. I keep this checked On.
Trojan This checks for any known programs that are used to be downloaded onto your system unaware that there is danger. I keep this checked On.
Trojan Creation Tool This detects programs used to create trojans. I keep this on just because I feel better to think no on is creating that kind of mischief on my machine.
Trojan Source This is for detecting source codes of trojans. I keep this On. I would hope no one was using my resources for creating trojans, but one never knows.
Usage Tracks This allows someone to see what you have done on your machine. I keep this checked On.
Virus Creation Tool This detects programs that are designed to create viruses. I keep this On.
Virus Source This will find virus source data that has not yet been compiled. I keep this checked On.
Virus Tutorial Although there is probably low need for this, I still keep it On. LOL
War Dialer These program attempt to massively dial machines and try to get in. I keep this On.
Worm Creation Tool This finds programs used to make worms. I keep this checked On.
Although several of these selections are extremely low probability of receiving that type of file, my Pentium 4 can handle the extra searching, and that’s how I want it. I have seen devastation due to users thinking they were safe with their pants down. To me, it’s not worth the risk.
What To Exclude
This is the section where one can select certain areas of the machine such as Recycle Bin or whatever area of the machine they do not want to include in the search or which pests can be ignored. Yes, some programs identified as pests might be allowable and not really a pest. I do not get too many of these though.
Automatic Scans
This is the section to further secure your system from unwanted pests. I always have Scan On Boot selected. If you are running a slow machine such as a 1 GHz type of computer, this would be a very slow boot up. However, I think it is necessary to catch pests that will load on in your memory and take care of it as it is found. The faster one can disable the pest, the better. My son took the risk and kept it shut off and ended up with 300 lines of spyware on his machine. Talk about slowing down your system! He could hardly do anything. He now leaves the settings alone like his mother has it set. Good boy. I have also stressed to stay away from those “free” kids game sites. Remember, NOTHING is free!
Command lines can be added in this section along with its Memory Scanner. I “Invoke On Boot”. I want this program running and scanning at all times. I also have the Cookie Patrol loaded upon booting. It’s amazing at how many and which sites try to drop a cookie on your machine without your knowledge! This little program is priceless. It detects spyware cookies and deletes them for you. There is also a log in this section that shows which cookies were found and deleted and when you picked them up.
Interface
This is the section where the user can modify the interface in fonts, font sizes, colors, date formats, and alarm sound and “done” sound On or Off. I keep them On.
Updates
This section allows the user to select when Pest Patrol will update itself. I have On Launch of PestPatrol so I can get the latest then. This can be changed to On Exit or Do It Yourself. You can always update yourself when you launch Pest Patrol.
If you have a proxy server, you can input your proxy address and port here along with your proxy user ID and password.
Help Wanted
You can select if you want Pest Patrol to scan your results in your main searches. I do not do this. I’m still too paranoid even if Pest Patrol says they will not use personal information to identify you.
Logs Tab
Detected! Log
This section allows the user to view and research all suspicious pests and gives the user the ability to select them all, deselect them all, remove them, delete cookies, exclude items, clear the log, and submit the log. This is the area that I use to remove all the spyware.
Master Log
This shows the date, sequence number, your MAC address, which user on the computer, and the location and file name of the spyware found.
Restore
If you made a mistake, you can fix it here. This is the place where the user can restore something that was accidentally deleted as a pest but really wasn’t.
Info
Pest Info
Here the user can look through the Pest list to research more about the different types of known files that can harm their system. It lists the pests’ names, category types, type of problem it causes, a link to Pest patrol with further descriptions, who invented it and when. This area is interesting and makes you want to reach through the machine and throttle the creator if you have ever had major problems dealing with spyware.
About
As with all Windows programs, this section lists the versions of your programs and has a link to their website.
Advanced Tab
The user can select specific files to scan, and check the system’s running processes with much more information than Windows Task Manager. This tab shows the processes running on your system, the file name, the program associated with the file (ever wonder what the programs running were from what program?), if the status of the program is OK, the path where the file is located, the file size of the program itself, MD5 which is the check summing it uses to validate the file, the date and time of the file, the company name, and file description. Wow! That’s a lot of information. That’s not all. The Running Processes tab shows the Version, Internal Name, copyright information, any original file names, product name, and product version also. This is the most description viewer of processes that I have ever seen!
Startup Files
This area shows what is currently set to start the user from the registry. It also shows the paths of each registry file, the size, its check sum key, the date and time of the file, any company names and file descriptions, versions, internal names, copyrights, and product versions and names.
Cookies
This section shows the cookies that are currently active on your machine. It gives the web site address, how many hits you made to the site, date and time modified, when the cookie expires, and the full cookie address.
All of these options are accessible through the card tab menus or at the top with the tool menu.
All in all, I feel safer with Pest Patrol than any other spyware scanner. I have recommended it to employers and friends, and they are all pleased with the protection it has done for them too.
As for using the Online Store portion for my purchase, I had no problems with the order. I did make sure that I ordered a CD which was extra so my total purchase came to $39.95. Their customer service was beautiful when I misplaced my CD, and they shipped another one to me free of charge. This company not only allows me to feel more secure in my online habits, but they were pleasant to work with in ordering and satisfying my problem when one happened. I would recommend Pest Patrol for anyone’s spyware concern.
Thank you for reading.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
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