20 Free Windows Desktop Security Tools

20 Free Windows Desktop Security Tools 

1. AVG Free Edition - http://free.avg.com/
   
   * Award-winning antivirus and antispyware
   * Real-time safe internet surfing and searching
   * Quality proven by 80 million of users
   * Easy to download, install and use
   * Protection against viruses and spyware
   * Compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP
   
   Note: Adds a small ad to e-mails when using the e-mail scanner feature.
2. CCleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com/
   
   CCleaner is a freeware PC optimization tool. It combines a system cleaner that removes unused and temporary files from your system and also a fully featured registry cleaner!
   CCleaner allows Windows to run faster, more efficiently and gives you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's Small, Fast and Free!
   
   Note: Download CCleaner Slim for version without the toolbar.
3. SafeXP - http://www.theorica.net/safexp.htm
   * It allows you to take control of your PC.
   * Make Windows to run faster and more secure.
   * Protect your privacy and strength Internet protection.
   * Disable Spyware-like activities of Windows XP (also 2000&ME&98) Operating System, Media Player, Internet Explorer and Outlook.
   * Disable unnecessary Windows services like System updates, error reporting and much more...
   * Prevent Internet attacks, any RPC/DCOM related vulnerabilities and fix exploits like DSO.
   * Disable script-based attacks on Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer and Outlook.
   * Block Windows Messenger (spam) vulnerabilities.
   * Restrict the actions of potentially dangerous "HTA" (Hypertext Application) capabilities in any version of Windows.
   * It does not need any DLL or another file(s). It is just a single "EXE" file: SafeXP.exe
   * No installation necessary.
4. Finjan Secure Browsing - http://securebrowsing.finjan.com/
   
   * Scans the current form of a page as it available on the Web now, in real-time.
   * Detects malicious content based on code analysis, rather than using signatures like anti-virus products.
   * Provides the most accurate page safety rating based on the actual page content, rather than database lookup of web address like URL filtering products.
   * Doesn't track each and every URL you visit.
   * Doesn't require your identification details.
   * Doesn't install additional programs or change settings of your desktop.
5. xp-AntiSpy - http://www.xp-antispy.org/index.php/lang-en
   
   The xp-AntiSpy is a little utility that lets you disable some built-in update and authentication 'features' in WindowsXP.
6. Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
   
   Spybot - Search & Destroy is an anti-malware application designed for on-access and on-demand scanning and removal of various kinds of malware, including spyware, adware, hijackers and trojan horses.
7. TrueCrypt - http://www.truecrypt.org/
   
   * Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
   * Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.
   * Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).
   * Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
   * Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written as fast as if the drive was not encrypted.
   * Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:
   * Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.
   * Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: XTS.
8. Backup Chunker - http://www.xarka.com/chunker/download.html
   
   Backup Chunker is a freeware backup / synchronization program with unique features: multiple synchronization and versatile compression with strong encryption. The program is designed for both novice and advanced users, and has the following features:
   
   * Easy to setup backup tasks. Simple user interface. Unique approach to simple or complex backup & synchronization jobs.
   * Can copy files between many types of storage: Hard disks, burn CD/DVDs, USB drives, MP3 players, internet backup services (using WebDAV), FTP & Secure FTP servers and more.
   * Has the ability either to synchronize files, or synchronize with "chunks" which are small to medium sized compressed and/or encrypted zip archives. This is a very unique feature of Backup Chunker; you can back up all your files to small to medium sized archives (using the common zip or 7-zip format) that are both compressed and encrypted. On each backup, only the new and modified files are re-compressed, and only the affected chunks changed.
   * Can handle many different scenarios, like synchronizing files between many computers and storage devices. For example you can sync your home computer with a USB stick (using compression and encryption), and then your USB stick to your work computer. This way you can keep your computers synchronized and also have a compressed & encrypted backup copy on your key chain!
   * Archive format used is the common zip or 7-zip that can be extracted if required with any simple file compression utility.
   * Industrial strength encryption (AES-256) that has no back doors.
   * Extremely fast synchronization of thousands of files, even to locations on a network or the internet.
9. Asterisk Logger - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/astlog.html
   
   Many applications, like CuteFTP, CoffeeCup Free FTP, VNC, IncrediMail, Outlook Express, and others, allows you to type a password for using it in the application. The typed password is not displayed on the screen, and instead of the real password, you see a sequence of asterisk ('****') characters. This utility can reveal the passwords stored behind the asterisks in standard password text-boxes.
   Asterisk Logger is a successor of AsterWin utility. It reveals the asterisk passwords in the same way as AsterWin utility, but it has some advantages over the previous utility:
   
   * You don't have to press a button in order to reveal the asterisk passwords. Whenever a new window containing a password box is opened, Asterisk Logger automatically reveals the password inside the password-box, and add a record to passwords list in the main window of Asterisk Logger.
   * Asterisk Logger displays additional information about the revealed password: The date/time that the password was revealed, the name of the application that contains the revealed password box, and the executable file of the application.
   * Asterisk Logger allows you the save the passwords to HTML file and to 3 types of text files.
10. HijackThis - http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis
    
    HijackThis is a free utility which quickly scans your Windows computer to find settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs. HijackThis creates a report, or log file, with the results of the scan.
    
    IMPORTANT: HijackThis does not determine what is good or bad. Do not make any changes to your computer settings unless you are an expert computer user.
    
    Advanced users can use HijackThis to remove unwanted settings or files.
    
    Not an expert? Just save the HijackThis report and let a friend with more troubleshooting experience take a look. A large community of users participates in online forums, where experts help interpret HijackThis scan results to clean up infected computers.
11. Dial-A-Fix - http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Dial-a-fix
    
    Dial-a-fix is an advanced utility for 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows written by DjLizard in Borland Delphi 7 that repairs various Windows problems, such as:
    
    * Windows Update errors and problems with Automatic Updates
    * SSL, HTTPS, and Cryptography service (signing/verification) issues
    * COM/ActiveX object errors and missing registry entries
    * and more.
12. AirSnare - http://home.comcast.net/~jay.deboer/airsnare/
    
    AirSnare is another tool to add to your Wireless Intrusion Detection Toolbox. AirSnare will alert you to unfriendly MAC addresses on your network and will also alert you to DHCP requests taking place. If AirSnare detects an unfriendly MAC address you have the option of tracking the MAC address's access to IP addresses and ports or by launching Ethereal upon a detection.
13. Autoruns 9.5 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
    
    This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
14. Heidi Eraser - http://www.heidi.ie/node/6
    
    Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 2003 Server and DOS.
    Eraser is Free software and its source code is released under GNU General Public License.
    
    The patterns used for overwriting are based on Peter Gutmann's paper "Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory" and they are selected to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive.
    
    Other methods include the one defined in the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual of the US Department of Defence and overwriting with pseudorandom data. You can also define your own overwriting methods.
15. SUPERAntiSpyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/
    
    * Detect and Remove Spyware, Adware and Remove Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers, Parasites, Rootkits, Rogue Security Products and many other types of threats.
    * Light on System Resources and won't slow down your computer like many other anti-spyware products. Won't conflict with your existing anti-spyware or anti-virus solution!
    * Repair broken Internet Connections, Desktops, Registry Editing and more with our unique Repair System!
    * Real-Time Blocking of threats! Prevent potentially harmful software from installing or re-installing!
    * First Chance Prevention examines over 50 critical points of your system each time your system starts up and shuts down to eliminate threats before they have a chance to infect and infiltrate your system.
    * Schedule either Quick, Complete or Custom Scans Daily or Weekly to ensure your computer is free from harmful software.
16. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - http://malwarebytes.org/
    
    Malwarebytes is a site dedicated to fighting malware. Malwarebytes has developed a variety of tools that can identify and remove malicious software from your computer. When your computer becomes infected, Malwarebytes can provide the needed assistance to remove the infection and restore the machine back to optimum performance.
17. Zilla Free Anonymous Surfer - http://www.zillasoft.ws/
    
    Zilla Anonymous surfer stands as a personal proxy which allow you to surf the internet without being traced, advertisement and popups free browsing.it has 3 main categories:
    
    1. Masking Your IP Address: while surfing the internet your IP address is available to each server you visit. so you may be traced while surfing the internet
    and your ISP (Internet Service Provider) exactly knows what are you doing and what are you seeing online.Zilla Anonymous Surfer will change that IP address to another one so your ISP will notice that you are visiting the server of that new IP more and more.
    Masking your IP will slow down your connection so don't use it continuously. It is recommended to run it only when needed.
    2. Blocking Advertisements and Images: Some times while surfing the internet you may find an image or advertisement with adult contents or something else that you don't want to see. choose block images and you will browse the page without images in a professional look
    3. Killing popups: every internet user know these annoying popups that show up when trying to open a page or even leaving it. just run Zilla Anonymous Surfer and you will not see these popups again.
    
    Note: Version 4.3.0.1 is floating around somewhere.
18. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/cc184923.aspx
    
    Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is an easy-to-use tool that helps small and medium businesses determine their security state in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations and offers specific remediation guidance. Improve your security management process by using MBSA to detect common security misconfigurations and missing security updates on your computer systems. Built on the Windows Update Agent and Microsoft Update infrastructure, MBSA ensures consistency with other Microsoft management products including Microsoft Update (MU), Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Systems Management Server (SMS), System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007, and Small Business Server (SBS). Used by many leading third party security vendors and security auditors, MBSA on average scans over 3 million computers each week. Join the thousands of users that depend on MBSA for analyzing their security state.
19. THC-Hydra - http://freeworld.thc.org/thc-hydra/
    
    Number one of the biggest security holes are passwords, as every password security study shows. Hydra is a parallized login cracker which supports numerous protocols to attack. New modules are easy to add, beside that, it is flexible and very fast.
    
    Currently this tool supports:
    TELNET, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP-PROXY, SMB, SMBNT, MS-SQL, MYSQL, REXEC,
    RSH, RLOGIN, CVS, SNMP, SMTP-AUTH, SOCKS5, VNC, POP3, IMAP, NNTP, PCNFS,
    ICQ, SAP/R3, LDAP2, LDAP3, Postgres, Teamspeak, Cisco auth, Cisco enable,
    LDAP2, Cisco AAA (incorporated in telnet module).
20. I'm leaving the last, number 20, for you to decide. Please use the Guestbook to tell me what I am missing from my list. Thank you for your time.