DIY FREE SECURITY TOOLKIT
Make your own security suite with Nathan Taylor.
Make your own security suite with these free tools.
So you’re not keen on paying $100 per year for software security? It’s easy enough to create your own suite with the right set of free apps. Below, we’ve listed our top free security apps by category — just install a selection of these and you’ll have a free toolkit all of your own making.
ANTI-MALWARE: AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS
www.avast.com A lot of the major anti-virus companies offer free anti-malware now, but none of the other free apps offer quite as many features as Avast.
It removes potentially unwanted applications (PUPs) as well as malware; it checks for and manages software updates for other applications, it has a system optimiser and a performance scanner, a rescue disk, web protection, and it has an inbuilt password manager. (When it comes to the latter, we still prefer to use Last-Pass but if you’re not interested in having another app then this gets the job done.)
FIREWALL: GLASS-WIRE FREE
www.glasswire.com While Windows Firewall is perfectly fine, if you really want a top-class firewall, you should check out GlassWire Free. The reporting functions of GlassWire are miles ahead of Windows’ Firewall, with full reports of all network activity for 30 days, broken down by user, app and location. It can monitor usage and send alerts if you’re in danger of going over your monthly download quota, and you can even monitor several computers and devices at once from a single PC.
ANTI-TRACKING: DISCONNECT BASIC
disconnect.me Disconnect Basic is an essential browser add-on for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera. Its core function is to block your browser from talking to services you probably don’t want it talking to. It blocks social media widgets that can be used to track you and prevents third-party tracking cookies from advertising agencies. It also tries to force HTTPS, ensuring as many connections as possible have end-to-end encryption.
PASSWORD MANAGER: LASTPASS
lastpass.com The world’s most popular password manager is still our go-to recommendation. A cloud-based service that you can install on multiple devices (though syncing to mobile platforms requires a US$1 per month sub), LastPass has all the features you could ask for in a password manager. It supports two-factor authentication, including Google Authenticator, and all encryption/decryption is done locally, so you don’t have to worry about LastPass getting hacked.
BACKUP: CODE42 CRASHPLAN
www.crashplan.com Although we’re not happy with some of the recent changes and restrictions placed on the app, CrashPlan’s unique ability to create backups across multiple PCs still makes it our top pick. You can back up your system to another PC running CrashPlan, and that other PC can back up to yours, for example. It’s a very clever system, and available for free. Code42 only charges for the optional cloud backup.
PARENTAL CONTROLS: NORTON FAMILY BASIC
family.norton.com It used to be the case that free parental control solutions were simply terrible. No more — there are actually a number of free solutions around now that do a great job or managing your kids’ internet activity. Of those, Norton Family remains a top pick for us, even though Norton has recently reduced the features it offers for free.
Like the best parental control applications, it’s about working with your child to manage online activity. It does block inappropriate sites, but it also provides reports on what sites they’re visiting and how much time
“It does block inappropriate sites, but it also provides reports on what sites they’re visiting and how much time they’re spending on certain activities.”
they’re spending on certain activities. As an alternative to Norton, you can also try Open-DNS Family Shield ( www.opendns.com/home-internet-security), a tool that uses DNS to block sites. You can set it up on a router so that all the devices in your home are covered.
SECURE BROWSER: EPIC PRIVACY BROWSER
www.epicbrowser.com Based on Chromium (the browser engine used by Chrome), Epic Privacy Browser is built to protect you against all the ways that your web browser can sell you out. It blocks tracking scripts and cookies in much the same way that Disconnect does, runs incognito mode by default, forces HTTPS, and even does things like stop Google URL checks and installation IDs. All your web searches are routed through a proxy to anonymise them and it even includes a proxy service for access to otherwise restricted sites.
MOBILE SECURITY: AVAST MOBILE SECURITY & ANTIVIRUS
www.avast.com/free-mobile-security Much like its free desktop solution, Avast’s free Android security app offers more features than many paid apps. It includes a malware scan, of course, and there’s also a call blocker (preventing selected numbers from calling), an application permission check, Wi-Fi security notifications and the ability to password protect apps.
What it does not include is a phone tracker or anti-theft tool, presumably because these days, Google and Apple have that pretty well covered already with Android Device Manager and Find My iPhone.
If Avast is not doing it for you, then we can also recommend NQ Mobile Security ( www.nq.com) as an excellent alternative. It adds both safe browsing and anti-theft.
OTHER USEFUL APPS
This list is certainly not exhaustive. Here are some of our favourite extra apps you can try:
CCleaner ( www.piriform.com/ccleaner), a top tool for clearing the gunk off your PC. It clears cookies, unwanted apps, old registry entries and unwanted startup objects.
BitDefender Clueful Privacy Advisor ( bitdefender.com), which does a better job than anyone of evaluating risky apps you might have installed on your phone or tablet.
Unchecky ( unchecky.com), a simple app designed to keep you system clear of unwanted apps. Whenever a new app you install provides an ‘offer’ (in other words, crapware you don’t want), Unchecky will automatically uncheck the option to install it.