Is there any other alternative to Spybot Immunize feature?
Other than Spyware Blaster
Is this really helpful?
DO I really need this?
spybot’s immunize adds up entries in the hosts file.
You can use hostsman.
http://www.abelhadigital.com/
You can also use the MVPS Hosts service: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Just a tip, you’ll want to change 127.0.0.1 to 0.0.0.0 or 255.0.0.0, particularly if you have NoScript installed. Just make sure you leave the first 127.0.0.1 intact!
It has been a long time that I have given up on Spybot S&D as it has not kept up with the times like Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware (MBAM) especially its HOSTS files that do not go through the frequent validation checks that hpHosts and MVPS HOSTS files do.
I use HostsServer that is part of HostsMan package as a browser speedup proxy that can show the effectiveness of the HOSTS file if you Enable log and Log referrer in Preferences.
Please see:
Personal Web Servers and HOSTS file
Myth: there is no known documentation that proves a different prefix is faster than “127.0.0.1” … yes “0.0.0.0” is a valid alternative for users that are running a Web Server. Over the years some people try to prove that (example - 255.255.255.255) one prefix if faster … but they fail to see the big picture … most major security products have the ability to scan the HOSTS file and they accept the prefix “127.0.0.1”. What happens when one of these products has a fit when it encounters an unknown prefix? It’s safer to stay with the “industry standard” of 127.0.0.1http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hostsfaq.htm#PersonalI’ve tested “0.0.0.0” vs. “127.0.0.1” and see no noticeable difference when viewing various websites … don’t believe the hype that (example) “255.255.255.255” is a null address and therefore faster … this is simply not true, as you can see here that is an assigned address.