Secure Your Data with WinOptimizer

very good
key review info
application features
  • Disable unaithorized data transmissions and deactivate potential spy functions;
  • (2 more, see all...)

Privacy and Security

Maintaining your data safe does not simply imply having anti-malware solutions working for you, but also the possibility of performing a clean deletion of files as well as keeping them encrypted. The Privacy and Security module in Ashampoo WinOptimizer puts at your disposal an application for disabling unauthorized data transmissions in certain software (AntiSpy), a program for safely deleting files and folders (File Wiper), and one for encrypting and decrypting them (File Encrypter and Decrypter).

Together, they are designed to enforce better protection of your files and data leaks via various communication channels. You get to make sure that deleted files and folders stay deleted and no software solution can bring them back. The module also lets you keep the private files private through encryption algorithms.

AntiSpy

Its name leads you into thinking that you are, in fact, dealing with an anti-spyware product. However, the reality is that AntiSpy was built to offer you some Windows and other program tweaks that otherwise may allow others to compromise your privacy. It is not all an attempt to root out spyware and other types of snooping malware. Overall, what AntiSpy actually does is prevent your system from communicating to the Microsoft mother-ship servers through the services and programs integrated in Windows details about your system.

The application lets you edit the settings manually or use the quick configuration by automatically optimizing the configuration. Of course, all changes can be reverted to Windows defaults at any time and with absolutely no fuss.

AntiSpy's areal includes some services in Windows, network and system settings. Windows built-in software like Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player are not forgotten either, and the application supplies some configuration for them, too.

Regarding the services, first on the list of AntiSpy is the error-reporting service, which lets you transmit reports on various errors you encounter while using the system, the endgame being that Microsoft creates updates to plug the wholes generating the error in the first place. As the report may include details you don't want to share, this is disabled by many users.

In this case, you are presented with three options: allow the service to do its job for all errors, permit it to pop up only in case of critical errors, or restrict it, even if the service is active. To feel more comfortable, the service can be completely disabled, but not from AntiSpy app, because this option is greyed out (works on XP). However, you can resort to the StartUp Tuner of Optimize Performance module to do this or dive directly into the service manager in Windows to turn it off.

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Other services included in this area are Windows Messenger, which is not available in Vista, and Windows Time Service. The latter synchronizes your computer's clock with a time server so that time is always accurate on your machine. The possibilities here are to disable the service altogether or to enable time synchronization.

The Network section refers to the network shares and the Remote Desktop service, which is the core for enabling full remote access to your computer via the network or the Internet. The options for remote assistance comprise allowing users to remotely connect to your system, allowing remote assistance invitations to be sent from your system, or permitting remote access to the desktop of your computer. Unchecking all three options will result in denying remote assistance.

As for the network shares, AntiSpy lets you modify the default administrative share creation in Windows. By doing this, users with administrative rights won't be able to access all the drives on your system. You can also impose additional restrictions to the system's CD drives, or allow guest users to view network shares and installed user accounts.

The software suspected of transmitting data off your computer and that AntiSpy considers as yet another cause of information leakage are Internet Explorer and Media Player. They come with a set of functions that, indeed, sent data off, but there should be nothing to worry about. However, you have the possibility to deny Windows authentication via which web pages can uniquely identify your computer.

A more technical description would be that it is used for automatically authenticating connections between Microsoft Internet Information Services, Internet Explorer, and other Active Directory-aware applications. So, the basic line is that only if you are using these services would your data be sent off, but the entire exchange is cryptographic.

More down-to-earth privacy protection is available through emptying the temporary files upon closing Internet Explorer. This option together with turning off the auto-complete function are available in the Internet Explorer page of the Software section in AntiSpy. However, both options can be dealt with straight from the Internet Options menu of Internet Explorer.

Windows Media Player is the second software on the list that can be tweaked to prevent data transmission. Just like in the case of Internet Explorer, all the settings available for this section are also present in Windows Media Player, either in the exact same form or rephrased to the user's understanding.

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The online functions cover the automatic download of codecs, obtaining necessary licenses before playing protected files, obtaining missing data from the Internet, sending info about Media Player usage to Microsoft and allowing websites to read Media Player's unique ID. More options are present under the Privacy section and offer you the possibility to add audio files to the library when you play them and saving the file and URL history in the program.

AntiSpy's final area is system-related and comprises security and privacy options. Under Security, you can enable/disable the Windows Script Host to execute script files and password saving for dial-up access. The former is particularly important because, even if WSH can automate Windows applications and processes, it can be exploited by malware as well. On the bright side, some antivirus programs offer the means to control the scripts running in the Windows Script Host environment.

Privacy options let you overwrite page files with zeros and clearing the recent document list upon shutting down Windows. Both of them are useful, but take into consideration that overwriting page files will slow down the shutdown process of the system.

AntiSpy does not provide miracle features, but only gathers a bunch of them, which are available in Windows under the same roof. The levels of unauthorized data transmission it prevents and spy functions it makes reference to are limited to a few services and software options that can be manually dealt with.

File Wiper

Deleting your data is one of the simplest operations, but don't think for a minute that, once you remove the files from the Recycle Bin, they are irrecoverable. There is specialized software on the market dedicated to retrieving Shift+Del'ed information easily and with the least effort.

The File Wiper in WinOptimizer will restore the confidence of forever deleting data by overwriting it several times with random data. It features three solid wipe standards, as well as a variety of options to make the process impossible to reverse using software solutions.

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For securely deleting the files and folders, File Wiper lets you choose between a standard algorithm, the Gutmann method, and the DoD 5220.22-M military standard. All three of them are great, but there are some differences: while the standard algorithm overwrites the data three times and the military standard uses seven passes in the process, neither of them compares to the 35 overwrites performed by the Gutmann standard, which basically makes the data impossible to recover.

Some additional options let you enable renaming the files and folders before deleting, which is a recommended action if you want to make pinpointing the sensitive data almost impossible, should someone try to recover it. Deleting empty folders after wiping can also come in handy, just like using the test mode, which preserves the name of the files visible in Windows Explorer, but overwrites all content.

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File Wiper is as flexible as can be when it comes to adding files just to send them to oblivion, as it supports both drag and drop as well as multiple selection, making all the work a whole lot easier. Once added to the list, you can remove any of the items. With folders, however, you will have to browse to the desired location and you cannot wipe more than one folder, as much as you would try. The Recycle Bin items are also subject to wiping and the special section in File Wiper is the living proof of that.

File Encrypter and Decrypter

More privacy for your files can be attained by encrypting all your sensitive data so that no unauthorized person can take a peek inside the goody basket. Ashampoo WinOptimizer integrates a file-encrypting and -decrypting application that implies a zero effort from the user's part.

The menu is simple, just like in the case of other apps included in the suite, but there are no options to configure this time. All you have to do is click on one of the choices (Encrypt a File or Decrypt an Encrypted File) and follow the instructions.

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The Encryption puts at your disposal a set of options to make the process more comfortable and easier to be handled by someone that does not have WinOptimizer installed. It lets you set a protecting password for the encryption and provides you with the possibility to create a self-extracting file (decryption engine is included), or enable the deletion of the original file after the process has successfully finished.

Everything works like a charm and, to make sure that the password typed in by the user is not too weak, they are required to supply a 4-16-character-long countersign. Keep in mind that the passwords are case-sensitive and losing them means losing all the data they encrypt.

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Decrypting the file is even easier, as in this case there is absolutely no option available and you have to enter the required password only once. If the data was wrapped in a self-extracting container, you would need absolutely nothing to decrypt it. A simple double-click on the file starts the included decrypter, asking you to type in the correct password.

No fuss, no effort, no headache. The application does its job quickly and responsibly, offering you safe containers for sensitive files that cannot be decrypted without the right countersign. Self-decrypting archives are great, if you want to send a secured file to someone who does not have WinOptimizer installed, because the file can still be decrypted with the correct password.

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CleanUp System, Optimize PerformanceTune System Settings, Diagnosis and Information, File Tools, General Conclusions

user interface 4
features 3
ease of use 5
pricing / value 3


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good