Windows only: Popular freeware anti-virus application AVG Free recently updated to AVG Free 2008. Aside from a general interface overhaul and faster performance, the updated anti-virus scanner has added several new features with a focus on web security. AVG is always at the forefront of the freeware anti-virus category, so unless you don't run anti-virus software, it's a great alternative to crappy Windows software.

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Windows only: Freeware, lightweight anti-spyware application ThreatFire monitors your computer for malware and blocks new threats in real time. There are a lot of freeware anti-spyware apps out there, but the difference between most of them and ThreatFire is the always-on, real-time protection—as opposed to on-demand scanning. The catch is, ThreatFire does not do on-demand scans in the free version. All that really means is that you can download one of the many other freeware options (like AVG Free and Ad-Aware, for example) for on-demand scans and run ThreatFire to cover any immediate threats in real-time. ThreatFire is freeware, Windows only. Everybody's got their favorite anti-virus and anti-malware apps, so let's hear yours in the comments.

Windows only: Lock down your PC and prevent unauthorised executable files from running with freeware application Trust-No-Exe. As the computer's administrator, you can set up a whitelist of clean executable files that you will allow to run and selectively block others. Once installed, Trust-No-Exe adds an entry to your Control Panel, from which you can tweak your whitelist and blacklist. If you're heading home to fix your mum and dad's computer for the seventh consecutive year, you might want to add this to your Thanksgiving rescue kit. It's not foolproof, but it could be a worthwhile deterrent. Trust-No-Exe is freeware, Windows only.