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Anti-Spyware Products Don't Live Up to Promises

Posted by michael on from the take-off-and-nuke-it-from-orbit dept.

John Wells writes "In the December, 2004 issue of PC World, the author of an article titled Poor Defenders concludes that most commercial anti-spyware software is ineffective. In tests using a fresh install of XP and 6 typical spyware infections the commercial software failed to stack up against freeware competitor Spybot Search and Destroy. Four out of seven commercial products failed to remove any of the infections. One product even installed 57 spyware files itself! Conclusion: Use freeware products like Spybot and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE Personal."

4 of 400 comments (clear)

  1. Adaware Rocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    I used it just this holiday weekend to enlighten my Mac hating in-laws to the fact that between their two Windows XP machines, they had over 800 pieces of spyware installed. Man...I wish I had a camera to record that moment. The look on their faces was hilarious...

  2. Spyware... by FunnyLookinHat · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Spyware is gh3y.

  3. Obvious solution to spyware problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Just don't install any?
    After all, you got the source, luke.

    Oh, wait...

  4. Re:Yahoo's spyware tool is the best by ack154 · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I wouldn't recommend anything Yahoo to anyone - especially their toolbar. As someone else above me said, it has been known to not remove certain spyware apps that Yahoo is associated with. Don't use that crap - get a real program to remove it, not a toolbar.