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Two Reviews of Microsoft AntiSpyware

Posted by michael on from the unsolved-problem dept.

jasondubya writes "PC Magazine released their review of Microsoft's Anti-Spyware Beta 1. While they agree with most that it has great potential, it has yet to take over their top spot. In an informal test, it removed about two-thirds of the spyware detected and blocked about fifty percent of the threats they attempted to install. After removal, they ran Webroot's Spy Sweeper 3.0. It was able to detect '900 traces of 48 distinct threats still present, including two keyloggers and three Trojans.' With that, it looks like Microsoft still has work to do before they are on top of the market." Several other readers sent in link to Mossberg's review in the WSJ.

5 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. My experience by yfmaster · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've tried it and it found some stuff that ad aware didn't even pick up. It also correctly identified tight vnc as a possible spyware app, but labeled it as low priority. I was more then happy with it.

  2. Three things by RM6f9 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    1. Does it work well? (not as well as many others)
    2. Does it uninstall cleanly? (HA!)
    3. How much does it cost for support (Better put, IS support even reasonably AVAILABLE for it?)

    No thanks, I'll stick with what I've got.

    --
    Take the 90-Day Challenge! http://rwmurker.bodybyvi.com/
  3. How is this "new software"? by jaymzter · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Let me get this straight, Microsoft buys another company, does a badge job on the product to slap their logos all over it, and suddenly it's something new and exciting? We might as well be reading the last review of Giant's software.
    I guess it's news because it's Microsoft, just like a divorce is news if your name is Brad and Jennifer or whatever...

    --
    If thou see a fair woman pay court to her, for thus thou wilt obtain love
  4. Re:For the pirates... by Zocalo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is also useful for getting updates and other stuff from Microsoft's website site using alternative browsers like Firefox, which obviously won't run the ActiveX control this validation requires. I make a point of avoiding using Windows Update (which requires IE) and manually getting any applicable Windows patches each second Tuesday using Firefox, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. Hopefully someone at Microsoft is paying attention to their webserver reports and realises that making sections of their websites require IE isn't going to be very popular. How many legitimate Windows users are they willing to annoy just to make it a smidgeon harder for people with unlicensed copies of their software and/or privacy concerns to get updates and so on?

    --
    UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  5. Does not remove Back Orifice by siliconjunkie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just a note: I have a copy of Back Orifice 2K on my laptop for running some chores on several machines on my home network (the boPeep plugin is very handy) which is detected by NAV2004, and Spybot as a trojan (it can be) but it is not detected by MS Anti-Spyware. Interesting.

    I would HATE to have BO2K on my machine without knowing it.