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Review of Microsoft's Anti-Spyware Tools
happyslayer writes "Matthew Fordahl has written a review of Microsoft's anti-spyware tool and has declared it, in a word, 'ineffective.' Though the methodology isn't carried out completely (he uses another anti-virus program after trying MS's tool, but doesn't do the same with the anti-spyware tool), it's a fairly good anecdote on the MS product's usefulness."
How many times are we going to have a Slashdot blurb about someone reviewing this thing?
If Giant Anti-Spyware is ineffective, then please, what do you call Spybot S&D? Worthless?
Giant and Webroot's are the only two that work at all, and neither is overly impressive. So what is the author trying to say?
like they don't even read their own site?
What's up with all these "reviews" immediately condemning this new tool? As far as I can tell, it's an honest attempt on Microsoft's part to actively aid it's customers in removing crap from their computers. I've used it myself at work, and after running Spybot, Ad-Aware, SpySweeper, and HijackThis, Microsoft Antispyware still manages to flag and remove quite a few leftovers.
Granted, by itself it may not be the most effective thing in the world, but the same can be said for any antispyware/antivirus software. We need to run at least 3 antispyware programs at work, and at least 2 antivirus programs before we feel confident that a computer is clean enough to return to the customer.
Besides the fact that it's just a beta, it's worked out pretty well for what it is. The interface is easy enough to figure out and use, and it identifies software which comes bundled with adware/spyware. When was the last time Spybot or Ad-Aware flagged Kazaa or Imesh as adware bundlers, while the default action is "ignore," but removal and quarantine are obvious choices? I say enough of these reviews. I'll be "reviewing" it myself by using it for what it can do well. If the final version works as well as this does, or better, it'll stay on my list of removal tools for my customers.
That seems to be the common mindset amongst a good majority of /.'s. While I don't necessarily agree with their business practices, I admit that they put out some pretty good software. The visual studio family of compilers for one. Another thing, I've /never/ experienced a crash with XP. Because I know how to use it. I've never had a crash with Slackware either. You know why? Yup. Because I know how to use it. Also, firefox is not some magical solution to spyware. I'll admit it's a bit harder to become infected if you use ff instead of ie, but a stupid user is a stupid user regardless of what software you place in front of them.
In short, MS AntiSpyware looks like a very promising app. One which I hope MicroSoft continues to improve.
I also ran it after Spybot and AdAware and it found more items.
Quite frankly, I was impressed.
Perhaps the author of the review went in with the intent of giving a bad review?
I think this is the third. How about holding off until a final product, or at least a new version, is released?
I know... I mean why test if you don't do an objective test. And how is this news?
This kevlar armor is ineffective. I mean I tried it out and the knife went right through it.
The MS thing is mostly to get rid of the most annoying worms at this point.
And removed them. Successfully. (whereas Ad-aware would have just quarantined them).
.. well sometimes computers *do* make mistakes and i prefer it if they can undo the mistakes.
Errr and how is quarantining worse than deletion ??
I personally would find quarantining a feature because
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what seems to escape most posters is that the majority of spyware on computers was instaled by the people that uses them. There is no OS or antispyware or whatever that can do anything about that, average joe is dumb in windows in linux or os2, average joe will click on ad or will install bonzi budy just to watch some naked chicks. its mostly a problem of user education, not software.
You have to pay to use Outlook now, chances are Microsoft will charge a (probably nominal) fee for this thing as well. Have to pay for something that MAYBE will protect your computer from the end result of Microsoft's inability to create secure, efficient software. God I love GNU.
Okay, slightly OT, but answer me this: why is it that Linux and Unix based systems (like Mac OS X) don't have problems with spyware and viruses? The popular argument by Windows fanboys is that because there is not enough of a market share for *nix to matter to malware authors. I've read it also has to do with package management on *nix, and that you cannot just simply execute a script or binary on a *nix system? TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, what is the strait answer here?
I work seven days a week, 10-14 hours a day as a freelance computer repair person. Most of my clients are residential, and about 80% of their problems are related to viruses and spyware, most of it brought on my the downloading and usage of "bundlers" such as Kazaa. I've found AdAware and Spybot to be very effective, followed closely by Hijack This and CW Shredder. Security Task Manager is also pretty good, and Killbox is great for eliminating hard-to-delete individual files. I was glad when Giant came out, and still OK with it when MS bought them out. Giant/MS antispyware finds stuff the others don't - each of these utilities complement one another. In addition, as another poster said, I take stuff out of MSCONFIG and the "Run" keys. I also delete executables and .dll files I recognize as bad, as well as go into Add/Remove and take a lot of rogue programs out of there, as well.
c:\windows\prefetch and c:\windows\temp get an emptying out, too.
Oh, and the 2004, 2005 versions of Norton and McAfee do seem to include some malware detection beyond viruses.
I neither hate it nor love it or Microsoft. The simple fact is that the review was crap. The methodology was lacking and the scientific process non-existant. We've done several anti-virus and anti-spyware comparisons. What you do is simple: - Load up a virtual machine with XP and take a snapshot - then kill it with viruses or spyware - run a tool and find what it catches/cleans - revert to the snapshot and run the next tool - do some simple math
"I've never really seen any of the removal tools that were 100% effective"
Fdisk.
I sincerely hope they never do charge for this product.
MS selling anti-spyware is like Goodyear selling anti-defective-tire-glue-or-something.
1.Build defective product
2.Let customer get flooded with problems
3.Instead of fixing defective product, sell customer
some kind of half working fix you bought from someone else
4.profit!!!
We should have been
So much more by now
Too dead inside
To even know the guilt
Your elitism is undeserved and annoying. In actual repair shops (it sounds to me like you just do it freelance without knowing much), the quickest and best way we do things is by backing up the data, then reformatting. You can dink around forever fixing this little bug or that one, or get the whole job done in about 2 hours. One of those choices is the one used by actual professionals.
Am I the only one reading the comments? Or just the only one noticing that for every Microsoft-basher, there's someone jumping into Bill Gates' corner. Granted, there might be a marginally higher population of [Insert trendy alternate OS here] fanboys than MS ones, but come on. I see /tons/ of Highly-Moderated comments that favor Microsoft on any given issue. Considering the comments are moderated by the slashdot readership, one has to assume that not everyone here is a MS basher, doesn't one?
Bottom Line: Microsoft is not entirely evil, nor entirely good. Intelligent people will not label them as such. Rational, right-thinking people will examine each story/issue/what have you, and make judgements accordingly.
Microsoft-bashers: Shut up
Microsoft-basher-bashers: Shut up
This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine...
which i personally have solved at home by cresting the learning curve of *nix. yeah it's not a perfect solution by any means. but instead of chasing my tail and trying to bludgeon an ms OS into submission, i have been slowly learning how to tailor a linux based OS to my needs and wants. i'm not chasing a moving target of virus, spyware, adware or what have you. to me, joe sixpack, my choice just seems easier. oh yeah, and the free beer aspect...duh!
Serenity now, insanity later.
I would label all spyware tools as inefficitive, or at the very least suboptimal and flawed. I know of no tool that will autommatically remove all spyware safely and reliably, and block it form the system. I can find this technology in a virus scanner, several in fact. They have essentially a 100% detection rate, frequently updated definitions, ability to block viruses before they reach the system, and with heuristic analysis the ability to block unknown vairants.
All the spyware software is flawed in some way. The automatic software fails to completely remove all spyware. Even good ones like SPybot and Adaware fail to remove everything, in fact one often finds what the other misses. Also, sometimes when it does remove a peice of spyware, it does so in a manner that causes harm to the system (Adaware improperly removed new.net and one point and left DNS inoperable on the system). Manual ones, like Hijack This, do a much better job, but only if a skilled and knowledgable individual is operating them.
So I'd say, if MS's tool finds a lot, but not all spyware, they are on par with other good tools. It would be desirable to see it get better, and become the first to find all spyware, but you can't knock them for not totally succeding when no one else has come close.
Well that's real interesting. Especially as how loved this software when it was Giant's and now that MS has bought it, it's suddenly shite. Gimme a break.
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I totally agree with you on things not being black & white. But implying that Slashdot in sum is almost neutral on Linux/Google/Mac vs MS an others is really pushing it IMO.
And Slashdot has sort of always been in that camp. But for me it has seemed to get a lot worse lately. Where "we" increasingly use and mod up fud and bullshit, which "we" used to be against, just because it is anti-MS or pro Linux/Google/Mac.
Maybe that is why you now are seeing so many posts complainging about it? I miss that Slashdot was more news for nerds and less religion for nerds.