Applicability
AntiSpyware runs on:
- Windows 2000
- 2000 Advanced Server
- 2000 Professional Edition
- 2000 Server and 2000 SP2, 2000 SP3, 2000 SP4
- Server 2003
- XP, XP Home Edition, XP Media Center, XP Pro, XP SP1 and SP2, and XP Tablet PC Edition
Final word
For a beta, this new Microsoft offering seems to work well, although you need to be aware that it certainly doesn't detect some ad-tracking utilities.
The constant monitoring and protection are the most important options but are difficult features to evaluate over the short term. I really can't say how effective they may be. The code missed by the utility on my system was quite benign, although I didn't want it and wish AntiSpyware had reported it.
The additional system management tools add some much-needed features that Windows was sadly lacking. It's hard to believe that it took this long for Microsoft to provide an easy and obvious way to stop unwanted programs from loading at startup. Even a novice could manage them using AntiSpyware.
With some improvements AntiSpyware could become quite useful; already it looks as if it may provide significant protection against new spyware. Improvements are certain to come because part of the program is the option to allow it to share information with other computers and build new spyware definitions on the fly. I recommend you check it out and see if it should be added to your toolkit. If nothing else, AntiSpyware will be endorsed by Microsoft which means a lot of administrators will feel more comfortable installing it. Out of management and security concerns, many large companies (and especially government agencies) prohibit installation of third-party freeware such as Lavasoft.
You can also turn to CNET’s Help.com for an online class on combating spyware.
Also watch for …
- Gmail, the free Google email service that has lots of nice features, apparently had a hole which let attackers who wrote a particular Perl script access portions of other users’ messages. The vulnerability has been patched. Remember that Gmail is still in beta -- I’ve used it for a couple months and really like it but for now you need to know someone with an account to get one.
- Securiteam.com reports several serious vulnerabilities in the Netgear FVS318 small office router/firewall.
- Oracle users should check out the possible impact of 23 vulnerabilities listed this week by Secunia.
- Federal Computer Week reports that the Homeland Security Department is going to build a baseline security database by surveying 36,000 businesses this spring.
- I’ve warned about Tsunami email scams and one alleged perpetrator has just been arrested by the FBI. Even better news is that out of 800K scam emails sent, Matthew Schmieder of Pittsburgh only collected $150 in the PayPal account he set up. As the penalties for being a spammer become more severe, it will require a bigger payoff to make the crime worthwhile. Perhaps we will see a drop in spam as more arrests are made and spammers generate less and less income. Perhaps Mr. Schmieder would have hesitated if he were more security savvy and knew that Pittsburgh’s FBI office is the home base of a special effort to combat spammers.
Talkback
Is it worth bothering with? You bet!
I use Ad-Aware and Spybot (always with the latest adware dictionaries) on a regular basis, and when I saw details on ZDNet of MS's new AntiSpyware beta I naturally thought I'd give it a go, out of curiosity. Thank god I did.
I ran Ad-Aware & Spybot first, on 2 PCs. Both machines were found to have an assortment of the usual tracking cookies but nothing nasty. I then let the MS tool loose and was horrified when it found a keystroke logger embedded on my corporate laptop and an ad displayer on the other machine, a corporate desktop.
So what if it isn't designed to root out pesky tracking cookies? These aren't really a threat, though they irritate the heck out of me. The MS jobbie saved my bacon and I have recommended all my colleagues to try it.
God knows how long that malware was on those machines; as a supposedly savvy consultant I pride myself in running clean machines. Much like Firefox users, I felt that any tool offered by MS would be grossly inferior to the excellent Ad-Aware & Spybot, but it turns out that their aquisition of Giant Software was a bloody smart move.
I hate to sound like an MS flunky, and if they charge loads for this once it's out of beta then I take it all back, but for now I am bloody thankful they released it.
Chris, strange that your anti-virus software didn't detect the keystroke logger. Which keystroke logger was it anyway? And was it a confirmed find or a false positive?
Not sure how it got past AV, I think I may have turned On Access Scan off for a couple of hours while trying to find why McAfee hogs CPU. So partly my fault.
I don't recall the malware's name byt Microsoft AntiSpyware gave full details, one of the best reports from a tool such as this I've seen yet. Using it I went on-line and checked out the keylogger and found it was a professional version used by corporations to monitor staff, but also available as Shareware. Worryingly it also had the capability to remotely view my screen!
Whether my fault for disabling AV for a short while or not, only the MS tool found this hideous system invader. It gets top marks from me!
Interestingly Spybot detects "Avenue A, Inc" attempting to install itself when accessing this web site!
Try runnning it on a PC that's been connected to the Internet with 'Ordinary Users' hammering it for years and you'll see the Microsoft one wins hands down,
Most of the machines Browsers have been hijacked and the Microsoft Utility allows you to resert the Hijack easily. Just hope they don't charge.
I am a techie, and manage about 500 customers. The reviewer did the scan on a relatively clean machine used by an advanced user. This is is thus an inaccurate review.
What he shoudl have done is load it on a novice users pc. It worked a dream and most importantly continued to run in the background. It also has a great anti hijack facility.
For advanced users don't bother and just keep running ad aware. if you are a novice (like most of my clients) who don't know what to do with ad aware then install it now!!
Great tool for novices but techies and advanced users don't bother
By the way the tracking cookies that lavasoft finds are regenerated within a day and they are watching you again! thus even lavasoft is not very effective!
I installed the Beta MS anti spyware on Jan 9, and it was runnign smoothly until i had an auto update from MS on 2-10, when the MS antispyware was then unable to access the internet for updates. My experience is that the MS anti spyware did get malware which Adaware and Spybot missed, and this is matches Eric Howes from Uof Illinois in his test of popular anti malware tools. He said that of 134 "planted" malware items, the MS found 100, while spybot only found 40. Adaware I think was at 70's and Spysweeper in the 80's.
Meanwhile, I did a system restore to B4 the MS update, as I am not a techie and want the protection of the updates...I'm attempting to put a link the the eweek article showing the test results here: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1731474,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03129TX1K0000614
Ashwin
Well, I've seen this Microsoft AntiSpyware in action.
First of all, I have my doubts about the License Agreement that comes with this product but then I'm not a laywer.
Also, on a perfectly clean machine (checked by pro's) it claimed to have found XferPro based on nothing but registry keys (no executable found) that have nothing do with XferPro.
That's not hopefull but then this is still beta software. But that might be a reason why Microsoft AntiSpyware finds things that others do not.
Other then that this Microsoft AntiSpyware seems no better then the more proven solutions already available out there. With the exception that Microsoft AntiSpyware falls into the category of nagware as far as I'm concerned because it keeps on popping up questions for as long as the user doesn't comply with what the program thinks is best. As such I wouldn't recommend putting beta software into production. Certainly when there are more experienced and proven solutions out there that don't nag as much.
This "review" was so lame i laughed!
it was good in the sense that he wanted to compare them but the article sounded rushed.
I used both earlier today, Adaware == 9 spywares
MS Antispyware.......14254
what a difference. the MS antispyware was the correct one!! adaware fell a long way short!
I tried the BETA for about 2 weeks and was unimpressed. The thing deleted my Kazaa registry keys so now Kazaa is useless even though I have taken the files out of quarrantine. I mean the program did what it was supposed to do but as pointed out i nthe article some spyware was missed and well I just think that a combination of spyware and adware ttols would be better, personally I use Spyware Blaster, Spy Bot S&D, and Ad-Aware and with these 3 I am very impressed with the amount of protection my computer has.
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