McAfee VirusScan 9 Goes After Spyware

By David Worthington, BetaNews

July 14, 2004, 1:35 AM

As the public continues to encounter unwanted programs, the words "spyware" and "adware" are entering into the vernacular. The question of how to deal with these nuisances is particularly challenging when programs users desire -- such as Kazaa -- require spyware components in order to operate.

In its upcoming release of VirusScan, McAfee is attempting to address that very question. In developing the next iteration of VirusScan, McAfee's software engineers have made it their number one priority to enhance the detection and removal of spyware, adware and other malware. However, detection is only one part of the equation.

The signatures of these unwanted programs are now rolled into VirusScan's virus definitions to allow the software to specifically identify applications that may "break" if a suspect program if removed. Users are then presented with a unique dialog informing them of any dependencies rather than a blanket statement insisting on their removal.

In the run-up to the release, some other changes that have made the cut include a move toward a uniform email proxy feature that will become standard issue across all McAfee product lines.

Other functionality will not be visible to customers - much of the improvements made to VirusScan had been made under the hood. To be more specific, the product's core scanning engine has improved efficiency so that, according to McAfee's claims, it is faster and less resource intensive.

Even though it is shoring up VirusScan's capabilities, McAfee has pledged to keep the product's footprint small. While rival Symantec recently added firewall capabilities to its forthcoming release of Norton AntiVirus 2005, McAfee is including a firewall in its bundling - not VirusScan's core functionality. A firewall will be available to customers through McAfee Web Essentials and McAfee Internet Security Suite.

Since McAfee adheres to a subscription-style pricing model, customers can expect stronger interim releases in the near future. The next update to VirusScan is scheduled for November and will feature a deeper on access malware scan.

Pricing for VirusScan 9 will remain consistent with last year's VirusScan 8 software package, and the product will be released to the Web by the end of August with shrink wrapped copies to follow in September.