RSSTrend Micro to Buy Anti-Spyware Firm
By Ed Oswald | Published May 10, 2005, 11:33 AM
Following the footsteps of Microsoft, Trend Micro announced on Monday that its U.S. division will acquire Intermute, a developer of anti-spyware programs, to strengthen its suite of security products. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Microsoft late last year acquired Giant Software in order to fight the increasing problem of spyware on Windows machines. The acquisition of the company led to the release of Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta in early January.
"Trend Micro continues to be wholly focused on providing our customers with security solutions that offer advanced protection against unpredictable, malicious threats," said Eva Chen, CEO and co-founder of Trend Micro.
"The acquisition of InterMute further strengthens our ability to execute upon our anti-spyware strategy and their technology and products are entirely complementary to our own."
Intermute's software will still be available as a re-branded standalone Trend Micro product; however, the company said it intends to add the software's capabilities into other products across its lineup.
Research firm IDC recently reported that two-thirds of all computers have some kind of spyware on them, and in some cases, computers were found with hundreds of spyware applications on them. Infected computers exhibit slow response times, unwanted pop-up ads, and in some extreme cases, can cause Windows to crash altogether.
I have used Intermute products on and off for the last four years and can say AdSubtract PRO is one of the best cookie/ad blocking programs in the business period! AdSubtract is fast, easy to use, and most importantly reliable.
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What will this mean in the terms of spyware removal? Will all the good free spyware removal tools disappear? What will happen to CWShredder?
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If it was going to happen, it would have happened after Microsoft's release. It doesn't get much more convenient that having a program built into Windows.
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convient is seldom the best :). I prefer to still evaluate all the latest softwares and determine for myself which is best. all convient does is breed laziness and sloppiness. :)
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Spyware and adware is a business that has been spiraling out of control for a while. I think it was a matter of time before such companies as MS, Symantec, Trend Micro . . . took back their market shares and/or gain new ones. Those names we can trust to a large extent. Everything else is trial and error.
Viruses used to be the threat you were to worry about. Even if you didn't have a virus, you needed to buy the software. Then, spyware and adware came onto the scene and viruses(though still important) are not a major concern anymore. Now even adware is being called a virus, possibly an attempt by the industry or a push by the consumer to remove these threats from their machines.
IMO... I think you are right, that the time of the good free spyware and adware removing programs will disappear. Bought by the Antivirus industry. Consumers will look toward one software package(one-stop shopping) for all their security needs. I am amazed that it has taken so long.
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Very unlikely that freeware Spyware Removal tools will disappear. Finding quality ones may become harder to find. However saying that, paying for Spyware removal tools can sometimes be a good thing, as this would allow the product to be developed and gain dominance within the marketplace.
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Free doesn't always mean best. I found that Sunbelt software's CounterSpy spyware app works better than anything else I tried.
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