RSSMicrosoft Takes On Spyware with Beta
By Ed Oswald | Published January 6, 2005, 10:18 AM
As expected, Microsoft has released a new beta of recently acquired GIANT Software's anti-spyware software to the public via its Web site. The company also announced that it expects to release a beta version of a new antivirus tool next Tuesday, which is based on technology acquired from GeCAD in 2003.
Details of Microsoft's anti-spyware plans were first leaked to Windows enthusiast site Neowin.net earlier this week.
"Customers have told us that they need solutions that make it easier to keep computers protected from emerging and ever-changing threats," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of the Security Business and Technology Unit at Microsoft. "The solutions we're announcing today will offer customers additional resources to help to protect their PCs against spyware and viruses on an ongoing and predictable basis."
The company's antivirus partners have complained privately that the company has been taking advantage of their partnerships in order to find out how to best serve customers through security software.
Some claim that Microsoft is working against them by moving into an arena where the company originally had shown no interest, and they thought an understanding had been reached that its partners would handle Internet security issues, not Microsoft.
Microsoft, on the other hand, says these tools are meant to complement current antivirus technologies rather than replace them. However, unlike its partners, these tools will come at no charge. More information can be found on Microsoft's new spyware Web site, and the Windows Anti-Spyware Beta can be downloaded from FileForum.
I tried three other antispyware (AdAware SE, SpyBot and NoAdWare) programs and was absolutely unable to get rid of Huntbar or WinTools. The MS beta did the job the first time, and it has the best interface of the three. My company writes software, so we have some idea how software should work. The MS AntiSpyware appl. works.
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|I installed it on my company laptop and all my home machines.
My 13 year old daughters machine was infected with 'shopping' software that replaced winsock, redirected browsers and even caused DNS issues. I scrubbed it multiple times with AdAware, Spybot and Symantec Corp 9.x.
It was in working order, but the MS anti-spyware software detected additional registry settings, a batch file that was used to cleanup a spyware install as well as a previously undetected adware/spyware package.
I'm impressed, even though the undetected adware may have been installed since I cleaned the machine earlier this week.
BTW - I'm a systems engineer by training and an MCSE as well as Solaris certified engineer, so I think I'm being objective and its pretty hard to impress me at this point...
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|I get tired of people bashing MS and especially when it is something to address the problem. If you don't like MS, then fine don't use their products. But keep your opinion to yourself and let those of us that know what we're doing use the products we know and love.
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|Read this on CNN -
"...the free version of Microsoft's new spyware-removal software will expire July 31 and pricing for future versions is still undecided. Rival anti-spyware tools, such as Lavasoft Inc.'s popular Ad-Aware product, offer similar functions to Microsoft's, and many are free."
Ad-Aware is free for personal use, charge for corporate use.
By using FireFox, ZoneAlarm and Ad-Aware I've kept my PC spyware free (your mileage may vary).
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|The software is built really well. Although, I don't have any spyware on any of my machines, so I can't vouch for how well it detects and cleans, I will say that this software is user friendly and very easy to use. It works just fine in conjunction with your antivirus too.
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|It's just Giant AS with the name Giant removed and Microsoft added and the word beta added at the end. 100% Giant AS not much if anything has changed.
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|That's because it is a beta--don't worry MS will change it--probably make it consume more memory and bandwidth, too.
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|The anti-spyware seems confused.If you add a site to your restricted site zone,it responds as if you were adding the site to a trusted site zone.
Also my internet options has not worked correctly since the adding of the new microsoft security update.
I think microsoft has overlooked the internet options security settings and its ability.The new sp2 makes the internet options useless.
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|What did that have to do with this?
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|Ha! How will it use more bandwidth? Do you actually own a computer, or do you just use your parents machine when they are out drinking?
As for using more memory, be a big spender sport. Get more than 128 Mb of RAM and you won't cry so much.
Geez! Some people...
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|Maybe nothing,maybe everything.Internet options was once a powerful asset to Windows.I miss it.
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