Sobering report at Windows Secrets, based on an extensive analysis by Eric L Howes.
Almost all the anti-adware programs that were tested removed fewer than half of the hundreds of adware components Howes cataloged. The best [...] removed less than two-thirds of a PC’s unwanted guests.[...] Tech writers often say, “You should install two different programs and run both of them for maximum protection.” To test this assertion, I compiled Howes’s raw data into a new table [...] Combining Webroot Spy Sweeper with Giant AntiSpyware did the most to remove unwanted components. But the combination of the two apps increased Giant’s 63% success rate only 7 percentage points, to 70%.
The site also gives some security guidelines that almost anyone can (and should use). My favorite is one I’d never considered: “Make sure your family members and/or your employees know what to do if your computer becomes infected.”
[edit] One Slashdot reader made an interesting comment on the subject of spyware:
- Who actually reads all the agreement to use the software?
- How many of them know their personal details are being sold?
- How many people know what is actually being collected.
- How many people got these “tools” from a random e-mail saying look this is cool?
