The Ad-Aware product has been around for a very long time and Lavasoft, like Pest Patrol, has great experience in targeting pop-up advertisements and spyware specifically. One would expect that the programmers at F-Secure could have at least put a shortcut button on their main user interface window to allow operators to launch the anti-spyware application directly from the console. After a short period of poking and prodding, we discovered that it is in fact a separate standalone application launched from the start menu. Once the system has been installed and updated, the user could be forgiven for wondering where the spyware application is located. This could potentially be a problem if you are one of those paranoid users who does not trust a sole application to provide the level of security required on the desktop. Installation takes quite some time and part of the process involves removing other similar applications (eg antivirus and anti-spyware programs). The rest of the suite includes antivirus, firewall, anti-spam, and parental control components. The spyware component was sourced from the people at Lavasoft, and is identical to Ad-Aware. While we are on the topics of spam and spyware, has anyone noticed the increase in spam purporting to provide "free" and "effective" spyware removal tools? Most of these should really be read as, "Click here to download and install this really super-effective spyware so that we can easily monitor your system and then rip off not only your identity, but all the funds in your bank account".į-Secure submitted a suite of security-blocking, filtering, and scanning-orientated applications. And spyware seems to be shaping up as the next big "security" threat to consumers and businesses alike. One thing is sure: the worldwide spam epidemic certainly has not gone away or abated at all. (Next month we will be going over anti-spam applications to see where they have come in the year since we visited them last.) Last month we looked at Internet content filters this month we are looking at a similar but a much more transparent and malicious beast - spyware. It seems that reviews these past few months have been revolving around Internet-borne content in one way or another. Call it spyware, adware, malware, or tracking software, those hidden bits of code may be broadcasting your innermost secrets to the world.
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