Spybot Search & Destroy competitors are trying to force its removal

[scissorhands]

http://www.betanews.com/article/Spyb...val/1237840882

For years, Spybot Search & Destroy has been one of Fileforum's single most installed pieces of software, with nearly 67 million downloads since 2000 on our sister site alone. It's one of the Web's original anti-spyware packages, independently distributed by Safer Networking Ltd., based in Ireland and developed in Germany.

Despite a user base in the dozens of millions (if not more; Safer Networking doesn't track its users), Spybot S&D hasn't had an easy time establishing itself in the competitive anti-malware field. Because it is freeware (commercial users must purchase licenses), the application is seen as a thorn in the side of larger companies who sell security software with the same functionality.

But now, the principals of Safer Networking are stepping up their rhetoric a bit. Speaking with Betanews last week, the developers of Spybot S&D demonstrated how some of its larger competitors are actively using their anti-virus tools to keep Spybot off customers' systems.

Safer Networking names three manufacturers in particular: Trend Micro, Kaspersky Labs, and McAfee Software. Though their anti-virus products are.....

[SMOKEU]

I just stick with AVG Free. It seems to be good at picking up viruses, spyware, and most other security threats.

[steve_t]

Dirty old money making corporations! I'm still a MSE person Sometimes you also have to wonder if the conspiracy theorists are right and the anti-virus companies pay people to write viruses to keep their pockets lined

[SMOKEU]

Could always stick with Linux.

[avgas]

Spybot Search & Destroy.....Trend Micro.....Kaspersky Labs.......McAfee Software....

Yucky programs the lot of em.
Wouldn't use them at all (including spybot)....haven't trusted those companies since the 90's.

I.T. guy just put Kaspersky (the new one) on a work mates laptop, saying it was "the best" - SCADA software killed it in 2 days.
As for SPYBOT, I found it was like having a big swiss cheese firewall - looks impressive, keeps the morons at bay, but atracts all kinds of unwanted attention from nasty little bits of code that can get through its little holes. Its like the industry standard test software for bug building. Guess which PC's it hits when the code goes viral - the easy "proved and tested" spybot ones.

[SpankMe]

Always used Avast. Never had a problem.

http://www.avast.com/

[p.dath]

I've really thrown caution to the wind in what could only be described as a moment of insanity, but I'd started trying the free Microsoft antivirus/anti-malware product on our home computer.

Microsoft Security Essentials.
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

[avgas]

Always used Avast. Never had a problem.

http://www.avast.com/

Worlds most handy screen-saver scan function. Chases viruses while you can watch porn.
YAY

[Brian d marge]

Could always stick with Linux.

ohh no .its free must be something wrong with it , my mate used it and he said it was crap

Stephen

Mint ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[george formby]

I've really thrown caution to the wind in what could only be described as a moment of insanity, but I'd started trying the free Microsoft antivirus/anti-malware product on our home computer.

Microsoft Security Essentials.
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Ditto, hard to say if it's any better or worse than AVG or Avira but I can use it legally on commercial computers for free. For that alone it's worth trying & everything I have read about is positive.

[Ronin]

I just stick with AVG Free. It seems to be good at picking up viruses, spyware, and most other security threats.

Really? Ditch it. Replace it with MSE. Machine will be faster and better protected.

[Ronin]

Ditto, hard to say if it's any better or worse than AVG or Avira but I can use it legally on commercial computers for free. For that alone it's worth trying & everything I have read about is positive.

Ditto. After having so many problems with AVG on clients machines, I did the research and swapped to installing MSE.

Not that it makes much difference. I have seen every Antivirus known fail and allow infection.

[SMOKEU]

Ditto. After having so many problems with AVG on clients machines, I did the research and swapped to installing MSE.

Not that it makes much difference. I have seen every Antivirus known fail and allow infection.

I like AVG because it doesn't show uninfected cracks as security threat, whereas other anti virus software does. I've just installed MSE so I'll see how I like it.

[Gibbo89]

I use Ccleaner to pick up spyware etc, I also have advnaced windows care aswell. I tried MSE and it made my comp slower compared to when I had AVG installed.

[scracha]

Macrium Reflect and a USB drive beats any antivirus product...anyhoo
I know I'll get shit for this but anyhoo......the free stuff generally just doesn't cut the mustard anymore for a lot of people*.

Quickheal - You get what you pay for...oh..actually, you don't. We gave about 20 customers a refund on this absolute piece of shite.
Zonealarm - OMG, what backhanders do magazines take to give this piece of shit a good rating?
Spywaredoctor - see above.
McAfee - Shit, we get plenty in that are riddled. Slow, the free stuff is better
PC tools - waste of time
Bitdefender - used to be good. Then it fell over a lot. I had to go out and reinstall it on lots of PC's I'd threw it on. Then dozens of new versions came out. It seemed slower. I gave up. It may be good again. I don't know. I've got a free NFR version but even then I just can't be bothered finding out.
Bullguard - woof woof. Worst interface ever. Slow. Decent detection rate.
AVG - better than nothing...just
Avast - better than AVG
Avira - best free one IMHO.
MSE - Not been out long enough for me to have an opinion. The Microsoft guys are very enthusiastic about it but they would be, wouldn't they? A few tightarse business' out there are relying on it. I've got it on one server. We shall see.
Comodo - dunno...few customers swear by it. Too few PC's come in with it for me to have an opinion.
Malwarebytes (commercial) - bloody good, one off fee (no annual fee for home use). No firewall but Vista/Win7 sorts that anyway.
Nod32 - probably the fastest, I like this on servers.
escan - started trying this out. Bonkers cheap. Dreadful interface, reasonably quick, apparently uses Kaspersky.
Norton Internet Security (post 2008) - cheap as chips and impressive
Kaspersky IS - good but overpriced
Trend Titanium Internet Security - put simply, the shizzle . Put this on over 400 PC's over the last year or so and not had one issue with virus/trojan. 2009/10 version PITA for firewall issues but free upgrade to Titanium.

OS X - well there's no "registry" so it's pretty easy to fix if you do get a virus


*many people are idiots who will click and install just about anything