You Need Antispyware

By Sean Carroll
7/31/2006 3:44:00 PM

To someone who's managed many stories on computer security, it never ceases to amaze me when I hear people who seem in most other ways to be reasonably intelligent say things like, "Bah, let 'em spy…I've got nothing to hide—I can't be bothered with antispyware." Sometimes they're part of the MySpace/LiveJournal exhibitionist crowd and they really don't care. Sometimes they're just plain lazy. Either way, if they spend any time at all online, they've probably got spyware.

The fact is, spyware gets smarter (and nastier) every day. The adware, malware, keyloggers, and drive-by downloaders get tricker, harder to detect, and harder to kill with each passing iteration. If you haven't got the latest antispyware apps with the latest patches, chances are you've got spyware instead. And while you may think you don't care, or may think it not worth the effort to keep your antispyware up to date, are you sure? Have you never entered a credit card number online? Have you never sent an e-mail that had something personal, revealing, or embarrassing in it? Would you really not mind if a spyware app reset your home page and wouldn't let you change it back? How about if you had multiple spyware apps warring on your system that slowed your performance to a crawl?

If you connect to the Internet at all, ever, you should be worried about spyware. If you've never thought about the problem before, or if reading this has given you that sinking "I haven't updated my antispyware in a few years…" feeling, check the three apps listed below. Two are brand new Editors' Choices fresh from Lead Analyst Neil Rubenking's test beds, and one is an app that you'd do better to stay away from for now. Check out all three reviews, and make sure you've got something effective between you and those who want to spy on you—today! For more complete coverage, stay tuned for our antispyware buyer's guide, coming soon.

In This Roundup:

Spy Sweeper 5.0
True to its title, Spy Sweeper 5 sweeps away spyware; new features increase protection against keyloggers and rootkits. A streamlined user interface emphasizes essential features and cuts back on warning pop-ups. Spy Sweeper remains a favorite for protection from spyware.

Spyware Doctor 4
Spyware Doctor isn't hugely different from 3.5, but it's a tad better in almost every area. It's definitely staying ahead of the bad guys. It does a great job of cleaning up infested sys-tems and keeping spyware out of clean systems.

ewido anti-spyware 4.0
Grisoft's ewido anti-spyware 4.0 costs the same as programs that do a much better job. Some recommend using the scan-only free version as a second opinion, but it flopped in our tests.