Microsoft releases own anti-spyware tool.

[Shockeye]

Microsoft released a beta of their anti-spyware tool today. You can find it here.

It also looks like Microsoft will be selling their own anti-virus solution in the near future.

But a senior Microsoft executive confirmed the company's plans to sell its own antivirus software, which would compete against programs from McAfee, Symantec and others.

[Signe]

Shouldn't this be in with your useless news?

[Shockeye]

Har Har. Shouldn't you be getting re-upholstered or something?

[Soukyan]

Microsoft bought out Giant Company (best anti-spyware out there - in a test against 19 other "top" anti-spyware tools, it scored very high percentage detection rates compared to the others which performed miserably. You can view the test results at http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm) on December 15th or 16th. Or at least that's when the official announcement was made.

I was using a trial version of the Anti-Spyware software at the time and was planning on purchasing, but could not once MS announced the take-over. I also used their Spam Inspector product in the past and it is excellent.

As to the anti-virus thing with MS, they've been planning it for a couple years now. I know that they were looking at some Romanian anti-virus product (RAV Anti-Virus by GeCAD) for a base from which to build their product. I had expected to see something anti-virus related when they started work on SP2, but alas, no dice. It would be nice to have an all-in-one integrated solution aside from Norton (invasive, bloated shit) and McAfee. Especially nice would be "free with OS purchase". ;) Can't wait to hear the anti-trust folks go apeshit on that one.

Anyhow, yeah, glad to see that they've only taken a few weeks to get Giant's name off the software and start distributing it. It's a great product. It catches everything that a combination scan of Spybot and Ad-Aware will catch and also catches more than that. I recommend using it if you have a Windows system.

[edit]Just installed the MS Beta version and it is seriously the same product so far. With any luck, MS will avoid making too many changes to it. But as of right now, it appears that the only changes they made were to name it Microsoft AntiSpyware and throw the tag Beta 1 on after that. The installation, setup, interface, scan and options are all unchanged.[/edit]

[Margalis]

It's an interesting business prop. Create an OS that is very prone to spyware and viruses, then sell anti-virus and anti-spyware tools - clever!

[Train Wreck]

It's an interesting business prop. Create an OS that is very prone to spyware and viruses, then sell anti-virus and anti-spyware tools - clever!

They should distribute it for free, as an apology for Windows.

[schild]

I like 0.0dps Panda Antivirus.

[Soukyan]

I like 0.0dps Panda Antivirus.

NOD32 is far, far better than any anti-virus available today and is extremely low on system resource use. Panda is quite a resource hog, as are Norton and McAfee. But that's just IMHO. Did I mention I'm an anti-virus administrator? We use Sophos at our institution, but they don't sell to home users, otherwise I'd recommend them.

[schild]

Hook some brothers up?

[HaemishM]

I recommend using it if you have a Windows system.

So does Bill Gates.

[Soukyan]

I recommend using it if you have a Windows system.

So does Bill Gates.

Just remember, the first hit is free.

[Rodent]

Been using Grisoft's AVG free edition for about a year now. It seems to get the job done quite nicely.

[Soukyan]

Been using Grisoft's AVG free edition for about a year now. It seems to get the job done quite nicely.

Seems. Check out Virus Bulletin test results and see how many times AVG falls short on detection. Not a bad product for a freebie, but far from the safest protection. Then again, we're never really safe, are we?

[Shockeye]

[Fabricated]

No way.

[Miasma]

Is that image for real? I just can't even comprehend how incredibly screwed up that would be. Didn't they just lose an anti-trust case dealing with browsers for fuck's sake, now they're telling people to uninstall their competition? If you had wordperfect instead of word is that a security risk too?

Firefox more dangerous than IE, and twice as bad as KaZaA? Wow.

[Stephen Zepp]

That is fuckin classic--whomever is considered the IP owner of Firefox (if there is one, I have no clue) should turn around and sue Microshit for slander (if it can be argued, again, I have no real clue), unfair business practices, not to mention false advertising--since IE is the one that has so many security flaws that Firefox FIXES, or whatever the hell applies.

Damn.

P.S.: Of course, that is assuming this is a real screenshot, and not a joke ;)

[Trippy]

P.S.: Of course, that is assuming this is a real screenshot, and not a joke ;)

I have Firefox installed on my machine and Microsoft AntiSpyware doesn't flag it as spyware.

[sinij]

Image of Firefox=Spyware

This is another round of anti-monopoly and libel suits waiting to happen. I bet next step would be to ‘register’ with MS if you don’t want your product removed by default with anti-spyware tool.

[Stephen Zepp]

I'm starting to think Shockeye is having a "funny" on us...

[Soukyan]

The screenshot is a fake.

[Shockeye]

The screenshot is a fake.

Give that man a cookie.

[Kenrick]

Okay, kudos to Microsoft.  This program got rid of some shit that every other program I'd tried couldn't.  I reccommend it.

[stray]

Okay, kudos to Microsoft.  This program got rid of some shit that every other program I'd tried couldn't.  I reccommend it.

Agreed.

But don't you hate it when Microsoft shit is usually the best (or at least, the most convenient) choice on their operating systems? Even if the apps themselves aren't necessarily better than their counterparts, everything's always more deeply integrated and more aware of OS underpinnings. Be it Office, IE, WMP, various internet services on MSN...and the same will be true for Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus apps.

I use Firefox, OpenOffice, and iTunes, etc., on my PC because the apps are designed better. But every once in a while the idea of "MS'ing" my entire setup creeps into my head. Seems like I'd have a better computing experience just doing it that way. While with my Macs, I don't even think of that. I wonder why that is.

Anyways, sorry for the derail. Just a thought.

[Fabricated]

Okay, kudos to Microsoft. This program got rid of some shit that every other program I'd tried couldn't. I reccommend it.

Thank Giant Antispyware instead, Microsoft just bought them out and repackaged their main product.

Good product though.

[Kenrick]

Oh, I use Firefox too.  But I accidentally installed some trojan horse shit when I was trying to warez some screenwriting software.

 

[Signe]

Oh, I use Firefox too.  But I accidentally installed some trojan horse shit when I was trying to warez some screenwriting software.

 

That sounds like some very nasty fertilizer... and possibly deserved!

[Kenrick]

Oh, I use Firefox too.  But I accidentally installed some trojan horse shit when I was trying to warez some screenwriting software.

 

That sounds like some very nasty fertilizer... and possibly deserved!

I know, I was asking for it.  Shoulda known better.

:-/