Microsoft® Windows® XP Networking and Security Inside Out: Also Covers Windows 2000

Choosing and Using Anti-Spyware Tools

Relying on software alone to keep you safe from spyware is a short-sighted strategy. Unlike leading antivirus programs, which approach 100 percent effectiveness when kept up to date and used properly, many anti-spyware tools simply don't do as good a job as they promise. In late 2004, security researcher Eric L. Howes put 17 popular anti-spyware programs to the test to see how they fared at removing a series of common spyware programs. The best of the bunch detected and removed only 63 percent of the unwanted software, and the remainder were able to clean up less than half of the mess. (Brian Livingston compiled the results into a highly readable article in his Windows Secrets Newsletter, available at http://windowssecrets.com/comp/050127/ ...