Re: WOW - Microsoft's Spyware Scanner -- PCTECH

Just ran Ad-Aware SE Personal and MS Spyware Scanner against each other and both with their deepest settings. MS settings to Knowledgeable User.

Ad-Aware
   5 - IE Favorites to dangerous sites
   1 - Browser hijacker = SearchIt
   various IE browser cookies

MS Spyware Scanner 0 - IE Favorites identified 1 - Adware = SearchIt UltraVNC mis-identified as TightVNC and as a moderate threat. The detailed text did, if you read far enough, say that if it was deliberately installed it might be OK. However, the first thing under ADVICE was "This is a potential high risk threat." Nothing about cookies.

MS has a glitzier interface but navigation is not consistent. Run it a time or two and when you start it the first window shows a nice summary. But take any option and then try to get back to it without exiting and restarting the program. The same information is elsewhere but not as nicely organized.

Roger Vicker, CCP

On 1/18/2005 8:33 AM, Chuck Lewis wrote:

Anyone tried Microsoft's Spyware scanner ?

I am STUNNED if this is accurate. I have a notebook (Dell) running Windows
XP that belongs to a friend of my nieces (I really should start charging
family and could probably quit my day job - very large family :-)).

This thing was running like a DOG. It was way behind on patches, had all
kinds of Spyware and a couple of viruses. So I get it all cleaned up using
Sophos antivirus, AdAware, HiJack This, Spyblaster, BHODemon, and McAfee
Online Scanner and it was clean. But still running like a DOG.

Well after XP Service Pack 2 downloaded and installed I ran Windows Update
again and after the final run and all was clear I got a page that touted the
Windows Spyware Beta. I've read about this and really did not have much
interest. That has changed.

I did a Deep Scan (no the default) and got the following:

24 Spyware threats detected

69 Spyware files infected

288 Registry keys infected

All 24 are rated High or Severe and they are all legit !

VERY interesting to say the least. And very impressive.

Chuck


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