Preventions
As the spyware threat has worsened, a number of techniques have emerged to counteract it. These include programs designed to remove or to block spyware, as well as various user practices which reduce the chance of getting spyware on a system.
Nonetheless, spyware remains a costly problem. When a large number of pieces of spyware have infected a Windows computer, the only remedy may involve backing up user data, and fully reinstalling the operating system.
Anti-spyware programs
Many programmers and some commercial firms have released products designed to remove or block spyware. Steve Gibson’s OptOut, mentioned above, pioneered a growing category. Programs such as Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware SE and Patrick Kolla’s Spybot – Search & Destroy rapidly gained popularity as effective tools to remove, and in some cases intercept, spyware programs. More recently Microsoft acquired the GIANT AntiSpyware software, rebranding it as Windows AntiSpyware beta and releasing it as a free download for Genuine Windows XP and Windows 2003 users. In early spring, 2006, Microsoft renamed the beta software to Windows Defender, and it was released as a free download in October 2006. Microsoft currently ships the product for free with Windows Vista.
Other well-known anti-spyware products include:
• ParetoLogic’s Anti-Spyware and XoftSpy SE
• PC Tools’s Spyware Doctor
• Sunbelt Software’s Counterspy
• Trend Micro’s HijackThis
• Webroot Software’s Spy Sweeper
Major anti-virus firms such as Symantec, McAfee and Sophos have come later to the table, adding anti-spyware features to their existing anti-virus products. Early on, anti-virus firms expressed reluctance to add anti-spyware functions, citing lawsuits brought by spyware authors against the authors of web sites and programs which described their products as “spyware”. However, recent versions of these major firms’ home and business anti-virus products do include anti-spyware functions, albeit treated differently from viruses.
Symantec Anti-Virus, for instance, categorizes spyware programs as “extended threats” and now offers real-time protection from them (as it does for viruses). Recently, the anti-virus company Grisoft, creator of AVG anti-virus program, acquired anti-spyware firm Ewido Networks, re-labeling their Ewido anti-spyware program as AVG Anti-Spyware. This shows a trend by anti virus companies to launch a dedicated solution to spyware and malware. Zone Labs, creator of Zone Alarm firewall have also released an anti spyware program.
