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The
Spyware Warrior Guide to
The State of Adware
Detections
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1 Aug. 2005
5 Oct. 2005 Updated |
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| Overview |
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With targeting criteria and policy choices among anti-spyware
vendors playing an increasingly important role in the performance of
anti-spyware applications, consumers might find it useful to compare the
detections among anti-spyware applications for a handful of better known
advertising software programs, several of which have lately proven
"controversial." What follows is a menu of tables that
summarize how programs from eight different advertising software vendors are detected by twelve of the more reputable, established
anti-spyware applications.
Please keep in mind that these summaries present detections only --
removals have not been tested at all. Thus, these summaries are
not tests of the effectiveness of the twelve anti-spyware
applications selected for these summary pages. Moreover, since the
purpose of these summaries is to shed light on the targeting and policy
differences among anti-spyware vendors, the adware applications selected
are not the most onerous programs currently afflicting users (e.g.,
CoolWebSearch, Aurora, etc.) -- programs that every anti-spyware vendor
would be expected to target.
Although it is anticipated that these pages will be updated from time
to time, no update schedule has been established.
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| Menu of Detection Summaries |
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At the present time, we have assembled detection summaries
for eight advertising software vendors:
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- 180solutions
- AskJeeves
- Claria
- Hotbar
- IBIS
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New.net
- Weatherbug
- WhenU
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Note on Oct.2005 testing: The original round of
tests conducted at the end of July and beginning of August 2005 included
applications from six adware vendors. For the October round of tests,
applications from two more vendors were added: 1) IBIS Websearch and
Crawler toolbars; 2) New.net's client application and QuickSearch toolbar.
Also, the application mix for 180solutions was expanded
to include several new applications. |
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| Anti-Spyware Applications
Used |
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The twelve anti-spyware applications used for these summaries include:
- CA Pest Patrol
- FBM ZeroSpyware
- Lavasoft Ad-aware SE
- McAfee AntiSpyware (note: not
VirusScan)
- Microsoft AntiSpyware
- PC Tools Spyware Doctor
- Spybot Search & Destroy
- Sunbelt CounterSpy
- Tenebril SpyCatcher
- TrendMicro AntiSpyware (formerly Spy
Subtract)
- Webroot Spy Sweeper
- XBlock X-Cleaner
For more information on these programs, please see
this
features comparison page. |
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| Questions, Comments... |
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If you have questions or comments about any of the data on
these pages, please don't hesitate to get in touch:
-
Full Disclosure: since late
November 2004 I have performed part-time consulting work as an independent
contractor for Sunbelt Software, makers of CounterSpy. Because of that
relationship and the conflict of interest that it represents, I must
recuse myself from public comment on CounterSpy. That means that I cannot
and will not publicly evaluate, test, or even recommend Sunbelt's
anti-spyware product. The anti-spyware products that I do recommend, all
of which are competitors to CounterSpy, are included
here. |
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© Copyright 2005 Eric L. Howes
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