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General discussion

CNET Download.com: Spyware spoof

Feb 10, 2004 6:33AM PST

February 10, 2004

Spyware spoof
Recently, the staff here at Download.com were alarmed to discover a disturbing new trend: spyware-removal utilities that actually install their own spyware. I've seen many cases wherein it's obvious that publishers are using the same code base with different branding and spyware included, so they aren't really even developing the core software.

You won't find these impostors in our new Adware Removal Tools section; we now check for spyware during the evaluation of software on Download.com, and we will remove any spyware that masquerades as a spyware-removal utility. However, as with most security-oriented software, it's best to be conservative and opt for tried-and-true products. The two most notable and trusted spyware-removal tools are Ad-aware and Spybot. Since they?re free, you might as well use both.

Another tool I found effective for fighting spyware, though it requires a bit more effort, is Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner. It scans quickly, faster than anything I've seen, and seems to catch as much spyware as Ad-aware and Spybot. Of course, there's a catch: Bazooka doesn't remove the spyware for you. Instead, it offers detailed instructions on how you can remove it. Though I personally find it satisfying to manually rip spyware components out of my system, that approach isn't for everyone.

http://download.com.com/3150-8022-0.html

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