New spyware remover !!!

Missileman

Well for anyone who is interested I've tried a new anti spyware that is awesome. It's from "The Giant Software Company" and it appears to be the best spyware cleaner/detector/protector I have ever seen. I found info about it at DSLReports in the security forum. http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,11491836~mode=flat

This was the best one of the number tested. Best by FAR I might add. So I went and downloaded a trial copy. It ain't free I'm sorry to say ($29.99). I've been playing with it for a few days and it worked well on my machine, but it doesn't get infected so I tried it on a couple of heavily infected customer machines. Cleaned em completely with Spybot S&D and AdawareSE 1.05. Loaded Giant AntiSpyware and it found and removed over 336 more items on one machine (counting Registry keys and such) it did find and remove 18 more hijackers and trojans. The other machine it found 173 more items and cleaned em all. I did have to run it twice on one machine before it came up clean. I was impressed. Machines really started to perform like new again.

Here's a link for anybody interested. It looks like somebody is finally treating this malware crap like the viruses that it really is. By the way, it is easy on the resources too.

http://www.giantcompany.com

Just info for the interested. Worth a look I think

Dexter

I have heard of this product but have not had a chance to test it for myself.

I would be interested to see the report of what it found on your system. Many bogus anti-spyware apps make a lot of false positive reports. I'm not saying this is the case here, but I would be curious to see the log file...

I willl try to find some time to test this app myself.

Dexter...

Dexter

Ok, I just downloaded and tested it, and am officially unimpressed.

First I ran Ad Aware and Spybot, with the most recent definitions. They found a couple of recent cookies, and that was it.

Now granted, I keep a pretty clean system.

So, next, I ran Giant with it's most recent defs. It did a full scan, and found 1 item. That item was a FALSE POSITIVE. It incorrectly identified a legitimate uninstaller program for one of my Adobe Photoshop plugins as being a "Winvestigator" key-logger, and wanted me to quarantine the file. I double checked the uninstaller manually, it was definitely NOT spyware.

I will test it again soon without the Ad Aware and Spybot scans first, to see how it does on it's own. But at this point I can't see spending $29 for something that gives false positives, especially when I can use Ad Aware and Spybot for free.

Dexter...

Missileman

No I was the same way on my system because I keep it clean and high security, but I tried it on 2 customers machines that were infested and going to be fresh installed anyway so I didn't keep the logs. I just looked em over fairly quickly and told it to remove them. They all looked legit, from the placement and such. Most were search bars and ad helpers. There wasn't much mentioned about false positives in the other boards tests. Only detection and cleaning. I personaly don't mind a false one once in a while. I can check it, mark it ignore and move on. I feel like it's doing its job as long as it doesn't bug me to death with false ones. I do know it likes to warn you about a lot of legit programs trying to call out like zone alarm does at first. Just check allow and it goes on. I can live with that for a few days until it learns.

By the way I emailed support about an engine issue on one of my machines and they replied in about 3 hours and followed up about 3 hours after the response. Better than most. I'm still looking at it more closely myself, but like I said - my machine is to easy for most adaware stuff cause I surf almost all day, but I'm not very adventuresome. I've never had a virus or a highjacker or trojan myself (knock on wooden head) and I have been a computer engineer since 1974. Either I live right or I'm a coward.


It's always the friends and relatives who make me learn the security side of things.

MERRICK

Missileman: there's a good and recent comparison shootout here that would confirm your findings:

http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm

SchWartz

I've been testing Giant, Pest Patrol and SpySweeper and the new Ad-Aware 6 trial versions. This after many months of running only Ad-Aware and S&D, and getting an infestation they were unable to find. When I add another defense to my machine, I'd prefer an application that blocks malware before it installs, and they all three do that. On scans, these three found different files, but many related to the same infestation(s). After two of them found the same keystroke logger and trojan, I used Giant to remove them. My conclusion is that for at least the next few months, until all these products are improved to keep up with the explosion in malware, no one (or even two) of them is adequate, and you are safer with multiple apps running. I also REALLY LIKE running a start-up blocker, especially for older, smaller PCs, because they take up almost no resources, block malicious start ups, and can be used to shut down apps that don't need to be running even if the manufacturer thinks it would be nifty.

MERRICK

SchWartz wrote:

I'd prefer an application that blocks malware before it installs.

I find this freeware app (SpywareBlaster) to be very good myself:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/

Dexter

MERRICK wrote:

I find this freeware app (SpywareBlaster) to be very good myself:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/

Available on our Security Downloads page

Dexter...

MERRICK

May I invoke a moment of personal paranoid insanity? okay,

Why does adaware and spybot never seem to find the same stuff on my 'puters?
How hard would it be for an anti-spyware company to read the defenition file updates of their competition and just add it to their own updates?

More craziness:
Does anyone believe in the urban legend that says many virus/trojans are created by the anti-virus industry in order to keep it current and viable. Yeah it really dosen't make sense since there are enough a**h***s to keep viruses up and running. Still I wonder what others think.

Missileman

Well after a few more weeks and a few dozen more infested customer machines I would like to add that it appears that GIANT is one of the best at cleaning infestations out. Even the tough ones. Only complaint I see is it needs to incorporate LSPFix into itself. It cleans em, but doesn't fix LSP so you end up with no connectivity. Easy for me, bad for average Joe Public.


Merrick - I agree with the idea of definitions sharing, but that would mean a group effort and loss of better/best standing thus a loss of profitability. If they shared definitions, they would all be the same, thus there would only need to be one application. Not good for business.

I have heard the rumor for years that viruses and such are sourced by AV companies. It would definitly happen if the virus writers went away, but with human nature what it is, that will never happen. There will always be a fresh supply of destructive A**holes to keep AV/AS companies in business.

In a way the AV groups fuel it. They think they are doing a service by releasing exploit finds and forcing the OS/App companies to fix them. Ever notice that in the next day or two it is in use in the wild? That kind of stuff needs to be done in the quiet. True you force the fix to be made, but Average Joe User doesn't patch so we end up with 2 million SPAM zombies and such sitting and waiting to be called up like a fifth column. The virus writers use human nature against us. Giving them the exploits saves them a ton of work/time. We in a sense are telling them what to do to infect sometimes millions of machines. Those exploits might have been found eventually. I say make them work for it rather than hand it to them on a platter

Enough Ranting. I have to go clean my inbox :bawling: