Microsoft launches Antispy Beta 1 - Works!

Infini · 07-01-2005 1:49pm #1

This was just released today on microsoft. Tested it and I works very well Worth using

You can download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=321CD7A2-6A57-4C57-A8BD-DBF62EDA9671&displaylang=en :cool:

Lump · 07-01-2005 1:52pm

I'll have a look see at it... Although I'm told now that I have installed Firefow I wont have any Spyware problems.

John

Infini · 07-01-2005 1:58pm

It's worth having it to double check. Firefox is better in many ways but it's still a program and it ain't perfect.

Lump · 07-01-2005 2:09pm

Well it appears to have worked.... found some Stuff.

John

Infini · 07-01-2005 2:14pm

It dug up stuff on my system too. Don't know where half the stuff came from even though I have Norton Systemworks 2005 installed.

seamus · 07-01-2005 2:18pm

Real-time protection is about the best thing here. That would be very useful in our place. End-users are always getting themselves infected.

Infini · 07-01-2005 2:21pm

seamus wrote:

Real-time protection is about the best thing here.

Yeah you right there. At least it prevents this Sh!te sneaking back in through the back door after you give it the boot.

jessy · 07-01-2005 2:26pm

Lump wrote:

I'll have a look see at it... Although I'm told now that I have installed Firefow I wont have any Spyware problems.

John

Not true. you'll just have far less than you would if using IE.

thejollyrodger · 07-01-2005 2:30pm

Is this software real time ?

Yes it is. doh

jessy · 07-01-2005 2:50pm

ok, just downloaded it updated it, did a system scan and it found 7 spyware threats, updated adaware and it found 38 threats, M$ still have a bit of work to do yet, Real time protection is nice.

krinpit · 07-01-2005 3:04pm

jessy wrote:

ok, just downloaded it updated it, did a system scan and it found 7 spyware threats, updated adaware and it found 38 threats, M$ still have a bit of work to do yet, Real time protection is nice.

Used here, except the other way around.

Ran Spybot (updated)
Then Ran adaware (updated)
Then, finally ran Microsoft AntiSpyware, which found 10 threats (3 of them severe, including Transponder and a Trojan downloader!).

So from this, I think it may be a good idea to use a combination of these programs.

hefty_langer · 07-01-2005 3:32pm

call me a synic but does anyone else get the impression that some of these spyware cleaning progs may just be reporting random "spyware" that isn't actually on your pc?
For example if MS reports 5 pieces of spyware and adaware only reports 3, does that make MS the better prog?
<not just MS bashing btw>

uberwolf · 07-01-2005 3:38pm

I'd be more concerned about MS refusal to rule out charging for this S/W in the future. Deliberately leaving holes to charge people to fix them. Wouldn't put it past them. Says the superior and smug feeling OS X user

krinpit · 07-01-2005 3:43pm

hefty_langer wrote:

call me a synic but does anyone else get the impression that some of these spyware cleaning progs may just be reporting random "spyware" that isn't actually on your pc?
For example if MS reports 5 pieces of spyware and adaware only reports 3, does that make MS the better prog?
<not just MS bashing btw>

I don't know about that. All I know is that Transponder was defintely the cause of Network problems we were having here (It was opening sh1t loads of concurrent connections and overflowing our firewall cache). Removing Transponder, which was found by the MS AntiSpyware program solved the problem.

<not just MS promoting btw>

seamus · 07-01-2005 4:34pm

hefty_langer wrote:

call me a synic but does anyone else get the impression that some of these spyware cleaning progs may just be reporting random "spyware" that isn't actually on your pc?
For example if MS reports 5 pieces of spyware and adaware only reports 3, does that make MS the better prog?
<not just MS bashing btw>

I doubt they do. Adaware reported 3 tracking cookies and nowt else.

MS reported VNC as a "potential threat" - it's a standard app on all our machines for our troubleshooting needs, and it also reported a little file that came with a program I installed, that Adaware nor spybot had ever spotted.

So unless it's an extremly intelligent algorithm for inventing what spyware is found on your machine, I doubt it.

NotMe · 07-01-2005 4:36pm

I've just downloaded and run it. It found 12 threats, all of them are just left over registry entries from malware removed by other ad-aware/spybot, etc. It is worth having.

Bri · 07-01-2005 4:56pm

Is there a downside to this prog? If it's real-time does that mean it will hog traffic in and out of your machine? And what exatly is real-time: regular automatic updates as opposed to telling adaware to do it itself?

Mr E · 07-01-2005 5:11pm

Well if the updates are automatic, and you can schedule scans for 2am in the morning, basically it will run by itself and notify you when it finds something.

I think the realtime protection is for stopping spyware from being installed in the firstplace. I presume it detects browser hijack attempts, etc...

Bri · 07-01-2005 5:18pm

Ah. Doubt it looks out for Firefox somehow...at least to the same degree.

aidan_walsh · 07-01-2005 5:55pm

I'm in the same boat as a lot of you, found some stuff that Adaware and Spybot didn't. Overall it looks nice, some interface issues aside.

Just hope they take the right step when it comes to licensing though...

thejollyrodger · 07-01-2005 6:21pm

I wonder how does the program work. Does it scan all incoming traffic to your computer or does it just add on to Internet Explorer? I use FireFox and was just wondering

aidan_walsh · 07-01-2005 6:28pm

The real time monitor is a seperate process that runs when you start up the computer, and is accessible in the tray. You can use that to launch the full scanner, etc.

It doesn't monitor traffic, it monitors files and processes on the computer.

Bri · 07-01-2005 7:11pm

doodle_sketch wrote:

It doesn't monitor traffic, it monitors files and processes on the computer.

Any noticable change in performance?

aidan_walsh · 07-01-2005 7:15pm

Bri wrote:

Any noticable change in performance?

None as of yet on my 2.2GHz tower or 2.0GHz lappy

Rambo · 07-01-2005 8:36pm

thejollyrodger wrote:

I wonder how does the program work. Does it scan all incoming traffic to your computer or does it just add on to Internet Explorer? I use FireFox and was just wondering

it is a add on for IE and more (does not work with firefox)
I think the system explorer is the best feature in it
you can see what processes or running it give good detail and the nasty
activeX you have install which you can remove easily

The only thing I found wrong the scroll mouse does not work in all menus
which is pain and the menu system is a little confusion

Lump · 07-01-2005 8:48pm

Well it's popped up twice warning me while I was surfing with Firefox

John

shinzon · 08-01-2005 12:35am

crikey

I downloaded it earlier thinking it wouldnt find anything seens as i run adaware and spybot daily, but no it found 2 premium dialler trojans in my registry that neither of the other 2 ever reported

So a combination of all 3 is the way to go

Shin

Infini · 08-01-2005 12:50am

Microsoft recently purchased GIANT the guys that created the core components for the scanner. Since the team building the program would have access to the scource code for windows its probably how the programs so effective. Also this is only the first beta so it may be even more effective by the time the program reaches it final distribution build.

Bri · 08-01-2005 1:03am

Did they finally sort out who has rights to GIANT - Something about MS not owning 100% of the company as another had a stake in it or its products?

Infini · 08-01-2005 1:09am

Not sure but they probably wouldn't have released the beta so quikly unless they hadn't.

Stephen · 08-01-2005 3:38am

Nice one, the only "threat" it found on this machine is my TightVNC client.

(pfft)

Microsoft launches Antispy Beta 1 - Works!

Comments