Late last night, Microsoft shipped its public beta of Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (see the first URL below), which is based on the antispyware application that Giant Company Software previously sold. (Microsoft purchased Giant in December.) In addition, Microsoft announced that it will soon ship the first monthly installment of a malicious software removal tool that will help customers remove malware such as worms and viruses. The first version of that tool will appear January 11, the same day Microsoft issues its monthly security bulletins.
"Customers have told us that they need solutions that make it easier to keep computers protected from emerging and ever-changing threats," Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Security Business and Technology Unit, said. "The solutions we're announcing today will offer customers additional resources to help to protect their PCs against spyware and viruses on an ongoing and predictable basis."
The Windows AntiSpyware Beta 1 release visually and functionally resembles Giant AntiSpyware but lacks a few features, so Microsoft is advising Giant customers who have active subscriptions to retain that version. As WinInfo Daily UPDATE readers know, I recently wrote a lengthy overview of Giant AntiSpyware, and most of that information still applies to Microsoft's public beta (see the second URL below).
Why doesn't AntiSpyware show up in the Security Center? That seems like a major oversight to me.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005 (Article Rating: )
How about a MORE SECURE OS that doesn't need an anti-spyware program. This is like a car manufaturer including a fire extinguisher on a car that tends to explode.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005 (Article Rating: )
Now Microsoft should improve IE to make it work like Mozilla and we would be able to use all those IE scanning features in the antispyware.
Or maybe it could support Mozilla instead. Let just hope this tools doesn't start a new anti-trust file.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
"How about a MORE SECURE OS that doesn't need an anti-spyware program."
Do you have any idea what spyware is? Give me the name of an OS that can tell when an application is designed to display adverts at certain intervals?
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
"How about a MORE SECURE OS that doesn't need an anti-spyware program. This is like a car manufaturer including a fire extinguisher on a car that tends to explode."
The only OS that could possibly prevent spyware is an OS that completely prevents the installation of software of any kind.
What kind of OS would that be?
And BTW, keeping a fire extinguisher in your car IS a good safety idea. It would be nice if all manufactures of cars DID include a fire extinguisher, jumper cables and other safty equipment.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
The 3 things that make a Windows PC vulnerable to various malware is:
1. The User. 2. The Internet. 3. The sheer number of Windows users on the internet.
So, if all things were equal to the above, all OS's would suffer the same problems. Windows has, what, 95% or more of the desktop market, Apple has about 3%, and the remainder is everything else. If these percentages were tilted towards, say, Apple, ingenious hackers would find a way to infiltrate that OS just as well. But why would you bother to attack a OS that only has about 3% of the market. You want to attack and infiltrate, for whatever purpose, the largest group with a single effort. That means Windows.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
KNOPPIX is the answer to all INTERNET security issues hands down, bare none!
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
Paul, you should also mention in your article that this beta does not scan for tracking cookies (either IE or FireFox).
It's better to use this in conjunction with Ad-Aware and SpyBot S&D Etc.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
I agree, this is a great app and using it in conjunction with other products such as Ad-Aware and SpyBot is a great idea, each programs picks up on something the others dont. Microsoft made the right decision to aquire GIANT, users have been asking for an official MS program for years and MS finaly delivered.
Anonymous User January 06, 2005
I tried it. looks goot. I hate the fact that FlasGet is seen as a very high spyware treat
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Anonymous User January 06, 2005 (Article Rating: