Tag: antispyware

Windows Defender (Beta 2)

Post ImageMicrosoft released Windows Defender (formerly Microsoft Antispyware, hence the Beta 2) yesterday, making it available as a free download and I just installed it. Apparently existing Antispyware users will be notified about the update, but I hadn’t received anything before I installed Defender. Fortunately it appears to have upgraded or removed Antispyware for me. Here’s Microsoft’s description of the software:

Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps you stay productive by protecting your computer against pop-ups, slow performance and security threats caused by spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Some of the main changes/features include a redesigned interface, improved detection and removal, support for 64 bit platforms, and the most important one of all: Windows Defender can be run by all users on a computer, with or without administrative privileges.

Some other things I noticed:

  • Checking for updates seemed to take a long time, and the UI for it is ugly compared to Antispyware.
  • The red and yellow target icon has been replaced by a grey, plain looking brick wall. The icon doesn’t appear to stay in the status bar anymore.
  • The logo is using the new Vista graphic for Windows (this makes it the first application I have installed that uses the graphic).
  • There’s a lot of wasted whitespace on the “Home” screen.
  • Software Explorer is a new feature that lets you manage software permissions. Also shows you a bunch of information about each program.
  • I need to test it out a little more, but so far it seems to use more memory than Antispyware.

If you want to give it a try, you can download it from Microsoft.

Read: Windows Defender

MsgPlus Petition Worked

Post ImageIt seems as though the MsgPlus petition (that I wrote about here, but didn’t sign) has worked, though Microsoft has not made an offical response:

We have yet to receive an official answer from Microsoft regarding the problems caused by their AntiSpyware product, however, it seems that the petition already filled a lot of its purpose! An update was made to the spyware definition files on September 23rd and the msgplus.exe program is not detected as a threat at run time anymore!

While I am glad they are no longer identified, I hope they don’t get an official answer. Like I said before, Microsoft would open a whole can of worms if they bowed to the demands of one software developer. And again, I never had any problems with MsgPlus and AntiSpyware.

Read: MsgPlus News

The MsgPlus Petition

Post ImageI just got an alert in MSN Messenger saying that MsgPlus, the popular add-in which I have installed, needed my support. With my curiousity piqued, I clicked on the alert, and found myself at a petition page. From the explanation that precedes the actual petition letter:

In a recent update of Microsoft Anti-Spyware, the threat level of Messenger Plus! was lowered from 3/5 to 2/5, which was a good thing, however, the program itself, msgplus.exe, is now detected immediately at system startup or whenever run manually by the user, and the following message is displayed in bold red: “Warning, Messenger Plus! Software Bundler is trying to install!”. In addition to discouraging anybody in their right mind to click “Allow”, this message is, to put it simply, a lie. Messenger Plus! is not a “threat” and it certainly is not trying to “install itself on your computer”, it’s already been installed at this point and the program is just trying to run and do what the user expects it to do. Why is that important? because the main argument of Microsoft so far against this case has been “the policy of Microsoft Anti-Spyware is to flag all installers which bundle spyware/adware as being potentially dangerous”.

I really like MsgPlus, and I have been using it for a very long time. It is, in my opinion, one of the best software add-ins ever created, not just in terms of MSN Messenger, but in terms of all applications period. It integrates so smoothly and does exactly what you expect it to. I also really like Microsoft’s AntiSpyware. I used to be an Ad-Aware user, but I find AntiSpyware finds just as many threats, if not more, and integrates nicely into Windows XP. I also particularly like the warning messages and alerts that the program displays.

Having said all that, I can’t bring myself to sign the petition, and for a couple reasons. First off, MsgPlus does have the capability to install adware, so I don’t mind that AntiSpyware flags it as a potential threat. Secondly, I really don’t like how Patchou has positioned the petition as a “save MsgPlus” gimmick. I don’t believe for a second that AntiSpyware is enough of a problem to stop work on MsgPlus. Thirdly, and most importantly to me, I have run both applications side by side ever since AntiSpyware was released by Microsoft. The first time I ran a scan, it flagged MsgPlus, and I simply told AntiSpyware to always ignore it. I have never, ever encountered a problem, nor has MsgPlus ever been flagged again. I suppose another reason is that looking at this from Microsoft’s side, caving in to the demands of one developer could mean problems with other developers. Pretty soon all the effort is placed on appeasing developers instead of protecting consumers.

So that’s why I am not signing the petition. I am surprised to see that since August 17th, there have been 82,498 signatures. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Read: MsgPlus Petition

Symantec's AntiSpyware Beta

Ever since Microsoft released their AntiSpyware beta, I have been using it almost exclusively. In my testing, I found that it worked far better than Ad-Aware. Of course, just like in real life, protection is better when you combine methods, so it’s never a bad idea to have more than one application.

Having said that, it’s worth noting that Symantec released today a free beta of Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition. Aside from the horrendously long name, I am willing to bet the application is very good at what it does:

Norton Internet Security 2005 provides essential protection from viruses, hackers, and privacy threats. Included are full versions of Norton AntiVirus and Norton Personal Firewall, which efficiently defend your PC from the most common Internet dangers. You also get Norton AntiSpam to block unwanted email, Norton Parental Control to protect your children online and Norton Privacy Control to prevent confidential information to be sent out.

If you’re in the market for a spyware app, this one is probably worth checking out. And unlike Microsoft’s application, the Norton app will work on Windows 9x too. The free beta expires June 1st.

Read: FileForum