Spyware Doctor 3.5
PC Tools Software $29.95 http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/ 1-800-406-4966
In the January issue of ÆGIS we mentioned the malware that Sony-BMG installed on computers that played certain of their CDs. One of the interesting things about it was that anti-spyware and anti-virus software did not seem to address this issue.
However, when we recently did an update of our anti-spyware software, Spyware Doctor, we noticed that the description said. “* New! Real-time protection against rootkits, using kernel technology the updated Process Guard protects your system from hidden processes attempting to monitor or compromise your PC.”
The Sony-BMG malware used a rootkit that changed the computer (Sony- BMG is a large corporation, and can afford to write state of the art malware), so we wrote asking if Spyware Doctor would prevent the installation of this rootkit? PC Tools responded, “To answer your question – yes Spyware Doctor does remove the Sony BMG malware.”
Good anti-spyware such as Spyware Doctor works in three ways. It immunizes your system against certain hacks (like Active-X exploits) that can be prevented in advance. It runs in background to detect certain kinds of real-time exploits, and block them. It allows a scan to detect any known malware, and remove whatever is found.
Spyware Doctor has extremely frequent updates, and allows you to schedule automatic updates and automatic scans. We do an automatic update every morning at 0255, and automatically run a full scan at 0300.
Malware is no longer merely the destructive activity of misguided kids. It has become a big business. In the Sony-BMG case it was supposed to prevent copyright violation, with the inclusion of exploitable vulnerabilities merely an unfortunate side effect. In other cases it is built to be sold or leased to others for some specific business purpose.
With the proliferation of malware, and the entry of criminal organizations and sophisticated corporations into the malware business, Spyware Doctor is well worth your consideration.
