Adware/Spyware

[jimn]

Does Avast!4 Pro do anything as regards preventing adware/spyware?

Or do you have a product that does?

Thanks

[Neron]

You can just install Ad-aware or spyware S&D.
About avast!- i dont think so-it's antivirus software

[whocares]

Well,
of course avast DOES detect/block Adware & Spyware (see virus-Database or VPS-History on Homepage or VGREP)
but probably not as much as dedicated ADware/Spyware-Scanners

Best protection against Ad-/Spyware is of course securing your browser & system and not to use IE:
See link "VirusRemoval" below in my sig for details

 

[jhiker]

You might want to take a look at Javacool's 'SpywareGuard and 'SpywareBlaster' which do a good job of preventing spyware reaching your browser. Once it's there use AdAware SE and/or Search & Destroy'

Using Firefox in preference to IE is a good idea.

[jimn]

Neron:
You don't think so. Whocares thinks so.

Whocares:
You say it does, but not as well a 'dedicated' products.
I wonder why that would be??? I would **guess** that adware/spyware is identifiable much like viruses. Do you think it's just too much work to do both well?

jhiker:
Nice pic. Is it really you behind that HAKKA pose?
As regards running other products for this... I do, but I have to remember to run them. Seemed to me that AVAST! is ideally suited for the job already.

Thanks all

[lee16]

jimn

Avast will detect spyware/adware, but its primararly an anti-virus, so it won't detect as much as a deticated spyware scanner, although it is very good at finding trojans, the simple reason it can't detect as much spyware/adware as a deticated scanner is because the workload would simply be to much.

--lee

[Vlk]

It's not an easy question. We detect stuff like dialers or keyloggers but DON'T detect things like tracking cookies etc. In short, we only detect hostile programs.

This may change in the future.

Thanks
Vlk

[whocares]

Well avast is rapdily improving even on adware, see VPS-History:

but it sure costs ressources, and harmless ad-ware is not the primary target for an Anti-AV/Trojan/BackDoor/Worm-Scanner

as to SPY-ware: that is a wide & pretty undefined field, and avast of course detects the dangerous/widespread ones, which have any real-world influence on your security/privacy

 but presently imho it doesn't & shouldn't detect minor/rather harmless stuff like DataMiners/Cookies, which you can also classify as Spyware

-->
- Secure your system/Browser and you needn't worry much
- keep it Win-wide-open, and NO MalwareScanner can fully protect you
 

EDIT:
Oh Well..:
Vlk gets to the point faster..  

[jimn]

VLK:
Thanks, I'll keep hoping.

Whocares:
The root of my asking the question is that I recently had to UNinstall XP SP2 because of random (and inopportune, of course) freezes during use (it installed like a pussy cat).
The best I have been able to come up with is that adware/spyware is virtually always at the root of such freezes in that release. Seems there's no distinction between malevolent ones or 'harmless' ones... a freeze is a freeze is a freeze.
SP2's "firewall" also stopped me from using my VPN connections - they would 'connect' OK but as soon as I tried to use one there was a error reported, and disabling the "firewall" let me work with it just fine.

I am "secured" by an ISP virus detector and Avast!4.5 Pro and that's about all I can do sensibly for now.

cheers to all

[whocares]

1)
I am "secured" by an ISP virus detector

2)
that's about all I can do sensibly for now.

Uhuuh.. how does this work.. ?
or do you mean your Mails are VirusScanned.. ?
And what about your browser & "just-being-online" ?

@2)
nope..
a) not enough, judging from your questions &
b) you sure can do more easily..

See "VirusRemoval" below and e.g. EDDY's signature and Rejzor's & Technical's links

 

[Lisandro]

This may change in the future.

I hope and pray that a bloatware is not on our way  :'(

[MikeBCda]

This may change in the future.

I hope and pray that a bloatware is not on our way  :'(

I think we're wandering just a little off-topic -- but let me add my two-cents (Cdn) while we're at it.

I forget whether it was here or over at Wilders, but a few months back we had a lively discussion about the desirability of a single product providing all your security protection.  And it was pretty generally agreed that the answer was, no way.

With a "proper" multi-level approach to protection, especially where the products overlap to some extent, you're in good shape if one of the applications goes bad.  But with a "one-product-cures-all" approach, if that goes bad then you've lost all your protection.

[Lisandro]

With a "proper" multi-level approach to protection, especially where the products overlap to some extent, you're in good shape if one of the applications goes bad.  But with a "one-product-cures-all" approach, if that goes bad then you've lost all your protection.

All of us will agree Mike...  
I think Vlk is trying to say that avast will be better and better on tracking cookies or, maybe, a new application from Alwil  

[Eddy]

Jimn, you want a clean system? Have a look at one of the webpages I created. (click link in my signature)

[wanchan]

As for Syware, this is is getting popular.
http://www.giantcompany.com

As for avast, I agree with most of the posters, is being developed into one of the best - antivirus programs.