Topic awaiting preservation: Microsoft Antispyware? (Page 1 of 1)

Anyone given this program a go? I saw it released a while back and was curious about how it works.

:::11oh1:::

I haven't tried it, but one of the guys I've talked to that has it installed in the lab at the univ said it does a pretty good job of keeping things out, but don't bother using it to try and remove stuff that's already there or that gets through.

I'm not in any big hurry to find a replacement for Adaware, Spybot S&D, etc, as they do plenty for me and keep things nice and clean, so I doubt I'll worry about it much...

-- Curiosity may have killed the whole cat, but Schrodinger only killed half --

Isn't running Microsoft anti-spyware like having the fox watch the chicken coop?

Even if i trusted MS, I wouldn't use more software from them on principle alone.
Do they really need to dominate every single niche in the market?
They have destroyed so many software publishers, big guys, but little guys as well. enuf..

i'll stick with the usual suspects as well (S&D and Adaware and HijackThis) but I honestly can't remember the last time I found anything on my PC after a scan.

... the spyware detector I rely on the most is MSCONFIG.

I have been using it when it belonged to the 'Giant' people.. still using it since Microsoft bought it.. and have not had a single bit of spyware since.

QUOTATION: "If you're too open minded, your brains will fall out."

Wouldn't it be more like the Fox hireing, a watch dog to watch the chicken coop?

Running it for about a month now and I like it -- seem to be working well for me.

It's good to be the Fox.

J. Stuart J.

(Edited by jstuartj on 04-09-2005 00:43)

We've been deploying it for a month or so now. Probably on about 200 seats. Wednesday I had a machine that it ran on and found 18,000+ items. After it was done cleaning, I ran AdAware and Spybot, and both came up clean. So, we're happy with it. I'm waiting to see their Enterprise solution, as it should make our life a little easier.

I downloaded it but it expired a few dys go and I'm missing it ever since! Been getting these creepy errors that my system might have malware!! The one Microsoft software I like and it expires!!

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templar654 said:

I downloaded it but it expired a few dys go and I'm missing it ever since! Been getting these creepy errors that my system might have malware!! The one Microsoft software I like and it expires!!

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You must have the old beta. Download the 2/16/2005 version.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

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ZaddyDog said:

Isn't running Microsoft anti-spyware like having the fox watch the chicken coop?Even if i trusted MS, I wouldn't use more software from them on principle alone.Do they really need to dominate every single niche in the market?They have destroyed so many software publishers, big guys, but little guys as well. enuf.

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So MS is damned if they do nothing about spyware and damned if they do is that it?

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ZaddyDog said:

i'll stick with the usual suspects as well (S&D and Adaware and HijackThis) but I honestly can't remember the last time I found anything on my PC after a scan.... the spyware detector I rely on the most is MSCONFIG.

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Since Msconfig isn't a spyware detector you might consider giving MSAS a try.

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ZOD said:

Since Msconfig isn't a spyware detector you might consider giving MSAS a try.

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I would like to see an application, other than a keylogger, which can run in the background yet not appear in the registry. That's the purpose of MSConfig..to check your startup and your services.

As for spy detection, aside from the fact that I don't surf porn, warez, or gamez, i have very little use for it. if you read my post you will notice I already have 3. - S&D, lavasoft, and Hijackthis.

As for Microsoft...no comment....do your own google search.

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ZaddyDog said:
I would like to see an application, other than a keylogger, which can run in the background yet not appear in the registry.

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Just about any rootkit can. Besides not *appearing* in the registry doesn't mean it's not there. It is a trivial task to create registry keys and files which are visible to your OS but not to you.

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ZaddyDog said:
That's the purpose of MSConfig..to check your startup and your services.

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I'm well aware of the purpose of Msconfig and that it was added to WinXP only at the behest Win98 users who needed hand holding. I am also very aware that it lists only a fraction of the locations where an exe, dll or driver can be loaded at startup. It cannot be relied upon at all for malware detection. If you want to detect things like rootkits you're going to need heavy duty tools such as RootKit Revealer.

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/rootkitreveal.shtml

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ZaddyDog said:
As for spy detection, aside from the fact that I don't surf porn, warez, or gamez, i have very little use for it. if you read my post you will notice I already have 3. - S&D, lavasoft, and Hijackthis.

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You don't have to be surfing seedy sites to get infected. After the recent and ongoing DNS Cache Poisoning attacks many people got infected just by going to what they thought was going to be a known safe safe site but got redirected to a bad site instead. Not one of the apps you mentioned can detect a rootkit. Furthermore Ad-Aware is no longer trusted by the security community after their recent WhenU fiasco and Lavasoft's attempts to silence their critics.

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ZaddyDog said:
As for Microsoft...no comment....do your own google search.

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Sure I can google up a cacophony of empty-headed Microsoft bashing. What exactly does that prove? Nothing. Fact is MSAS is based on Giant Antispyware which many researchers in the antispyware field regarded as being much better than Spybot and Ad-Aware combined. Now with Microsoft's inside knowledge into their own OS it is all but a sure thing it is going to get better.

Zod:
where do you come up with all this bullshit? baseless techno-crap and MS ass-kissing.

You knock MSconfig as a tool for those who need "hand-holding" yet I doubt you know what even 2% of XP's services are - give me a break. Is that your subtle way to insult me?

You think hiding malware in the registry is "trivial" - bullshit - 99% of attacks are either thru known adware or what are called kiddy scripts. very few people can create invisible hacks.

Finally, newbs like yourself, delude themselves into thinking they can protect themselves with freeware tools and MSAS. Well, I have news for you, the single point approach doesn't work. Proper protection requires backups (ghosting/imaging preferably), hardware and software firewalls, setting permissions, passwords, etc.

You do what you want, I'll do what I want..don't preach to me about Microsoft.

*Clears his throat.*

Gentlemen, calm down please. If you want to argue about such things, please, make use of the board's email system and take it to email. Thankyou.


Justice 4 Pat Richard

Please fella's, no need to start bashing the shit out of each other on a topic such as this.

You've both posted some good info there.... which helps me and I'm sure, others. To and fro on the knowledge ...'great!' but the 'slinging' isn't required. Please and thanQ very much. =)

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Skaarjj said:
Gentlemen, calm down please.
Justice 4 Pat Richard

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done

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Skaarjj said:
If you want to argue about such things,

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i don't - argument is over for me

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Skaarjj said:
make use of the board's email system and take it to email.
Thankyou.

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sorry, Zod can email himself if he wants.

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ZaddyDog said:

...baseless techno-crap...

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Ok I'm done. Far be it from me to 'shoot down' an unarmed buffoon.

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ZOD said:

unarmed buffoon

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edit: took out my response as it was very vulgar.. you're just not worth it .
you are now on my virtual killfilter, you don't exist <plonk>

(Edited by ZaddyDog on 04-10-2005 23:21)

ok... that's all. slap slap. =)

Regarding Microsoft and Microsoft Anti-Spyware, I agree with the praise. I admit that the usage of a Microsoft-branded and Microsoft-managed anti-spyware application is ironic; however, Microsoft Anti-Spyware is far superior to most, if not all, the other anti-spyware software available. Moreover, Microsoft Anti-Spyware is free to customers, is consistently updated via a network of users and by internal Microsoft teams, and is backed by a tremendous software giant. Having been a Microsoft software beta tester (for Windows XP and Office 2003), and having spoken with various Microsoft team leaders, I am confident that Microsoft will continue to provide products that satisfy consumer needs and wants.

Thanks.

(Edited by Adraeus on 04-17-2005 04:13)

My anti-spyware system goes like this:

• delete Windows
• install unix/like

I use it. It does a fantastic job. And I am NOT Microsoft fan...