Anti Spyware Exposed?

Anti spyware software works by identifying and removing spyware in their database. This is one of the problems with anti spyware because they only remove spyware that is in their database. Sources like PC World magazine state that the best antispyware software can only remove 90% or less of your spyware. Because of this many spyware experts recommend running 2 or 3 anti spyware software. Unlike antivirus software, multiple anti spyware software can run simultaneously.

There are many ways to catalogue spyware to add to an anti spyware database. Researchers can manually download spyware onto their pc and analyze it. Other companies send a report from each of their users computers, this report is then analyzed and the spyware is found and added to the database. Some anti spyware vendors have robots which surf the internet and download spyware, this is the fastest and most accurate way of finding new spyware. This helps ensure the most up to date spyware database.

An anti spyware researcher identifies the spyware by file name, type of spyware (Trojan, keylogger adware etc.) and name it. The best anti spyware software use a cryptographic signature like md5 or crc32 to identify spyware which eliminates false positives and lets the anti spyware software to remove spyware that changes file names automatically.

There are countless anti spyware software scams on the internet. Some anti spyware vendors have been sued for using false positives to trick people into buying their software. They'll claim to find spyware on a computer when there is no spyware.

Other scams involve anti spyware vendors that use popups that give you a warning that there is spyware on your pc when in fact there was no scan done and no spyware found.

Rogue anti spyware software is becoming more popular. This is software that installs on your pc by downloading their software or through browser exploits. Rogue anti spyware can hijack your computer and demand a "ransom" to remove it. They will show false warnings about spyware being on your computer and tell you to buy their software to fix the problem.

In spite of all these scams and problems there are many great anti spyware programs for under $30. I've included some advice below on buying the best anti spyware software for you.

Here are the features you should make sure your anti spyware software has.

Spyware Database Updates: with new spyware being released constantly a good spyware remover should download new updates automatically at least once per day.

Real Customer Support: Tech support that speaks English and answers your questions within a few hours (not days).

Full scan: Antispyware software should do a Full Scan of your entire computer. This feature is extremely important because a lot of spyware will change file names to avoid detection. A full scan will find and remove spyware based on a cryptographic signature like md5 to remove hard to remove spyware that changes file names.

Guard feature: Quality antispyware software will have an extensive guard system to prevent spyware from getting on your pc.

Highly awarded: The antispyware software you choose should have won legitimate awards from independent organizations.

Better Business Bureau member: With so many anti spyware scams on the internet I would only recommend buying from a company that belongs to the BBB. In order to be a BBB member a company must be in business for at least one year and satisfactorily resolve any customer complaints.

100% removal: Independent testing by leading sources like PC World magazine confirm that no antispyware software can remove all your spyware on the first scan. That's why it's important to choose antispyware software that provides you with a free custom update to remove all your spyware if it wasn't removed on the first scan.

Simple to use: Antispyware software should be simple to use and automate common tasks like scanning and downloading updates. You should be able to set it and forget it.

I'm a computer programmer and I read about computer security issues. Whenever a friend has a pc problem they always call me. So I know great software when I find it.

The only anti spyware software that I've found that meets all the above is BluePenguin Software's SpyZooka. SpyZooka is the only company that guarantees 100% spyware removal. Here is the link for SpyZooka:
SpyZooka Anti Spyware Software