Due to the growing number of security incidents involving spyware on the internet today, it is now considered to be "common practice" to use anti-spyware/anti-adware software on every computer that connects to the world wide web. Spyware and adware usually installs without notice just by browsing to an unscrupulous website, using file-sharing programs or by downloading freeware. Since it is not a virus, most spyware cannot be detected by anti-virus software. Spyware can be extremely dangerous because it collects personal information about you and transmits it to the person who created it. The information collected can be as benign as the type of websites you visit, or as dangerous as sensitive personal information like passwords, account numbers or names/addresses. Adware normally collects information relating to your internet browsing habits, and spyware usually steals sensitive information. Spyware is often used to steal bank account information, credit card numbers or a person's whole identity. If you have spent any time surfing the internet at all, chances are your computer is infected with adware and/or spyware.
In an effort to decide which anti-spyware product to buy, I decided to take Sunbelt Software's Counter Spy for a free 14 day trial run. In order to really put this software to the test, I installed it on my work computer which is protected by an expensive Cisco firewall, Mcafee Antivirus (updated daily), and regular Windows updates. I do very little web-surfing at work and never download anything except technical software such as antivirus, spyware removers, firewall software, etc...
Following my own advice never to download software from anywhere other than the manufacturer's "official" website, I visited Sunbelt Software's site in order to download the free trial of their highly recommended spyware remover software - CounterSpy.
The CounterSpy setup process is a super easy Wizard interface that requires simple "yes" or "no" answers. As soon as the quick installation is finished, the CounterSpy update service downloaded the latest spyware definitions and checked for software updates. Following installation, CounterSpy prompts you to scan your system for spyware. This process took about 20 minutes on my computer.
To my surprise, Counter Spy found one instance of spyware and 74 instances of adware on my computer. It provided me a very detailed list including the name of the suspicious item as well as a good explanation of the problem. You can drill down deeper by clicking on a "+" sign that appears next to each spyware item, and see all of the registry keys and file directories that the spyware has attached itself to. Upon examination of the spyware item found on my PC, I saw that pieces of it were attached to 60 registry keys and three directories. No wonder spyware is so hard to remove! All of the adware that CounterSpy found on my PC was in the form of cookies, and a detailed explanation is given about each one. Much of the adware was the cause of pop-up ads that I find so annoying. CounterSpy lets you choose what you want to do with all spyware and adware it finds, and the default choice is to delete it, which I did.
I have tried other anti spyware software such as Spyware Doctor, eTrust Pest Patrol, Spybot S&D, and McAfee. I found Sunbelt Counter Spy to be one of the easiest to install and configure, and it appears to use up less system resources than Spyware Doctor, which often hangs my home computer. At only $19.95 per year, with renewal rates just $9.95 per year, Sunbelt Counter Spy is the best value for the money. CounterSpy has won numerous awards by prestigious companies such as PC World, Tucows, and C Net - it is definitely an anti spyware program worth considering!
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