2008 Anti Malware Software Review
Malware (short for "malicious software") is the sophisticated successor to viruses.
Spyware Doctor 5.5 edged out Panda as our top pick for Anti-Malware. Spyware Doctor's Guard engine approach can keep malware off a system and it does an excellent job of scrubbing out all traces of malware on an already infected computer. Panda's TruPrevent technology is cutting edge it will keep them at the top for a long time to come.
The game has changed. Malware has passed viruses as the #1 threat on the internet. Well funded criminals now employ professional programmers to develop malware to defraud unsuspecting victims.
| Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 5.52 | 4.4 (Best) | $39.951 |
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Read Review | 5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Panda Antivirus + Firewall23 | 4.3 | $49.954 |
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Read Review | 5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Webroot Spy Sweeper | 3.5 | $29.95 |
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Read Review | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| CounterSpy v2 | 3.4 | $19.95 | Go to website | Read Review | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Poor
Can't decide? Have questions? Contact Us with your questions! 1 You can install up to 3 computers2 Provides anti-virus & spyware
3 Firewall needed for TruPrevent technology
4 $10 off coupon available for Panda through SecurityTechReviews.com
Don't wait until your computer is overrun and bogged down by malware, Get Protected NOW!
Spyware Doctor with Anti-Virus 5.5 full review
Includes:
- Antivirus
- AntiSpyware
- Anti Malware via OnGuard (protects against unknown threats)
- AntiRootkit
- 100% Money Back Guarantee
Try to get past these guards
Malware can infect your system many different ways. The use of separate engines to keep Malware off your system sets Spyware Doctor 5.5 apart. If one of the six different Guard engines miss, the others back it up. Guards, Guards Guards!!
- Browser Guard protects your Internet browser by detecting and blocking malicious changes from being made to your settings guarding against browser hijackers.
- File Guard monitors for any malicious files on your system and prevents them from being accessed.
- Immunizer Guard ensures that no known malignant ActiveX object can install onto your PC without warning while you are on the Internet.
- Network Guard blocks malicious changes to your network settings to stop threats from hijacking your network connection.
- Process Guard detects and blocks malicious hidden programs.
- Start Up Guard monitors and blocks malicious applications from configuring themselves to automatically start on your system.
Easy to use
Spyware Doctor underwent a big interface update from 4.x to 5.x and it couldn't be much easier to use. Scan results are categorized by threat type and an easy "Fix" button is provided as one step to clean up the mess.
Support
When we ran into problems on one of our computers PCTools was responsive and got back to us with a solution fast.
Software Quality
With malware the thoroughness of the file clean-up speaks to the quality of the software and research departments. Some anti-malware software only removes the most malicious part of the malware program. The problem with this is that over time your computer slows down with all that extra stuff clogging it up. Spyware Doctor does a very thorough job and cleaning up your PC getting it back to performing as new. Then the many Guards step in to prevent any new infections.
Top Pros and Cons
Pros:Excellent protection
User friendly
Cons:
Because of the very thorough cleaning a full scan can take a bit longer. It's worth it to get your computer squeaky clean. To improve performance you can choose to do an "Intelliscan" reserving full scans for once in a while.
Go to PC Tools website for more information
Panda Antivirus + Firewall 2008 full review
Includes:
- Antivirus
- AntiSpyware
- Firewall
- AntiPhishing
- TruPrevent (protects against unknown threats)
- AntiRootkit
Advanced Protection
Panda's TruPrevent technology gives it one leg up on competitors. This technology prevents previously unknown threats by monitoring the behavior of all programs. This is vital in today's internet climate with new threats emerging daily.
Easy to use
Panda doesn't require advanced security knowledge. Although we did have to tweak a few settings Panda gets close to set it and forget it. No problem installing this for non-techie people, Panda's set-up is easy and scan results are well organized.
Support
We didn't find ourselves needing a lot of support. Panda was responsive to our questions by e-mail.
Software Quality
Working with a lot of software, we've become sensitive to software quality items such as how intuitive the interface is, how good the online help is, how easy it is to understand error messages, etc. Good software gets this right through customer feedback. We found Panda's software to have very good quality.
Top Pros and Cons
Pros:Excellent protection
User friendly
Cons:
We wish TruPrevent technology was available without firewall but understand that it is needed.
$10 off coupon available for Panda through SecurityTechReviews.com
Go to the Panda Security Home Page for more information
Webroot Spysweeper 5.5
Panda Security Home Page
Includes:
- Antivirus
- AntiSpyware
- Anti Malware (protects against unknown threats)
- AntiRootkit
Solid Protection
Webroot cleans a system well and has many preventative features. The preventative technologies could use some work, they weren't able to detect some keyloggers in one test. Overall the protection is good.
Easy to use
We had no complaints understanding scan results or installing & configuring the software.
Support
webroot was responsive to our questions by e-mail.
Software Quality
Webroot performed well in our tests, no major glitches. It also thoroughly cleaned up infected systems.
Top Pros and Cons
Pros:Good malware protection
Cons:
Antivirus add on is new Keylogger detection is a work in progress
Go to webroot website for more information
CounterSpy v2
Includes:
- Antivirus
- Antispyware
- Anti malware
Carving out attention
CounterSpy hasn't made the in roads that SpywareDoctor and Webroot have however they have built up very good capability in spyware and malware protection. Look for these guys to rise quickly to the top, they have already surpassed players like Ad-Aware.
Easy to use
With the exception of a few issues getting our test system cleaned up once this software was running we had little trouble navigating the interface to get the job done.
Support
Support was good offering phone or e-mail support during business hours.
Software Quality
We had a few stability issues during system cleanup but after the system was cleaned up it was smooth sailing.
Top Pros and Cons
Pros:
Bullet proof protection for a clean system
Best value
Cons:
Takes some time to clean-up an already infested system
Go to Sunbelt's website for more information
Can't decide? Have questions? Contact Us with your questions!