What was your first Anti-Spy/Malware Program?

What was your first dedicated anti-malware application program? I mean the first one utilised in addition to your installed anti-virus program.

Mine was SUPERAntiSpyware.

I used the freeware version as on on-demand scanner & first downloaded it around four years ago. I decided that due to all the CARNY_RIDE virus scares with the Norton AV that were going around at the time I could do with some extra type of scanner. Especially one that was also dedicated to spyware & rootkit detection & removal. Around the same time I also installed SpywareBlaster (which I still run on my 32 bit computers).

It paid off as it discovered a trojan later that year, that Norton & Spybot S&D missed (surprise, surprise). I soon ditched Norton & Spybot as I was not particularly impressed with them. After SAS had removed the trojan I downloaded MBAM (which I believe was relatively new then) & scanned with that as well. I kept both SAS & MBAM for around a year or so, but after a while I decided MBAM was a bit redundant (plus it gave me a few too many false-positives) & kept SAS.

Recently though I have uninstalled SAS as I don't think it has improved greatly since it has been acquired by Support.com. To me, anyway, it wasn't what it once was. I have since gone back with MBAM as my on-demand scanner.

Every dog has its day I suppose. I do kind of miss it though.

 

Spybot and AdAware. AdAware didn't last long and had problems with lots of people. It was good for a year or so. Don't even know it they are still around.

 

Yeah, I had a brief flirtation with that as well. It didn't last more than a couple of days. I found it quite buggy on Vista.

It's still around.

 

I quite using it in the 98 days. It was pretty good at what it did back then.

 

Yes, I have spoken to quite a few people who praised it highly (back in the day). I guess things just have their day. A bit like SUPERAntiSpyware.

 

Spybot was my first and still use it. Neil.

 

I liked its immunisation protection for the Opera browser. But I had a bit of a bad experience with it (Spybot) once & uninstalled it. I don't know when 2.0.9 will be released. I believe it is out of beta & now at the release candidate stage.

I often run the portable Opera (usually on our work laptops), & I have often wondered what running Spybot portable (PortableApps) with it for immunisation would be like. It would probably fry my flashdrive LOL!