Spybot Search & Destroy

Nowadays almost everyone using MBAM, SAS...etc, but how about Spybot S&D?

Anybody still using Spybot S&D?

Is Spybot S&D still being actively developed?

 

Maybe, I stopped it using a year ago, when I started using sandboxie.

 

Yes, it's still being developed. No I don't use it, nor so I recommend using it. It doesn't have enough teeth to really bite back the nastiest malware...

 

There have been discussions regarding the release of v2 BETA in their forums
Info

They have kept the Spybot S & D in alpha for too long

 

I use it once, but the "Tea timer" is too heavy for me , And I end up uninstall it.

 

Hello,

I've been an user of Spybot - Search & Destroy for a very long time, but I never had it - nor do I have it - running with TeaTimer module (I have other means, and better ones for that sort of protection.). I do make use of its immunizations to protect my system while using Internet Explorer.

I know you didn't ask it, but I also use it together with Spyware Blaster. They make a fine team to protect Internet Explorer users.

I'm not a user of IE, so to speak, but I do use this or that time, when I realize that some trustful site doesn't yet fully work properly with the browser I use, which is Chromium. But, when I do make use of it, rather be safe than sorry.

To increase the window protection, I also use AVG Linkscanner and recently installed PC Tools Browser Defender. Both this tools will check sites for real-time threats.

Plus, if you use Windows Vista/7 and make use of UAC, IE will start in Protected Mode. With DEP enabled, then the security window will increase even further.

I know you didn't ask all of this, but since I couldn't tell if you had doubts about using Spybot for IE, I decided to tell you what I do to protect my system while using IE.

Hope that you and others don't mind this sort of off-topic.


Regards

 

I run it occasionally (not even once a month) as a fifth-opinion.

 

I have it installed but never scan with it. It is there for it's browser immunisation, Opera and IE, although I am not sure what content it blocks in Opera.


Gordon

 

I still use it for Immunization together with SpywareBlaster. I also used TeaTimer as a mini-hips, but RAM usage is quite high so I dumped TT. I think for detection it is too old, but the 2.0 version might change that.

 

Can't confirm anything but people have been saying S&D have been declining since a few years ago, it have lost it's powers, in other words it sucks (This is what i've read)

 

It missed a trojan once that SAS found. One day, over a year ago I tried to update Spybot & it went all HAL 9000 on me. Just trying to uninstall it was a nightmare. I'll never use it again. I'd rather have a virus...

 

I use the Immunization and start-up features also.

I've read that a few times too.

 

I wanted to try it like a month a go, but after searching a bit, people kept saying it lost it's magical properties

 

I used to use it simply because it runs resident and still has some worth because of it's registry checking. I was looking for another resident back-up to Avira AV more spyware-oriented than Threatfire and Spybot's compatible.

But it never found anything and missed some things on-demand SuperAntiSpyware scans found. Then I read this March, 2010 article on Windows Defender vs Spybot: http://www.brighthub.com/computing/smb-security/articles/65492.aspx

The article says and concludes: "Using 180 malware samples, I ran an on-demand scan using both programs. Windows Defender was able to detect 55 out of 180 malware files while Spybot-S&D performed poorly by only detecting seven out of 180...consider using Malwarebytes Anti-malware Free, A-squared Free, Ad-Aware Free, or SUPERAntispyware Free."

I removed Spybot and switched to Windows Defender. It might not catch much, but it's resident and, if it doesn't slow the computer down I might as well get a little extra help.

 

You make a very good point, Daveski17... keeping a program around in order to get a little help could end up causing you more trouble than you bargained for. I've had Spybot (minus resident SDHelper and TeaTimer) on my machines for years now, but maybe it's time to say adios. I think there are plenty of other fine products (of greater quality) to take its place. No sense tempting the HAL 9000 gods... you never know when it might all go down hill.

 

agree page42 look at my case here i liked MalWare DefenDer Alot but i changed my mind now i have Mamutu in paranoid mode to replace MD
to tell you so far so good

 

S&D isn't all that bad. I do believe the tea timer agent is a behavior blocker, and protects important areas of the registry. I don't use it now, but i have used in in the past. It has a nice system hardener for those that use IE. It also has host file protection if i remember right.

 

But now I'm paranoid about uninstalling Spybot, after reading about Daveinski17's trouble.

 

lol

 

I agree with you that it "isn't all that bad", but just to press a point, that isn't really a good enough reason to keep a security program on one's computer, is it? And what Daveinski17's situation made me realize it that by keeping it around, sort of like an old friend that you feel partial to, it could one day create havoc, either by a corrupt update or by removing something it found or even by uninstalling it. Weighing the positives against the negatives, it just isn't worth keeping onboard.

 

I am still using this for very occasional scanning. But I use it's immunization feature. The teatimer protection is OK but too heavy. The spybot nees a boost. It was a real life saver of old times.

 

I can't bring myself to remove this program!
What is up with that?
I take one look at the contents of the update
and I say to myself, hey, maybe one of these baddies isn't being detected by my other players...

 

This may sound like a broken record, but:

In all my years of using Spybot, guess what? No infections found. What does it mean? Is it great? Just not able to detect infections?

Well, guess what? Every time I verify my system with other well-known anti-malware applications, they also don't find any.

What does it mean?

I can tell you that, with Spybot - Search & Destroy, even with TeaTimer disabled, users are better protected than any other free anti-malware applications that do not provide real-time protection.

Spybot's immunizations provide real-time protection. My family members are normal Internet users, as in they browse pretty much everything. No problems all these years.

Make your own judgement of what you use.

 

Spybot can lock the host file as read only which is good.

 

I use the bleeding edge on-demand stuff,and rely on SpyWareBlaster for imunization,but you will never catch me bad-mouthing this old (free) warrior!!


May many of the Anti-Malware Du jour serve as honorably,and as long.

I still download it in ShadowMode from time to time,just to see if anything has changed,and to be to told how stupid some of my tweaks are.

Patrick is right up there with Bill from WinPatrol,as legitimate,ethical software heroes,others could do well to emulate!!


rat