Complement ESS with AntiSpyware?

I'm thinking of complementing ESS with an AntiSpyware program and have two questions:

Do you guys think doing that makes good sense? ...and if so,

Which AS program works well with ESS (effective and light on resources)?

Thanks very much.

 

I think ESS should be fine for realtime.

But if youre really convinced of running a realtime AS, I would choose SUPERAntiSpyware Pro.

 

I run CounterSpy V2.5 and find it a more complete and thorough Antispyware than SAS.

 

CounterSpy doesn't detect in real time... it's behavior blocking only I think.

 

I just thought adding AS might be a good idea after reading the following in PC Magazine's review of ESS:

 

But do you often encounter spyware?

Using an alternate browser (like Firefox or Opera) and have good surfing habits help reduce the risk.

 

Not knowingly, but then again I don't know if any has slipped by ESS and is now residing in our PCs!

And not that I don't appreciate your feedback (I really do!), but I much prefer using IE7.

 

@Jo Ann,

I use Spy Sweeper together with ESS and while it does a good job of catching spyware & adware that slips through ESS, I must say that Spy Sweeper is not light on resources. For that very reason, I'm considering just using one of the on-demand AS scanners.

 

No offense, but my computer is a couple of years old and was at the time a bit above average (although I've increased RAM to 512 MB, the minimum for modern more-than-minimal computing), and the Spy Sweeper (without antivirus) is VERY light on my resources !

I really don't understand how people can see it as a resource hog.

 

I'm not sure what you mean.

It has active protection (prevents the installation of spyware/adware, or stops it when it becomes active), and it can be very effective, especially if you set the active protection at paranoid.

And you can perform scans to see if there is any spyware on your system, and delete it if wanted.

 

No offense taken... You qualified your defense of Spy Sweeper by adding "(without antivirus)", and I can accept that. But when combined with ESS (one of the lightest internet suites), it adds about 15 sec to my startup time and noticeably slows most internet operations.

 

I agree with appster. I tried Spy Sweeper and it slows my boot time way down also even after defragging my boot files. I only uswe on demand spyware scanners. I see no need for a realtime spyware scanner when I use Online Armor and NOD32. I use SAS amd Spybot on demand once a week. Not one infection in 5 years and I surf everything.

 

Jo Ann,

Quote from Counterspy V2 website regarding "real time":

Groundbreaking Technology
Now, the most menacing spyware, rootkits, and blended malware threats have no place to hide! With CounterSpy V2's revolutionary new design you get faster, more effective spyware scans and real-time protection that removes even the deepest rooted malware from your PC.

I use Conterspy with ESS and it complements very well and is very light on resources. I too share your concern using ESS alone. I posed your exact question several months ago without any good feedback. After using Counterspy w/ESS I would highly recommend it! I just don't trust ESS by itself.

Hope this helps!

 

Well, last time I tried it it was only detecting things such as Internet Explorer's home page being changed, something being added to startup, etc.

 

Whatever one deciedes to use, relying on one app to keep you safe is not a good idea IMO.
A layered defense, I believe is the best way to go.
One must just search and find the right combo that works for them.

 

I second that!

 

Rather than an anti-spyware program that relies on definitions, you might consider a sandbox type program to isolate your internet facing applications.

Sandboxie
GeSWall
DefenseWall HIPS
SafeSpace

 

To avoid confusion: there is the traditional Spy Sweeper (anti-spyware/adware,not certain about trojans), and the version of the Spy Sweeper that includes antivirus.

I do use an antvirus, currently the resource hog known as McAfee Virusscan Plus 2008, which I plan to ditch when Counterspy adds an antivirus part (soon I hope).

McAfee is the only resource hog on my computer (and I know because there was a time when I didn't have that junk on my computer).

 

If that happens without a good reason, it's a reason to block it and perform a scan for the presence of spyware ! And even if you can't find anything, you have at least blocked unwanted behaviour.

 

Hmm, I've received a lot of 'mixed signals' here, so I guess I'll just rely on ESS for all malware protection (until that's proven to be a mistake)!

However, I do appreciate the suggestions.

 

As it turns out, for whatever reason I had completely overlooked Hotep's post:

So I decided to try Counterspy with ESS and just as Hotep said, it is light on resources and seems to do its job quite well - upon installation it found a number of spyware/adware that apparently got by ESS!

Thanks Hotep!

 

What kind of spyware? Cookies are not spyware and the last time I used Counterspy I had 20 false positives. Mainly related to Gamespy which is how I play online games sometimes and it is clearly not spyware. Make sure you check and be sure that what Counterspy found isnt trusted programs on your pc.

 

Fp's happen with security programs now and then. Checking whats found is always a prudent course of action regardless of your choice of security solutions. I hope you contacted technical support at Sunbelt.

 

While Counterspy did find a number of tracking cookies, it also found a trojan with the name of 'Vundo' (to the best of my recollection). But insofar as cookies not being spyware, I don't want tracking cookies on my system, do you?

 

I want nothing that I did not put there myself on my system.
Which is why I started using SandBoxie again. Great protection.
Jo Ann, if CS does not work out for you may I suggest SAS. Even just on demand, SAS offers great detection and removel. Myself I keep two on demand scanners just to make me feel better that nothing is getting on my box.