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The Pains of Removing Spyware

Somehow I ended up getting some adware on my server and it's been driving me crazy for the past few days. You take a look for various tools to get rid of it and the ones that want you to pay $29.95, I'm always just a little suspicious of.
 
Seems like MS should really be more proactive in dealing with the scourge.
 
Anyways, I found Ad-Aware SE Personal (which is FREE!) from LavaSoft and does a quick and easy job. They do sell more advanced tools but if you are unsure of what you have, try it out. Definitely worth the download.
 
Check it out at http://www.lavasoft.de
 
Note: with Spyware, you always have to be aware that the tool you use isn't just creating more spyware or adware on your system. This tool is fairly good and so far, I haven't see any reports of it adding more ad/spyware.
 
Hey Microsoft, you just bought LookOut to enhance Outlook. Do the same for Windows. If you continue to purchase companies that are providing solutions to problems in Windows that are being created by hacks, the rest of the world will thank you.
 
Ad-Aware is definitely a useful tool for this problem.

Comments

Game Geek said…
What surprises me is that ant-virus vendors such as Norton, MacAfee, and others aren't doing anything in this arena. I blogged about it at http://www.craigberntson.com/archives/2004_08_01_archive.asp#109303659210024129
September 3, 2004 at 12:20 PM
Garrett said…
Many people recommend using Spybot S&D (http://security.kolla.de/) in conjunction with Ad-Aware -- they each catch stuff the other misses.
September 3, 2004 at 12:53 PM
Anonymous said…
Tsk tsk! You should never use IE on your server, that's what FireFox is for..
September 6, 2004 at 7:49 AM
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