Free Removal of Spyware, is it Worth the Cost?

There are hundreds of tools promising free removal of spyware. Download one and give it a run. It's a certainty that your PC will be infected with spyware. Your first spyware scan will be a big eye opener.

Misconceptions About Spyware

1. Spyware is harmless.
2. Spyware isn't malicious.
3. Spyware just slows your PC down.
4. A decent firewall will block it.

There is an epidemic of spyware and it represents a major threat to privacy as well as exposure to cyber-crime and identity theft. Spyware can change system settings, install keystroke loggers, collect and report on personal information and deliver spam or ads without notice or consent. It's correct that spyware will also slow your PC down, but that's relatively inconsequential compared with these other exposures.

Spyware is a unique form of malware and it requires a special set of tools to comprehensively remove it from a PC. It's not a one time task, it requires continuous monitoring. The commercial interests behind spyware pump out thousands of new mutations every day. To be effective a spyware removal tool must be updated every few days, or better still daily.

All malware infections are potentially serious.

Free Spyware Removal Tools

Some of the free removal of spyware options include:

• Window Defender
• Spyware Blaster
• SpywareGuard
• HiJackThis!
• CoolWebShredder

The pick of the crop is Spybot - Search & Destroy

All of these tools work. The question is how well do they work and is free removal of spyware the best solution? According to studies the best that can be expected from any one of the tools is to get rid of 70% of the infections and most achieve a clearance rate of less than 50%-60%.

If your budget will not stretch to buying preventative software, we would recommend that you add multiple free removal of spyware tools to your portfolio. That will increase your level of protection.

The ultimate solution is a first class internet security suite such as Kaspersky 7.0. If your budget is limited check out eBay .

The organizations responsible for the spyware plague are seriously intent on deception. Each new mutation is intended to make detection increasingly difficult and the interval between generations is getting shorter. To be effective the detection tools must be updated continually, which brings us to the next problem with free spyware removal options.

1. The updates are less frequent than for commercial products.
2. The updates must be applied manually.
3. As multiple free tools need to be used to achieve a decent level of protection, it's probable that neither the updates nor scans will will end up being done regularly.

The Solution

The exposures associated with spyware should not be underestimated. An investment in a reputable commercial spyware removal solution can save tens of thousands of dollars or more. A breach of laptop security such as cyber fraud or identity theft can be expensive.

The best commercial options can detect and stop spyware processes actively running in memory. They also have the sophistication to monitor files and processes exhibiting suspicious behavior similar to known spyware and adware programs.

This level of protection is bundled in comprehensive internet security suites packaged with the top 5 antivirus programs.

The benefit of this approach is that there is just one set of software to install that will provide protection against viruses, spyware and hackers. Furthermore, updates happen automatically. It's a set and forget process that provides the greatest level of security.

On the other hand if your laptop is used mainly for recreational purposes and has no sensitive data on it then maybe a free removal of spyware option is the way to go.

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