In a 2005 consumer alert, the Federal Trade Commission warned that "all computer users should get wise to the signs that spyware has been installed on their machines, and then take the appropriate steps to delete it." Unfortunately, spyware is evolving so quickly that even the wisest among us have trouble keeping up.
The FTC recommended using an antispyware program from "a vendor you know and trust." One company that clearly falls into that camp is Webroot, which is offering the latest iteration of its state-of-the-art antispyware tool, Spy Sweeper.
Look and Feel
A one-year subscription to Spy Sweeper, which is available in a boxed version or as a download, costs $29.95. Installation of the software proceeds typically, requiring that you enter a long license key and register to get program and virus-signature updates from Webroot.
These updates are absolutely necessary to ensure protection against the latest spyware variants. Once installed, Spy Sweeper puts a new icon -- a graphic of a targeting crosshairs -- in your system  tray, and is locked and loaded.
Features
Each time you boot up your PC, Spy Sweeper runs in the background, using about 20 MB of memory and providing real-time protection against most types of spyware attacks.
Spy Sweeper works in two ways: It continuously monitors your PC to identify and prevent spyware attacks, and it sweeps systems to identify and optionally quarantine or remove threats. Webroot updates its databases with over 300 new spyware definitions each week and currently contains information on over 136,000 threats.
Sweeps can be scheduled to occur daily, weekly, monthly, at startup, or on demand. They can be configured to only scan your system's files, or to conduct longer, in-depth sweeps during idle hours. The sweeps also can inspect zip files, examine removable drives and disks, and check for rootkits.
Spy Sweeper's "shields" -- its options for continuous monitoring -- are extensive. They include:
Internet Explorer shields, which protect your favorites, security settings, and cookies, providing a barrier against attempts to take over your home page or default search page.
Host File shields, which protect your browser from being hijacked when surfing the Internet.
Windows System shields, which block communication between your PC and malicious Web sites; they also prevent spyware from using ActiveX controls, the small applets that embed multimedia features in Web pages. (continued...)
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