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Microsoft Buys an Anti-Spyware Company
Posted December 16, 2004 – 1:27 pm by Yakov Shafranovich in TechnologyFollowing on the heels of their aquisition of an anti-virus company last year, Microsoft is now buying a relatively unknown anti-spyware company called “Giant Company Software” (kudos to MicrosoftWatch). What’s more interesting is what they have posted on their homepage:
Microsoft plans to make available a beta version of a spyware protection, detection, and removal tool, based on the Giant AntiSpyware product, within one month for Microsoft customers. The upcoming beta will scan a customer’s PC to locate spyware and other deceptive software threats and enable customers to remove them. The tool will be configurable to block known spyware and other unwanted software from being installed on the computer. It will be available for Windows 2000 and later.
Details of the Microsoft solution beyond the planned beta, including product plans, pricing, and a timeline for delivery, are not yet available. The anti-spyware technology will complement the enhanced security features available in Windows XP Service Pack 2 to provide a higher level of protection for browsing and other Internet computing.
Of course what makes this is even more interesting, is a recent study by PC World that found that free spyware scanners such as Lavasoft’s AdAware and SpyBot are much more effective than their commercial cousins. I wonder if Microsoft read that story, because if they did perhaps they would have bought Lavasoft instead.
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2 Responses to “Microsoft Buys an Anti-Spyware Company”
I had always thought AdAware was the leader, and it still seems good, but according to The Spyware Warrior (http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-features.htm), Giant is/was one of the best ones available. So maybe not such a bad move by Microsoft after all?
By Matt on Dec 22, 2004
Interesting. Its just that I never heard of it before and no review I have seen beside the one at SpyWarrior had even mentioned Giant’s software.
By netwizard on Dec 22, 2004