A big part of my new business is removing spyware. My competition sells this service for $50.00. The funny thing is, I generally charge more than that just to install all the software I plan on using. So, if it takes me that long just to get setup (usually about an hour before actually doing anything.) I cannot even fathom what little work they actually do for $50.00. My best guess is, they run AdAware and call it clean... shit, AdAware is so bad, I don't even bother installing it unless I have to.
A good one is Spybot, mainly because it is free, but it only has 23,000 records it scans for. Another good one is Spyware Doctor. That one has about 33,000 records, finds stuff the others don't, but it's slow as dirt. The best one is SpySweeper, because it contains over 103,000 records. Sadly, it misses alot of stuff too. I find, that running all three seems to do the trick. In a pinch, I would then install AdAware, but that generally finds nothing worth finding, like cookies. Lastly, I install Zone Alarm if all else fails, because that will bring to my attention any traffic the stubborn bugger makes. Also thrown in the mix is HiJack This.
All in all, I charge about 3 times what my competition does, but I can safely make the guarantee that all the crap has been removed. People don't seem to mind paying, and noone has called me back because of return spyware troubles.... yet.
3 comments:
Fantastic blog here! I'm definitely going to stop by again!
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Great Article! I too make lots of $$ removing infections. But I'd like to add my 2 cents worth. . .
While many people now know to keep their AntiSpyware programs updated -- most are oblivious that the software's default settings do NOT scan for all possible problems!
Software manufactures state that users don’t want to wait a long time for scanning, so they choose a (quicker) default scanning time. So to "properly" configure the software:
SpyBot Search & Destroy
1) Launch program and check for (& install) updates
2) Select “Advanced Mode” from the “Mode” pull-down menu
3) Click on the “Tools” button on the side toolbar
4) Select ALL Tools except for the “Bug Report” (only needed when troubleshooting the SpyBot program)
5) Click on the “Settings” button on the side toolbar
6) Click on “Ignore Products”
7) Select “All Products” – then right-mouse click on the list and “Deselect All” items, but (re)select “DSO Exploit”
8) (Re)immunize to include the newly included “All Products”
9) Click on “Check for problems”
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Lavasoft’s AdAware
1) Launch program and check for (& install) updates [click on "Check for updates now" -- click "Connect" to continue, then "Finish"]
2) Click "Start" to begin scanning.
3) The first time requires that we configure the settings -- click on "Customize" (Change all items that are RED "X" (not grey) to GREEN "Check") -- Select ALL of your local hard drives
4) Click "Customize" to select this type of scanning
5) Click "Next" to begin scanning.
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Microsoft’s AntiSpyware
1) Launch program and check for (& install) updates (under the File pull-down menu)
2) Click on “Scan Options”
3) Select “Run a full system scan’
4) Ensure that all check boxes are selected (as well as ALL of your local hard drives)
5) Click on “Save these options” then “Run Scan Now”
Fiberglass? :-)
I love the marketing strategy there. "Fiberglass related stuff." Real technical there buddy.
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