Xoftspy SE by ParetoLogic Effectiveness Tested

Summary:
XoftSpy by ParetoLogic is fairly powerful, easy-to-use software, but its poor detection abilities coupled with an unflattering number of false positives lowered its overall ranking.

Effectiveness:
When tested, we found that XoftSpy missed quite a lot of spyware and adware. We also discovered XoftSpy often presented false positives. This means the program claimed an innocent program was spyware or adware. This is inconvenient, because if you remove these innocent programs as XoftSpy advices, you can cause serious harm to your computer. Conveniently XoftSpy SE provides a “view details” section that takes you directly to their dictionary and explains the source, nature and threat of it’s findings.

Ease of Setup/Installation:
XoftSpy was easy to download and install. The program takes only minutes to download and installation was quick also. Additionally, a scan of our entire computer only took a few moments.

Ease of Use:
We found XoftSpy intuitive and easy to use. A couple of minor complaints we have are that the program only includes an abort button, it does not include a stop or pause scan button (like most spyware programs have.)

Help/Support:
ParetoLogic provides basic support for XoftSpy, including email support and a FAQs page. The help section is web-based, so you must be connected to the Internet in order to use it, which is inconvenient.

Customization:
XoftSpy's customization features are similar to those in many of our higher-ranked products; these options give you power to choose what you'd like to scan, and then schedule those scans whenever you want.

Xoftspy SE among other Spyware Removal Tools

Spyware is any type of program that installs itself on a computer without the knowledge of the user and uses the Internet connection without the permission of the user. Removing spyware using spyware removal programs such as Ad-ware and Spybot can solve this problem. These spyware removal tools can only be effective if their definition files are properly updated. This is because uninstalling the program attached to the spyware may not remove it.

Some of the other common programs that are similar to spyware are datamining, aggressive advertising, parasites, scumware, key loggers, selected Trojans, dialers, malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components. Many P2P clients such as Bearshare, LimeWire, Kazaa and Grokster are common sources of acquiring spyware.

There are two types of spyware removal tools. The first one prevents the spyware from entering the system and the other focuses on detecting and eliminating the spyware. Usually, detection and removal of a spyware is much simpler compared to prevention. These anti-spyware programs detect and remove the spyware by scanning all the program files and directory systems in the computer.

Thus, a frequently updated database is required for this anti-spyware software to work efficiently. The main reason for this is that newer versions of spyware are regularly released. Some other spyware programs work in pairs and resist the anti-spyware program. It is possible that one spyware program replaces the one eliminated by the anti-spyware program thus bringing the user back to "square-one."

The market is also flooded with fake anti-spyware programs that are marketed as anti-virus removal programs. The buyer should be aware of such programs and shun their use since they may compound the problem by installing their own spyware in the computer.

Some of the popular and effective anti- spyware programs are Microsoft beta (now Windows defender), Webroot Spy Sweeper, PC Tools' Spyware Doctor, ParetoLogic's XoftSpy SE, and Sunbelt's Counterspy, which uses a forked codebase from the GIANT Anti-Spyware product.

XoftSpy SE by ParetoLogic

XoftSpy SE is a proprietary tool designed to scan and remove a number of computer threats for Microsoft Windows systems including: spyware, adware, spybots, Trojan horse threats, malware, keyloggers, pop-up generators, and browser hijackers. [1] Scanning includes examination of running processes, registry entries, files, and folders. There is the option to restore your system using back-up files. While there is free scanning for spyware threats, the full featured product is not free.

The makers of XoftSpy SE, ParetoLogic Inc. boast having one of the largest databases in the industry. As of April 2007, the database offered support for over 230,000 definition malware items. Both XoftSpy SE Anti-Spyware applications utilize the same database. When new spyware definitions are added to the database, an automatic update occurs. This is crucial as new malware threats are constantly being released and easily picked up by simply viewing Internet sites in what is referred to as a “drive-by download”.

XoftSpySE, does not include the real-time blocking and enhanced removal technology of its more recent predecessor. Despite this, there are many users that consider this application a powerful and easy tool to combat malicious software issues that plague Windows computers. In an objective comparisons by Spyware Removers involving the comparison of several top spyware and adware removal tools, XoftSpy SE was given highest honors as it: “detects the widest variety of threats…” and “has a very high satisfaction rate.”

Prior to 2004, XoftSpy SE was considered rogue software by Spyware Warrior for reasons that included substandard advertising by affiliate channels and the fact that there was an unlawful clone of the program called SpyBurn. Spyware Warrior cleared this charge as “XoftSpy SE has taken aggressive steps to reign in its affiliates (who were primarily responsible for the unsavory advertising) revised its license text, and released a new version of XoftSpy SE…” Furthermore, ParetoLogic takes an active stance in identifying and removing items that have been installed by rogue software vendors that make fraudulent claims in order to lure and entice users that are looking to rid their computers of malicious software.