Spyware, malicious software that designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer’s operation without the informed consent of that machine’s owner or legitimate user, has become a widespread and serious security problem for most computer users.

To help computer users to fight and protect the computers from spyware, a lot of anti-spyware and spyware removal utilities have emerged, which each has their own functionality, advantages, detection rate, removal success rate and etc, thus making selection of which anti spyware tools to use a tedious process, especially for corporate network.

NetworkWorld tested, reviewed and compared 18 corporate spyware prevention and detection products, and spyware removal tools, which include Aladdin Knowledge Systems’ eSafe Version 5, Blue Coat Systems’ Spyware Interceptor, Computer Associates’ eTrust PestPatrol Corporate Edition v5, Fortinet’s FortiClient Host Security 2.0, FSecure’s Anti-Virus Client Security 6.0, Lavasoft AB’s Ad-Aware Professional, McAfee’s Anti-Spyware Enterprise 8.0i and Secure Content Management Appliance 4.0 (Secure Web Gateway model 3300), Panda Software’s EnterpriSecure with TruPrevent Technology, Ashanti PLC LTD’s Spyware Defense V1.3, Sunbelt Software’s CounterSpy Enterprise Version 1.5, SurfControl’s Enterprise Threat Shield, Tangent’s Packet Hawk Version 2.0, Omniquad’s Omniquad AntiSpy Enterprise Version 3.3, Trend Micro’s InterScan Anti-Spyware Suite and OfficeScan Anti-Spyware Suite, Webroot Software’s Spy Sweeper Enterprise 2.1 and Websense’s WebSense Web Security Suite-Lockdown Edition.

NetworkWorld gave the Clear Choice Award for gateway category to McAfee’s Secure Web Gateway and Clear Choice Award for client/server approach to Omniquad’s Omniquad AntiSpy Enterprise.

They concluded that “We recommend taking a close look at McAfee’s Secure Web Gateway, which excels at keeping spyware from getting onto the network in the first place. If you need the additional security of anti-spyware running directly on the desktop or on a server, Omniquad’s Omniquad AntiSpy Enterprise or WebSense’s Web Security Suite-Lockdown Edition are likely just what the doctor ordered.”

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