SpywareBot

[SubJunk]

Firstly, I know it's pretty obvious they are copying SpyBot's name, and I don't like that.
But in SpyBot it picks it up as spyware. I'm not sure if it's spyware or not, but I know I had adware that somehow attached itself to IE7, so that no matter what page I went to an ad would pop up in a new window, and I tried Ad-Aware and Spybot and a few other programs to get rid of it and neither worked. Then I tried SpywareBot and it got rid of it.
Well actually it didn't get rid of it, because I only have the trial version, but after the scan it had the folder and registry hierarchy visible so I was able to go through and delete the spyware myself.
So I don't know whether SpywareBot is spyware itself, but I do know that it also gets rid of spyware.
Does anyone know what it does that makes it spyware? Or is it just that the guy who makes SpyBot doesn't like it 'cause it stole his name? I understand if it's that, I would probably do the same thing.

[tashi]

Hello SubJunk.

Originally Posted by SubJunk

Or is it just that the guy who makes SpyBot doesn't like it 'cause it stole his name? I understand if it's that, I would probably do the same thing.

No small matter:

Trademark issues. 4. August 2006

As a result of our ongoing efforts to protect our users from frauds, we're happy to announce that we were able to shut down three major mock sites: spybot.org is now registered to us as well, and the misleading selling of anti-spyware software on spybot.cc and spybot.biz has been shut down.

Our main targets now are free-spybot.com (with a dozen other very similar domains) and spywarebot.com, who still cheat many people each day into paying for something they believe would be Spybot-S&D. If you are one of those who were mislead by one of these pages, please let us know at .

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/news/2006-08-04.html

exploits name "Spybot Search & Destroy"; same app as AdwareAlert [A: 5-14-06 / U: 5-14-06]

Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites

I don't know if their program is clean, their methods are not.

[SubJunk]

Originally Posted by tashi

I don't know if their program is clean, their methods are not.

I realise that people definitely confuse the two programs, but as a long-time user of SpyBot I didn't have them confused. I'm sure SpyBot detects spyware that SpywareBot doesn't, but the opposite is also true, they detect different things.
All I know is that even though SpywareBot is capitalizing on the SpyBot name, which I don't take lightly, it seems to me as if they also happen to make a program which is good and doesn't fit the category of spyware at all.
It also seems slightly counter-intuitive that SpyBot would tell computer users it's spyware as a protest against SpywareBot being mistaken for SpyBot, because obviously if a user has both programs on their computer they are already aware that they are two different programs.
It's not a big deal really, I only used SpywareBot to remove a single piece of spyware that slipped through the cracks when I changed firewalls (IE7 is so freakin' useless on it's own! I was only without a firewall for 10 minutes! :p) and now it's deleted anyway, but I think it's pretty underhanded and wrong to pick it up as spyware.
SpyBot's purpose is to detect spyware, not software made by dishonest/sneaky companies who don't make spyware. If that was it's purpose then why doesn't it detect Windows XP itself? :p
It's dishonest to call a program spyware just because they company are assholes and are capitalizing off your hard-earned name is all I'm trying to say, maybe come up with a different detection or popup window that says "this program isn't spyware but we think you should delete it anyway" or something like that, I dunno

[MisterW]

First of all, SpywareBOT is not detected as Spyware, it is detected as malware. Today there are many rouge anti-spyware products like SpywareBOT and AdwareAlert, which are definetly the same tools with different names. Additionaly you do not find any information about the company behind these two rouge anti-spyware products. If you look who the owner of the domain of these company is, you will see that is a anonymous service. So why should a company that tries to make a "good" program use such methods to hide themself?

I warn everybody, do not use SpywareBOT! It can be dangerous for your computer. And don't get cheated by those guys!

If you want to see which tools are rouge anti-spyware tools you can have a look here:

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

[SubJunk]

Originally Posted by MisterW

It can be dangerous for your computer.

What does it do that can be dangerous to computers?

[MisterW]

In my opinion it tries to frighten users by showing false positives as "high risk problems". Often such entries are made by rouge antispyware tools themself. Additionally it picks up harmless cookies as high risk problems and tries to make people buying a licence to get problems (that do not really exist) resolved...

[spybotsandra]

Hello,

The reasons why Spybot - Search & Destroy detects this software as malware are several ones:
There are anti-spyware tools like 1stAntivirus, Ad-Protect, AdsAlert, ADS-Remover, AdwareAlert, AdwareBazooka, Adware-Patrol, AdWare Pro, AdwarePunisher, Adware Remover, AdwareSheriff, AdwareSpy, AdwareX Eliminator, AgentSpyware, Alfacleaner, Antispywaresoldier, AntiVerMinsPro, Antivirus Gold, AntiVirusPro, BPS Spyware Remover, CyberDefender, DiaRemover, Doctor-Adware-Pro, DriveCleaner2006, Easy-Spyware-Killer, ErrorGuard, EDT-Security-Scanner, ErrorSafe, EyeSpyNow, Goodbye-Spy, KillSpy, NoAdware, PC-Health-Plan, Pestbot, PSGuard, PurityScan, Registry Cleaner, Repair Registry Pro, ScanSpyware, Spionfrei, SpyAxe, SpyBlocs, SpyCleaner, Spycontra, Spydeface, SpyDestroy-Pro, SpyFalcon, SpyGuard, SpyHeal, Spyhunter, SpyOnThis, SpySherrif, SpySpotter, SpywareBomber, SpywareBot, SpywareCleaner, SpywareNO!, SpywareSheriff.FakeAlert, SpywareSoftStop, SpywareStormer, SpywareStrike, SpywareQuake, SpyQuake, SystemDoctor2006, Trek Blue Error Nuker, Trojan-Guarder, TrueSword, Virusblast, VirusBurst, VirusRescue, WareOut, WinAntivirusPro2006, WinFixer, WinHound, WinSoftware.Winsoftware.WinAntiSpyware2006, WorldAntispy, X-Con-Spyware-Destroyer, X-Spyware, XSRemover, YourSoft-AntiVS or YourSoft-AntiVT which have a very dubious or bad character. They state to be an anti-spyware tool but employ questionable advertising methods: In the form of a PopUp they offer a scan of your system. They refer you to an infection of viruses and spyware on your system which is actually not true, because the listed items are not really on your pc. After downloading the software you can only scan for the threats. If the threats (pseudo-infections) are detected you have to register first and pay (up to $30) in order to remove them. Some of these dubious anti-spyware tools do also create a toolbar in IE and create recurring PopUps.

Screenshots are availible at: http://board.protecus.de/showtopic.php?threadid=15694

More dubious anti-spyware tools you will find here:
http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

[SubJunk]

Originally Posted by spybotsandra

Some of these dubious anti-spyware tools do also create a toolbar in IE and create recurring PopUps.

I can verify that the most recent version of SpywareBot, 1.4.1.2, doesn't create any toolbars or popups, it helped me to remove them, something no other anti-spyware program did.
They may not be the perfect company and you may see their product as being inferior to SpyBot but the fact still remains it works.
I don't see what is to be gained by lumping it into a category which it doesn't belong to, such as comparing it to programs that harm computers or don't work. This can be determined by law as libel and I'm sure the maker of this program (Patrick is it?) wouldn't be too happy about legal action from a company who was accidentally included in a list it shouldn't've been.
Again I'll point out you're probably right that the anonymity of the company being indicative of "sneakyness", but even sneaky individuals are able to file libel suits

I have nothing to do with whoever is behind SpywareBot, in case you thought I did. I'm just sticking up for them because the program helped me identify spyware that no other program I tried detected.
I also think SpyBot is great, I use it mostly for it's immunization features as well as it's a nice GUI to go through Windows settings in the advanced options, it has been a program I've installed on dozens of computers over the years.

[SubJunk]

Originally Posted by MisterW

Additionally it picks up harmless cookies as high risk problems and tries to make people buying a licence to get problems (that do not really exist) resolved...

Haha yeah I've noticed it does that. Products from the legitimate company PC Tools (like Registry Mechanic) operate in the exact same way as well, but they are still good and widely recommended programs (although they don't seem to like Adobe products very much)

[MisterW]

I don't think that other legitimate tools are trying to sell their products by frighten people and claiming that there computer is totally infected...

If you think that SpywareBOT is not a rouge antispyware tool , you can ignore our detection. But there are enough reasons to save our users by detecting it