Pure luck or is spybot just that good

[Tmac7]

I only have spybot for my computer and run it maybe once every few months just randomly. And my computer has seem to never get any viruses or other internet infested things that could break my computer. Is Spybot that good?

[WMLute]

All Anti-Spyware programs are only good for finding 25-40% (ish) of the garbage out there.  Each has their strengths, but they can only find certain things (what is on their definitions lists).

Best bet is to have several so you cover all your bases.  (3-4)

SpyBot is excellent, and it sounds like to me it has found all that it can, but that doesn't mean there isn't more.

Webroot SpySweeper, CounterSpy, HiJackThis, and AddAware would be good additions to have, and you would have most bases covered.

(unfort. not all, but that'll get ya' closer)

Update often.

I tend to use at least 4-5 diff. anti-spyware, and at least 2 if not 3 Anti-Virus programs when cleaning a customers computer.

[1pLUs44]

Use Mozilla Firefox to surf the web, get any viruses, I use AVG.

[Tmac7]

I have mozilla to search and only have spybot but i was thinking of getting another free anti virus program.

[1pLUs44]

I have mozilla to search and only have spybot but i was thinking of getting another free anti virus program.

AVG is 100% free, and I've found that it's gotten the stuff that spybot's missed.

[Saxman]

Right now Malwarebytes is one of the only ones I'm aware of that can find AntiVirus 2008 and its derivatives. This is a NASTY bastard. Sometimes it hijacks Windows' Security Center. Sometimes it floods you with popups. Sometimes it hijacks the browser entirely. Spybot and AdAware don't see it.

[FiLtH]

  I dont use any of that stuff. I go bare back. I have gotten things, but since my machine is a simple gaming rig only, I just scrub it and reinstall my few prorams I use. I have a hard time with hackers creating an industry, in which they create the problem and the solution.

[splitatom]

Right now Malwarebytes is one of the only ones I'm aware of that can find AntiVirus 2008 and its derivatives. This is a NASTY bastard. Sometimes it hijacks Windows' Security Center. Sometimes it floods you with popups. Sometimes it hijacks the browser entirely. Spybot and AdAware don't see it.

thats the one my moms laptop got and she blamed it on me because i downloaded rome total war on it
 

[Fishu]

thats the one my moms laptop got and she blamed it on me because i downloaded rome total war on it
 

Last fall I was paid to remove garbage from a laptop that was never used for gaming or such. This anti-virus malware was one of the craps in it. Though, thanks to it, a small bunch of other malware was also removed that would have remained if it wouldn't been for the "anti-virus" program panicking the person with fake alerts. It actually fooled me for a minute as I was wondering what the hell is this anti-virus program as I didn't anymore remember about it, because there was supposed to be an another anti-virus program that I'm quite familiar with. The actual anti-virus program did not react to the malware program, which is quite interesting, because after all it's well known program that attempts to make sales with fake alerts and therefore qualifies as malware. I guess the anti-virus companies are a bit wary of blacklisting it, as I suppose the fake anti-virus program does also find real malware/viruses, at least after a fooled person goes to register it.

[Ghosth]

In a word, Threatfire

Its all I run or have run for the last year.

[majic]

Right now Malwarebytes is one of the only ones I'm aware of that can find AntiVirus 2008 and its derivatives. This is a NASTY bastard. Sometimes it hijacks Windows' Security Center. Sometimes it floods you with popups. Sometimes it hijacks the browser entirely. Spybot and AdAware don't see it.

Right now I'm running with firefox, avg, malwarebytes, and adaware. That antivirus malware was nasty.  It actually was blocking internet access to many security websites and the avg update.  A combination of all 3 seemed to wipe it out though.

[BlueJ1]

I use skynet. Works wonders. I can even send it back in time to kill a virus.

[pallero]

Nah... Here is all you need.

http://www.comodo.com/

[Gaidin]

You also have to take into consideration your geographic location.  Spybot for instance, has its definitions researched for UK, US, and those areas.  You visit alot of Chinese web sites, or orient area sites that are infected with that areas malware/spyware/viruses you may not get them with Spybot.  Symantec, alot of ppl hate them, but they are the the top security company out there for the enterprise demographic.  Doesn't catch alot of things.  I work in a small IT department at a 2year college.  One of our prof. is a Malasian(sp?).  He was visiting some of his native areas websites and ended up with a virus from one of them.  It took me 2 days to find it, because no programs would get it.  I ended up having to get an asian area definition list from Symantec to find this thing.  There are to many things out there for any one company to have a definition to catch them all.  Nobody has that much time or resources to see/get hit with everything.  When Symantec does def. updates, you don't get every definition they have ever written.  It would would blow up your harddrive.  You get the most common sets based on your location in the world.

[crazyivan]

I use skynet. Works wonders. I can even send it back in time to kill a virus.

   Kill John Connor!