Independent Research Confirms Allegations That Vista’s Anti-Spyware Protection Has Holes
PC Tools announced today the results of an independent comparison by Enex Testlab of anti-spyware software including Microsoft’s own Windows® defender. PC Tools hired independent testing facility — Enex Testlab — to evaluate how Windows Defender stacks up against Spyware Doctor(1) and other third party vendors. The internationally renowned, independent lab has been performing comparison tests for the past 17 years. The lab compared identical threats against a number of leading anti-spyware products throughout 2006 — Spyware Doctor was the conclusive overall winner. “We have taken a look at several anti-spyware vendors over time to determine the current level of accuracy against spyware threats in 2006. These results show Vista requires more work to protect users. Third party security vendors — especially in the area of anti-spyware are still essential components in protecting users,” said Matt Tett, Senior Test Engineer for Enex TestLab. “We have been watching with interest the development of Microsoft’s Vista security effort. We know that Microsoft is facing difficult challenges with the broadening scope of dangerous malware attacks while also trying to maintain backwards compatibility and usability. This independent research was designed to show how we compare in combating real-world threats over an extended period of time,” said Simon Clausen, CEO of PC Tools.