Spyware Programs Tested
Losses from computer viruses and other computer threats cost more than $13 billion a year. Consumer Reports just tested dozens of software programs that promise to protect your computer. When Matt Ferranto opened an e-mail recently, it looked innocent enough. It wasn’t. It had a virus in it. “Immediately something happened to the computer, systems began going down,” he said. Consumer Reports’ Dean Gallea just tested 25 different software programs that promise to protect computers from viruses and other threats. Some just target one threat. Others, called “suites” offer a combination of solutions to protect computers from spyware, spam, and viruses.