Adaware and Spybot urban legends . . .

Belisarius · 04-11-2005, 11:05 AM

I recently had a friend have a bad experience with a computer repair place. From his description, it sounded like they didn't really know what they were doing. So when I pass a new computer repair place on my way to lunch, I decide to check it out and see if it was worth recommending.

I pop in and the two employees there ask if they can help me. I being to chat them up, saying I'm looking for a place to recommend to my friends. From the tiny space, it's clear they aren't going to be doing any hardware repairs; they pretty much just to virus and spyware cleaning. But I go ahead and ask them a few basic questions. What is your procedure for debugging a BSOD? "Well, it would depend on the operating system". Ok, fair enough, that was a bad question. So I ask what kind of spyware removal tools they use. The Microsoft beta, SpySweeper and some other program I haven't heard of before. I mention AdAware and Spybot, and he dismisses them as adding spyware.

This is the second time I've heard this accusation. I know AdAware gives a false positive if you have Spybot installed, but I've never heard of it being the other way around. How did this legend of the AdAware and Spybot spyware get started? I haven't been able to find it anywhere outside of a couple "repair" men. Are they bad mouthing the most widely known free spyware removers in order to discourage people from cleaning computers themselves? Has anyone else encountered similar charges?

sde · 04-11-2005, 12:29 PM

you think it would be all around the internet if just one well respected developer found that to be true.

in this case, i'd go along the lines of saying that maybe these guys had heard that somewhere too .. and consiously or subconsiously, .. are happy to believe it considering their trade.

redhead · 04-11-2005, 01:54 PM

As far as I recall, was this roumer started, when there were accusations that adaware was sponsered by a spyware manufacture, when they stoped detecting WhenU adware this started alot of discussions wether it was secure or not.
Aparently some never took the time to investegate it further, and are still standing at the asumption that adAware has been selling out.

But there is no need to belive these roumers.