Entered CNET Catalog: 11/08/2005
SKU: CNETENEBRILSPYCATCHEREXPRESS
Manufacturer: Tenebril Inc.
Manufacturer description
SpyCatcher Express provides powerful, immediate protection from known & unknown spyware as well as rootkits. At the core of SpyCatcher Express and all Tenebril antispyware solutions is an innovative, new technology - Spyware Profiling Engine. The Spyware Profiling Engine protects you from next-generation, mutating spyware that conventional antispyware and antivirus technologies simply can't detect.Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/14/2006
Tenebril's SpyCatcher 2006 is a powerful and elegant solution for protecting your system against spyware. In testing done by Download.com, SpyCatcher did very well, finishing at the top of our list for removing known spyware and ranking third for overall performance. Bought separately, SpyCatcher 2006 costs $29.95. It's also included with the Platinum version of Tenebril's popular GhostSurf anonymous-surfing program, which costs $39.95. A scaled-back free version, SpyCatcher Express, uses the same antispyware technology as SpyCatcher 2006 but offers fewer features. For example, SpyCatcher includes a Hosts File list analyzer and antiphishing monitoring. If you can live without those features, don't mind manually checking for program updates, and are running Windows 2000 or higher, then the free SpyCatcher Express is an excellent choice.
Setup and installation are a snap. The helpful Configuration wizard walks you through the process of adjusting the program settings to perform an initial scan of your system. We found SpyCatcher's interface clear and intuitive, with all features and settings easily accessible via logically grouped tabs. The Spyware Scan window displays tasteful graphic animations that show current tasks and the progress of system scans.
Both versions of SpyCatcher identify and remove spyware from your system. Besides antispyware protection, the paid version of SpyCatcher offers Cookie Manager, which removes unwanted tracking cookies, and System Explorer, which provides detailed information about the applications running on your computer. The paid version also has an alert system that can be configured to prompt you about various suspicious events. The paid version of SpyCatcher 2006 performs automatic updates while running in the background. You can also use SpyCatcher's Scheduler to automate system scans for spyware on a daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. If your computer is off at the time of a scheduled scan, the scan will run the next time you boot your PC. SpyCatcher uses a unique profiling technology to help identify new and mutating forms of spyware. It also has a patent-pending technique to avoid phishing scams--something other antispyware apps don't offer. By doing a real-time comparison of the sites you're visiting and the actual sites of popular phishing targets, SpyCatcher 2006 warns you if a visited site appears to be an imposter. Unique to SpyCatcher is a feature that allows you to specify a protection level and have any file that exceeds that level automatically quarantined or removed.
In testing performed by Download.com, SpyCatcher ranked among the fastest antispyware apps tested, completing a full scan in just less than eight minutes. SpyCatcher further distinguished itself by identifying almost every piece of known spyware we threw at it, including one crafty app that most of the others apps consistently missed. After scan and removal, SpyCatcher left behind only one app, BargainBuddy, along with a trace element of Search Exe. Unfortunately, Tenebril offered us scant information about the specific apps it removed.
Technical support for both the free and paid versions of SpyCatcher is readily available. Tenebril's well-organized Web site includes a detailed manual and helpful FAQs. Tenebril offers e-mail support only to users of the paid version. Phone support does not come with purchase of the product, but you can buy it separately for $9.95 per year.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14out of 14 user reviews
False sense of security
Pros: Um wipes out history and catches ads. So? For pay?
Cons: IP is still seen! So much for Privacy.
Click on the link for the Support link or Site, Never loads. Email attempts to admin@ and support@ bounce
out of 14 user reviews
Bad news do not download
Pros: none I hope other users do not get the same response I did
Cons: After downloading Windows took 10 minutes to load and that was on the twelth attempt.The first eleven attempts to reboot after download failed to load .Only system restore saved me
out of 14 user reviews
Indiscriminant detection
Pros: Catches lots of stuff
Cons: Most of them aren't spyware
out of 14 user reviews
Good Product That Needs Tweaking
Pros: Removes Most Spyware
Cons: Can Remove Files Too
the only probs i actually had was it has been known to freeze up my pc and if set on high will remove files at times cause it sees them as viruses.
if u keep the setting at medium and do some research this is pretty effective. i wouldnt actually buy the full, i recommend getting express as your 2nd and getting spysweeper as your main.
out of 14 user reviews
Caution, many false positives,arrogant software
Pros: does seem to find spyware,tracking cookies
Cons: many false positives, requires internet connection during scanning, almost behaves like spyware itself
out of 14 user reviews
Great program
Pros: Abiltiy to find spyware that others could not
Cons: Too much info and not enough explaination of threats
out of 14 user reviews
NEEDS MUCH IMPROVEMENT ..................Worth Only Freeware & Use As A 4th String BACKUP & RECHECK
Pros: Free Version Is Worth What You Pay For It
Cons: Horrible Tech,Customer & Sales Support,Lack Of Results Details,False Positives,Does Not Play Well With Other Software
NOTE:
I am a computer security specialist & will not use this product for the reasons. above. AVOID THIS PRODUCT!
If you need protection use: Webroot Spysweeper,
XCleaner Deluxe,Ewido,Spybot S&D,Lavasoft Ad-Aware, ARE ALL GREAT PRODUCTS!
out of 14 user reviews
It worked, when Adaware, Spybot & MS Defender didn't
Pros: It simply.....works!
Cons: None so far
out of 14 user reviews
It's complete crap.
Pros: It can (potentially) remove spyware others can't.
Cons: It behaves like spyware itself!
out of 14 user reviews
Didn't work for me!!!
Pros: I had high hopes
Cons: Interferes with other anti-spyware applications
For added protection, I tried SpyCatcher. After one scan, it detected and quarantined about 8 "suspected" items. Then I noticed that Spyware Doctor and NIS was not running properly and kept getting some alert concerning some malfunctioning component of Adobe Acrobat.
Needless to say, I released all the items in the SpyCatcher quarantine and un-installed the program. And my system is back to normal.
SpyCatcher could very well be an excellent product as a stand-alone. But it would not coexist without interfering with at least two of the anti-spyware programs already on my system.
out of 14 user reviews
Killed My Lexmark
Pros: Thought it was OK.
Cons: It wiped out my Lexmark Printer!
out of 14 user reviews
better than adaware, microsoft, and spybot
Pros: easy to install, easy to use, notifies you when "hooks" try to sneak into your system, scheduled scans don't hog system
Cons: few users to share observations
out of 14 user reviews
Works for Me. Mostly
Pros: For some reason, it makes my MSN Premium work better. Has an easy interface. Finds a lot of stuff.
Cons: False positives.
Spycatcher can be overly aggressive. It prevented me from downloading a driver update from MS, so I had to uninstall it and reinstall it.
Sometimes, it will report activity from a program it claims to have deleted. Often it identifies benign programs and files as suspicious. Most are easily identified, even if Tenebril is clueless. The "Ask" option is best for others.
Overall, this is a good program to have in the ever escalating battle against spyware and adware. It seem to me that the product has improved over time and given that my MSN Premium only works with the program installed, for me, it's a keeper.
out of 14 user reviews
Thorough...maybe TOO thorough...
Pros: Found suspect files that were deeply embedded.
Cons: Knocked out my "Say The Time" program. Required system restore to correct it.
