The importance of having a reliable PC antispyware protection and removal software is unquestionable. For most ignorant PC users, the term "spyware" (which has transformed into a broader "malware" to reflect the new Internet threats) implies the dangerous files downloaded from the Web unintentionally or through malicious email messages. The ubiquity of viruses quickly yields to spyware dominance, since the latter poses a much more significant danger to beginners and advanced PC users alike.

A research conducted by AuditMyPC shows that only 15% of current threats coming from Internet are conventional viruses. These are viruses that traditional antivirus software was built to fight with. However, the other 85% of web dangers very often are missed by antivirus programs. In fact, having antivirus protection solely practically equals to having no protection at all these days. My experience shows that laptops sold with some antivirus package pre-installed are very vulnerable to infections. Antivirus is important, sure, but not as much as PC antispyware.

The diversity of spyware threats, their resistance to commonly applied malware removal methods, very fast mutation and often signs of "artificial intelligence" make the task of preventing spyware infections a very hard one. That's why, on the one hand, there's a huge number of PC antispyware products available, on the other hand few of the programs are really apt to fight the various malware types.

Modern PC antispyware can no longer rely on traditional method of signature definitions. A total dependence on descriptions of malware make PC antispyware programs ineffective and old-fashioned. They miss a lot of threats and often are corrupted by smart malware before a corresponding signature definitions is released by the manufacturer's security labs (if released at all). 

To be able to provide pro-active protection, PC antispyware programs have to be designed with special algorithms allowing for recognition of suspicious behavior of system files and processes. These algorithms are implemented differently by various manufacturers, but in plain words they analyze in the background the activity of running applications, and inform a user when a potentially harmful action is about to occur. Until the user takes decision to either allow or stop the action, PC antispyware blocks it from happening. In case with definition-based technology this preventive measure can never occur.

Another big challenge of PC antispyware is the growing danger of rootkits. In short, rootkits are malicious files and code that are not detectable by most anti-malware programs because they are hidden "below" the Windows File System. Therefore effective PC antispyware should have a scanning engine capable of looking "beyond" Windows, to reach a deeper level than other antispyware products. Sadly, this "deep scan" approach is implemented by very few PC antispyware makers, and unless you don’t care about your computer security, you should carefully check if the program you're about to choose for antispyware protection has the necessary technology enhancements.

To sum up, before making a choice for security software, make sure that background process analysis and detection of rootkits are among features provided by the PC antispyware.

Next: How to Choose Anti Spyware Software