TMCnet - Dec 6, 2006
Looking to beat its competitors to the punch, Max Secure
Software has launched a new version of its anti-spyware
software designed for Windows Vista. This is one of
the first anti-spyware programs available for Microsoft’s
new operating system.
Most impressively, the company can boast that version
2.0 of its Max Spyware Detector is “the world's
fastest anti-spyware software.” The company’s
proprietary scanning algorithm is said to reduce scan
time by up to 20 minutes on repetitive scans. In fact,
the company claims its software conducts routine scans
as much as “ten times faster” than competing
anti-spyware programs. With just one quick click, the
software scans, detects, deletes and recovers spywares
– all in one shot.
How is this accomplished?
As explained by Sanjay Pradhan, founder of Max Secure
Software, in a recent interview with TMCnet, the key
lies in the initial scan of the computer’s hard
drive. He said because Max Secure’s scanning software
does a more thorough initial scan, it “does a
lot more learning” about that particular PC –
i.e. how it is being used – and therefore can
build on that initial scan to complete subsequent scans
at much faster speeds. In addition, the company’s
underlying Smart Scan software allows for much higher
scanning speeds.
Speed, Pradhan said, is a critical factor in the success
of any anti-spyware product. Studies show that users
have a high tendency to stop anti-spyware software when
it is mid-way through a scan, often rendering the scan
ineffective. Speeding up the scan time, he said, makes
users more likely to let the scan complete itself before
moving on to other tasks.
Max Secure’s software has several advantages
over its competitors. Perhaps most key to the system
is the company’s Comprehensive Spyware Detection
– which is carried out by a dedicated database
team using state-of-the-art spyware research methods
to identify and resolve new spyware threats before they
are widely distributed. Using the company’s automated
research system, this team offers a 24 hour patrol (for
free) of all spyware circulating on the Web and, according
to Pradhan, “has a through understanding”
of what tactics hackers are now using, as well as a
“good understanding of how to catch them.”
The team studies the cyclical nature of the threats,
which are currently moving increasingly toward the goal
of stealing users’ personal information. Key logging
spyware - which tracks a user’s key strokes and
furnishes that data to the hacker(s) – is the
most common form of spyware out there as of present,
he said, but the spyware used for deploying spam bot
networks is also proliferating at an alarming pace.
Fortunately, Max Secure 2.0 offers advanced and comprehensive
cleaning technology for these next-generation spyware
threats.
Adding to the efficacy of the database team is the
user network itself. Pradhan said Max Spyware Detector
2.0 features an “export log” function which
lets users send information about their scans directly
to Max Secure’s support team. This enables the
company to directly track threats and in many cases
stop them before they happen.
Interestingly, Pradham points out that as spam bot
networks continue to proliferate across the globe, the
massive amounts of spam email they generate will invariably
end up having an impact on other IP services, such as
VoIP and IPTV. In this sense, he sees his company as
playing a vital role in the detection and elimination
of illegitimate Web traffic – traffic which, if
left unchecked, could potentially blossom into a major
threat to the very evolution of the Web.
Other advantages of Max Spyware Detector 2.0 include
“Advanced Blocking,” which blocks ActiveX,
browser header objects and tracking cookies. This flexible
feature lets users decide whether they want to block
just bad websites or the websites they feel are not
worth browsing. It also blocks the new spyware installations.
“Active Monitoring” protects a user’s
privacy and provides security by actively protecting
against malicious processes, homepage hijackers and
tracking cookies. Add to these features detailed threat
analysis, an appealing and user-friendly interface,
enhanced protection of online privacy and a registry
fix which lets users restore their original settings,
and you have one of most comprehensive anti-spyware
products on the market.
But perhaps most importantly, Max Secure is offering
spyware protection for a new operating system which
currently does not come with any. This is obviously
a key move by a company which is on the ball. Pradhan
said the company – which launched Max Spyware
Detector two years ago – prepared itself ahead
of time and worked fast to develop the best anti-spyware
product possible - ready to hit the market coinciding
with the new OS’ release.
“We recognized that millions of PC users were
going to need a reliable and trusted anti-spyware product
for their Vista operating system, so we developed an
anti-spyware solution that not only met the users’
expectations but also surpassed them by utilizing our
proprietary Smart Scan technology to shorten scan times
down to three minutes,” Pradhan said in a company
press release. “Vista is quickly being deployed
and purchased by millions of PC users without any substantial
protection against advanced spywares.”
Max Spyware Detector 2.0 for Windows Vista Will Be
Offered Free Until March 2007. After that it will cost
$29.95 for a one year subscription - which includes
a no questions asked, 30 day money back guarantee. The
software is available now and also supports Windows
98 SE, 2000, Me and XP.
Max Secure’s early origins can be traced back
to 1986, when Pradhan and his wife started a small software
business in India. Later they “caught the entrepreneur
bug” and decided to launch a new business –
Max Secure – in the United States in February
2002. Since then, Max Secure Software has grown to become
a leading provider of anti-spyware software. Based in
Santa Clara, Calif. (with an R&D facility in India),
the company now has over 90,000 customers worldwide.
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