Microsoft deploys its counterspyware agent

My nephew wanted an iPod for Christmas. So naturally I made sure he got one — just in time for Hugh Hefner to reveal his own content program for the device, affectionately called Playboy’s iBod. We should take bets to see what folks will be looking at on the little white boxes 12 months from now. What bothers me most about the program — and this isn’t the first mobile nudity extravaganza I’ve heard about — isn’t that we might need parental controls for our kids’ MP3 players, but the fact that there are people out there who simply can’t wait for their porn until they get home.

At least at home, the world isn’t peeking over your shoulder — hopefully. And that’s where Big Redmond steps in, trying to maintain its customers’ privacy with the recent beta release of MAS (Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware  ).

The result of last month’s acquisition of Giant Company Software, MAS came out a little more quickly than I expected. Naturally, this made me pessimistic about what I’d find after installing the beta, but for those willing to take the plunge, I’m here to announce that you should be pleasantly surprised.

The only annoying part of the installation — which is available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 — is that the download portion prompts you to validate your copy of Windows. The beta makes this an optional step, but similar to the Internet activation required in other Microsoft applications, rumor has it this validation will be a mandatory step in the shipping version of MAS and probably other upcoming Redmond products as well.

When installed, MAS worked surprisingly well. Giant Company programmed the app to make use of SpyNet, which is a global network of spyware-detection information. MAS uses this network for up-to-date signature information, and it updates the network as well.

Spyware-scanning results were surprisingly thorough. MAS found a couple of invidious little buggers that Ad-Aware and PestPatrol both missed. That spooked me a bit, as we’re talking about my personal desktop. On the other hand, MAS also picked out a few applications that didn’t make much sense, such as WinPcap. Also, the beta nature of the software showed through with a few rough edges and somewhat slow performance, both in scanning and in updating SpyNet.

I liked the scanning results page, but I fervently hope Microsoft will make it even simpler. Right now, the list of results is pretty straightforward, but both the reasons that the software shows up as spyware and especially the exact nature of the software is still a bit vague for the average user. It’s too easy for end-users to become frightened by the vague description and leave potential spyware installed simply because they don’t know what effects deleting it will have.

So far, I haven’t found any information regarding the use of MAS in corporate networks. The Windows validation process as part of the download could present a problem there all by itself, as few IT administrators I know are absolutely sure they’ve got every desktop outfitted with a valid key. And even if they do, this seems to indicate a separate download process for every desktop, as opposed to a more efficient push scenario using, for example, a SUS server.

There’s also no information on centrally managing MAS as yet. Given the quick release time from Microsoft’s acquisition of Giant Company, however, that’s not surprising. For the most part, Redmond is an IT-conscious organization, so look for IT administration tools for MAS later this year. In the meantime, give the download a try and compare it with the anti-spyware application you’re using presently. If a slightly deeper scanning result is the norm, Symantec’s shares may wind up falling further.