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 Badware Behavior |
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| Identifies legitimate software as spyware (Deceptive Functionality) |
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| Fails to uninstall completely (Unacceptable Uninstallation) |
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| Bad or Undisclosed Behavior |
| Identifies legitimate software as spyware |
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When a user launches UnSpyPC and scans the hard drive, UnSpyPC will identify several applications as spyware. An analysis of the targeted files, however, reveals that the program identifies several beneficial files as spyware, such as VMWare (a operating system virtualization product that some people use to combat badware), WinPatrol, and Windows Defender (both anti-badware applications). Although the installer's EULA mentions that "harmless, necessary and mis-identified definitions and registry/file strings may result," it is inappropriate for the software to identify legitimate anti-spyware software as spyware.
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| Fails to uninstall completely |
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UnSpyPC does not come with its own uninstaller, so users must uninstall it from the Add/Remove Programs functionality contained within Windows. Even using this method, however, an executable is left behind that could be used to launch a reinstallation of the product.
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| Recommendations |
| We recommend that Stratex International, the producer of UnSpyPC, do the following: |
- Use more accurate spyware definitions that meet industry-accepted definitions of spyware. Currently it appears that UnSpyPC may be deliberately classifying anti-badware applications as system threats to deceptively trick the user into removing them. The software should cease identifying legitimate software as spyware.
- Completely remove any executables during the normal uninstall process. Remaining execuatables can potentially be used to reinstall the product and we do not believe there is a good reason for them to remain.
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We currently recommend that users do not install the version of UnSpyPC that we tested,
unless the user is comfortable with the level of risk we identify or until the application
is updated consistent with the recommendations in this report.
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