Eliminate spyware: Phoenix Software announces distribution rights for Spy Sweeper

Republisher Phoenix Software has announced that it has secured an exclusive deal with Webroot Software to market the vendor`s Spy Sweeper product in South Africa.

As a republisher, Phoenix reproduces and packages software locally, incurring a lower cost than imported boxed products, delivering quality products to consumers at lower prices. As a result of this business model, Spy Sweeper will be available from retailers at a price of R299. 00, while OEM pricing is also available for system builders.

According to Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix, Spy Sweeper addresses a common concern for all Internet users - that of privacy and protection from malicious code. "Alarmingly, research indicates that 9 out of 10 computers connected to the Internet are infected with spyware," he says.

Campbell-Young explains that spyware surreptitiously installs itself onto a computer when certain websites are visited, almost always without the knowledge of the user.

"Adware and spyware programs, also called malware or trackware, quietly and secretly monitor everything you do online, and can communicate your activities to a third party such as an online advertiser. Additionally, these programmes ensure their survival by sprinkling hidden traces of the program throughout your system to make full removal more difficult - and anti-virus software and firewalls fail to protect against this threat," he explains.

The consequences of spyware range from annoying to potentially presenting threats - symptoms include the browser homepage being set to an undesirable website that cannot be changed back, constant bombardment by pop-up ads, and poor PC performance and slow Internet access. Web search results can be redirected giving undesirable results, while strange additions can appear in the Favorites list or start-up menu.

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Threats can include hard-drive corruption and a potential loss of data, exposure of private information including usernames and passwords and identity theft.

Spy Sweeper scans computer systems using a constantly updated database of thousands of known threats. If it finds any files or traces of spyware that match the threat definitions database, Spy Sweeper immediately quarantines them. Quarantining disables spyware functionality for immediate protection, while giving you the option to review and permanently delete suspect files or safely restore them if they are essential to the operation of desirable applications.

"Additionally, Spy Sweeper offers a real-time browser and system shield to actively monitor for spyware invasions, and stop them before they infect the protected PC," notes Campbell-Young.

"Owing to the prevalence of the problem of spyware, SpySweeper has enjoyed remarkable sales in the United States and the United Kingdom - in the US it is at number 4 on the National Purchasing Diaries across all genres including games, antivirus and operating system products, while it is at number 7 in the UK. With local computer users experiencing similar problems of annoyance with spyware and adware, this solution is expected to be very well received in the South African market," he concludes.