SpywareBlaster can protect your system from various types of malware and potentially dangerous websites. The application has a nice and intuitive interface, so I don’t think anyone can have problems to use it. It supports various browsers, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and some others. As all protection is initially off, you may want to enable specific types of protection or activate them all.
Using this application has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, the program doesn’t need to run in the background, so it doesn't have a negative impact on system resources. On the other hand, what the program really does is it downloads a blacklist of untrusted sites and adds them to the corresponding restrictions in your system’s Internet options. This list needs to be updated regularly so that the protection really works. Unfortunately, you should do this manually if you’re not willing to pay for the pro version. The tool has other features. You can use it, for instance, to “kill” Flash contents so that they don’t disturb you. Moreover, the tool can create system snapshots to restore browser and system settings.
All in all, SpywareBlaster is able to block unwanted applications, extensions and cookies. However, it’s totally incapable of removing existing threats. Thus, while it may protect your computer up to a certain extent, it should be used along with other antivirus software.
Comments (10)
The dedicated IE tools are useful. Users can block all Flash content, create encrypted backups of the Hosts file, manage browser page settings, block cookies, and create customized ActiveX blocks. Firefox and Netscape-specific protection only offers cookie blocking, but you can create a customized blacklist that will function across multiple browsers. Users can also create a system snapshot for PC recovery in case of a devastating attack. The interface is designed well, uncluttered and easy to navigate. For $10 a year users can get automatic definition file updates and tech support, otherwise those must be done manually.
It's a little surprising that there's no support for Opera, and there's a noticeable lack of spyware removal capabilities. Although we appreciate the good job that SpywareBlaster has done in the past, this current version doesn't hold up very well against other security products that prevent attacks and remove infections...