Spy Sweeper Deployment Information

What is Spy Sweeper?

Spy Sweeper is a piece of software that scans the C partition on your Windows computer and removes all instances of spyware and adware. While you are web browsing, the client actively shields your computer from changes to your startup files and home page settings -- damaging or annoying changes that spyware can inflict on your personal environment. The client is set to sweep the drive to remove adware and other software that spies on your activity. It does not notify you of the spyware, but it keeps a log of the spyware it finds and removes. This protects your data security, and it protects your computer from software that does real and calculable damage.

What Do You Need to Do?

• Spy Sweeper will be installed and run without needing any intervention on your part.
• SCS Facilities is installing it remotely and maintaining it remotely.
• Unlike Symantec Anti-virus when it finds a virus, Spy Sweeper will not notify you when it finds spyware. It will simply quarantine the offending software and files without needing any interaction.
• All quarantined adware and spyware will be automatically removed after a set number of days. All spyware which is dangerous to your system will be deleted immediately.
• You do not need to reboot your computer for Spy Sweeper to run. Be aware, though, that you will not see the Spy Sweeper icon in your system tray until your computer is rebooted.

Why Did SCS Facilities Choose Webroot's Spy Sweeper?

For over a year now, our computing environment has been increasingly burdened by spyware. The time and cost of performing manual spyware removal became prohibitive. It was necessary for us to invest in an automatic spyware removal client, much like all businesses had years ago for the removal of viruses.

After researching several trustworthy spy removal programs -- there are many spy removal programs out there that are actually spyware themselves -- we found that Spy Sweeper was the most effective, did the least amount of harm to the computing environment in the process of spyware removal, and was the most thorough of the spy removal clients.

How To Download and Install Spy Sweeper Single User License

In order to acquire a copy of Spy Sweeper, please send email to help+@cs.cmu.edu including the following information:

• CMU asset number
• hostname of the machine

The SCS Help Desk will provide you with a "key code" and download instructions from Webroot.

The single user license install is not managed by SCS Facilities. Software updates for this version are obtained directly from Webroot.

If you are interested obtaining a license or if you have any questions regarding this software, please send mail to help+@cs.cmu.edu or contact the SCS Help Desk at x8-4231.

1. Close any previous versions of Spy Sweeper.
2. Click Here to begin the download process:
3. After clicking on the download link, you will be prompted to save the program or open it from its current location.
   • Select "Save" and the program will automatically be saved to your computer.
4. Access the file "sspsetup1_239749.exe" on your computer and click to install Spy Sweeper.
5. When the installation program prompts you to enter your key code.
   • Your key code uniquely identifies your product installation, enabling you to seamlessly access future product updates.
6. Follow the directions as they appear on your computer screen.
7. You will be prompted to register the product after installation. You will be required to enter the following information
   • First Name
   • Last Name
   • email
   • home address
   for the registration process.

For backup purposes we recommend that after downloading the program you copy the install file "sspsetup1_239749.exe" to a blank floppy diskette, zip disk or a CD.

Please note: If you are having trouble when clicking on the download link and would like to enter it manually on your browser, make sure the web site address is in lower-case letters or the link will not work.

SpySweeper FAQs

FAQs

Q: What exactly does Spy Sweeper do?

A: Visit Webroot Spy Sweeper description page to find out more about the suite of features this software offers:

Q: I use Internet Explorer, and I want to change my home page. It keeps changing back. How can I fix this?

A: Spy Sweeper provides an active shield that prevents changes to the home page in Internet Explorer. If you wish to change your homepage in IE, you must turn off this shield first.

To do this, you must:
• Double-click the Spy Sweeper icon in your system tray. It looks like a yellow spider web or radar screen.
• Under the options item in the left window, click the link entitled "Active Shields".

  

• At the top of the right window, set the radio button for "IE Homepage Shield" to "Off"
• Proceed with changing your home page, but remember to turn the shield back on.

Q: I want to install software on my machine. Something is going wrong. Could this have anything to do with Spy Sweeper?

A: Spy Sweeper runs an active shield that prevents changes to all start-up processes those processes that are automatically run on boot-up or after log-in. If you are installing software that requires a change to any auto-run processes, Spy Sweeper may prevent this process from running by removing the change. If you have a problem installing software, try turning off the Startup Shield by following these steps:

• Double-click the Spy Sweeper icon in your system tray. It looks like a yellow spider web or radar screen.
• Under the Options item in the left window, click the link entitled active Shields.

  

• In the right side of the window set the "Start Up Shield" to "Off"
• Try installing your software, but remember to turn the shield back on after youe rebooted the machine, and the software has successfully installed. This shield is an essential component to spyware protection.

Q: A program I downloaded once before doesn't work now. Does that mean it's spyware?

A: Parts of some programs can have spyware in them. When Spy Sweeper removes those parts, the program itself might not work afterwards. We highly recommend that you do not reinstall the application!

Q: I want to know more about spyware. What is it? How does it work? How did I become infected?

A: Visit our spyware web page for more information on exactly what spyware is and how you may have become infected.

Q: What about Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy? I used to use these tools. Weren't they good enough? Should I uninstall them?

A: You do not need to uninstall Ad-Aware or Spybot Search and Destroy.

The free versions of Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D were very helpful for removing spyware and adware during the interim, while we were searching for a paid spy removal client. Testing here showed that Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D caught less than one-third the spyware and adware that Webroot's Spy Sweeper caught. Further, sometimes these programs required the use of other programs to completely remove a piece of spyware, along with another program to repair damage to the TCP/IP layers. While we found these clients to be incredibly helpful, they were not as robust as Spy Sweeper.

That said, the sad fact is that no spyware removal program is even close to one hundred percent effective. We have found that sometimes Spybot S&D or Ad-Aware will catch adware or spyware after we've run Spy Sweeper. There is no incompatibility between the programs. Feel free to leave these clients installed, and use them in addition to Spy Sweeper. Be aware that there are false spy-removal clients out there. (See below.)

Q: What if I use Spy Hunter? Or, what about other spyware removal clients?

A: Beware deceptive advertising. Many spyware removal clients, like Spy Hunter, remove only 15% of spyware, while also infecting your computer with other adware and spyware. Most falsely advertised spyware removal clients don't even remove spyware -- they just install adware. The following website has been dedicated to keeping track of rogue or suspect anti-spyware programs:

If you're going to use another spyware and adware removal program, we recommend Lavasoft's Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Q: I've had problems with spyware clients before. Will this client cause trouble with my operating system or with other software?

A: In the past, some spyware removal clients have caused problems with anti-virus updates or have done damage to the WinSock layer of TCP/IP. Removing spyware can be very complex, as some of these programs embed themselves in the OS and re-install themselves upon attempted removal. The industry is still in the infancy stage of responding to the problem of spyware and adware. There will be issues from time to time.

Q: I have a laptop. What version of Spy Sweeper will I use? Do I need to request a stand-alone license?

A: All SCS-supported laptops on the SCS domain will have Spy Sweeper Enterprise version installed on them remotely over the months of February and March, 2005. The update server for Spy Sweeper will be available to the internet. Laptops will be able to retrieve spyware definition updates while not on the SCS network.

If your laptop is not a member of the SCS domain, Spy Sweeper will not be installed. If you wish to put your CMU-owned laptop under support or if you want to add the laptop to the SCS domain, please send mail to help@cs.cmu.edu. Please provide your laptop name and asset tag in the e-mail.