IE8 SmartScreen Filter vs. Ad-Aware Download Guard vs. SpywareGuard – Part 1

Avoiding unwanted websites and malicious download is possible using additional tool or by enabling the add-on for Internet Explorer. In this article, we’ll discuss and compare Internet Explorer 8’s SmartScreen Filter from other tools: SpywareGuard and Ad-Aware Download Guard by Lavasoft. Note that SpywareGuard, Ad-Aware’s Download Guard and SmartScreen Filter are free add-on or program that you have to install while SmartScreen Filter is built-in with Internet Explorer v8.

If you will remember, they have introduced “Information Bar” and “Anti-Phishing Filter” in earlier versions of Internet Explorer and those has helped in avoiding automatic installation of spyware and prevented us in visiting or viewing fraudster’s website (also known as phished site). Microsoft has introduced another protection for its browser – SmartScreen Filter and InPrivate Browsing. The latter will help prevent from storing data about your browser session while SmartScreen Filter is the improved, anti-phishing add-on by Microsoft by also preventing malicious file and website in loading in IE8. In short, your download is screened or scanned in real-time by SmartScreen Filter so you will warned of unsafe download and fake or malicious website.

The protection offered by SmartScreen Filter is not a new protection in the security circle. There are many tools that complement traditional anti-virus products to prevent downloading malicious or spyware programs or viewing a fraud site. SpywareGuard by Javacool is an example. I’ve seen how SpywareGuard’s real-time protection works which I published (few years ago) a simple test on how this protection should work. Does SpywareGuard continue to provide protection against known spyware? We will find out in this series of article if it’ll find and bock known and new spyware.

Last month, Lavasoft have added a real-time protection for Internet Explorer by introducing the add-on - Download Guard for Internet Explorer. This Brower Helper Object (BHO) of Ad-Aware is available only in the new version, Ad-Aware 2010 edition. How it works and perform will be discussed in this series of article too. We’ll try to compare whether SmartScreen Filter of IE8 is good enough or you better off installing SpywareGuard or Ad-Aware 2010 to take advantage of its Download Guard.