The Best Antispyware Software for 2023

When you’re punching in your PIN at an ATM, it’s obvious if someone tries to peek at your code. And having someone shoulder-surfing as you log into your laptop is likely to set your spidey-senses tingling. But when the spying is all electronic, you don’t get the same cues. It’s true that your antivirus should whack these ill-intentioned programs, but some skirt the edge of legitimacy. That’s why many security programs enhance their protection with features aimed at detecting and preventing these spying behaviors. How they do it varies widely, but we’ve pulled together a collection of security tools that go the extra mile to protect your privacy.

After our reviews of the top antispyware software, read on to learn about the varieties of spyware, as well as the top technology for shutting down the spies.

Abine Blur Premium

Best for Masking Your Identity

Why We Picked It

If you suspect spies are waiting outside your house to tail you, you might choose to go out in disguise. Abine Blur brings that concept to the modern world. When you use Blur, you can shop online without ever revealing your actual email address, credit card, or phone number. The only thing you can’t mask is the address to receive your surreptitious purchases.

As you surf the web, ads and other trackers on the pages you visit spy on your activities and conspire to build a profile they can sell. Blur integrates with your browser to actively block those trackers. Its browser toolbar button displays the number of tracking spies on the current site and opens to let you fine tune its blocking behavior.

Who It’s For

Surfing the web is fun, and shopping online is convenient, but the idea someone might be spying on your activities may sour you on the experience. Use Abine Blur to foil webpage spies and do your shopping without revealing your identity.

PROS

• Blocks tracking of your browsing activities.
• Manages passwords.
• Masked email addresses quash spam.
• Masked credit cards protect real card details.
• Masked phone number blocks unwanted calls.

CONS

• Requires giving a lot of private data to Abine.
• Local-only password storage can be lost if you don’t back it up.

Bitdefender Total Security

Best for Wealth of Spyware Features

Why We Picked It

Bitdefender Total Security is our Editors’ Choice pick for security mega-suite, in no small part due to its amazing breadth of features. Of course, it includes all the expected suite mainstays: award-winning antivirus, unobtrusive firewall, parental control, spam filtering, and so on. But it also boasts a big collection of spyware-fighting features.

Like Abine Blur, it actively puts an end to tracking systems that profile your online activity by embedding ads and other trackers in the web pages you visit. Its SafePay hardened browser isolates your financial transactions from interference using a separate desktop that’s not accessible to other processes. If an unauthorized program tries to peek through the webcam, Bitdefender offers to block it. And its file shredder lets you rub out all traces of sensitive files, foiling even spies with forensic recovery software. Don’t forget the privacy protection from its VPN (though you’ll have to pay extra for unlimited features).

Who It’s For

Sure, spyware is a worry, but maybe you’ve got enough worries already. Rather than deal with figuring out separate spyware protection tools, you may prefer to just pick an award-winning security suite that has spyware protection baked in. That’s Bitdefender Total Security.

PROS

• Award-winning antivirus
• Protects Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices
• Online management and remote control
• Many bonus features, including VPN and ransomware protection

CONS

• Full VPN access requires separate subscription
• Parental content filter needs work on non-Windows platforms
• Support for iOS is limited

Optery

Best for Precise Privacy Recovery

Why We Picked It

The movies would have you believe that intelligence agents are bold, dashing types, infiltrating enemy assets and exfiltrating intel…or defectors. But in truth, plenty of agents work behind the scenes, sifting useful data from public sources. By the same token, data brokers don’t steal your personal info; they obtain it from legitimate sources and use it to build profiles that they can sell. If you ask them to remove your profile, they must comply, but figuring out who to ask, and how, is tough. That’s where Optery comes in.

Optery checks an ever-growing list of data brokers and flags those that have your information. Then it acts as your agent to get your data removed. If you’re willing to do the grunt work yourself, manually opting out of the brokers Optery finds, you don’t even have to pay for the service. Online spies can still steal your private data, but at least they won’t just receive your personal profile on a platter.

Who It’s For

Some things about you and your activities are public information, whether you like it or not. A determined researcher can find out about you, with some effort. Or a dedicated identity thief can just buy your profile from a data broker. If you find that image maddening, Optery can help.

PROS

• Finds and removes personal data from hundreds of brokers
• Free tier offers detailed DIY removal steps
• Links directly to found personal data
• Provides detailed verification of removals

CONS

• Direct link to found data not available for every broker site

Avast AntiTrack

Best for Foiling Fingerprinters

Why We Picked It

Each time you visit a web site, there’s a good chance you’ll trigger an ad or other tracker embedded in the site. Trackers on sites across the internet work together to build a profile. What kind of sites do you like? What do you buy? Where do you comment? They go on to sell these profiles to others, legitimate or shady. If you’d rather not be spied on by these trackers, check out Avast AntiTrack.

Old-fashioned trackers rely on things like browser cookies to link your various activities, and old-fashioned tracker blockers easily subvert this process. Persistent trackers invented a new technology called browser fingerprinting that identifies you using a collection of data that any site can gather by querying your browser. Avast AntiTrack defeats fingerprinters by subtly varying the information sent by your browser, so you don’t have a consistent fingerprint. And of course it also smacks down the old-fashioned trackers.

Who It’s For

Whose business is it what you do on the internet? Nobody but yourself, right? With Avast AntiTrack you can keep nosy spies out of your online activity.

PROS

• Foils websites that track you using fingerprinting
• Actively detects tracking attempts
• Can clear cookies and other browser traces
• Configures Windows for better privacy

CONS

• Tracker blocking visible only in Chrome
• No transparency regarding Windows privacy settings

Sophos Home Premium

Best for Remote Management

Why We Picked It

You’ve probably got an idea or two on how to protect your own privacy from prying spies, but what will you do when your friends and family ask for help? Will they even be able to understand and follow your advice? With a Sophos Home Premium subscription, you can remotely manage up to 10 security software installations, with a variety of spyware-specific components included. If your low-tech best buddy screws something up, you can reach out and fix it without getting up from your chair. Tweak the configuration, check security status, run a scan—it’s all handled remotely.

Safe Browsing will sound the alarm any time a spyware app tries to break into your online financial transactions. And if someone surreptitiously installs a keylogger on your system, in hopes of capturing passwords, secrets, and anything else you type, the Keylogger Protection component ensures that they get gibberish instead. Sophos also warns any time a program accesses the webcam, though it doesn’t give you the option to allow or deny access the way several others do.

Who It’s For

Everyone in your circle turns to you for tech help—you’re the tech hero! With Sophos Home Premium, you can keep them all safe from malware, spyware, ransomware, and all the badware, all from the comfort of your tech lair.

PROS

• Excellent scores in some hands-on tests
• Convenient mobile management app
• Protects against ransomware, keyloggers, exploits
• Remotely manages up to 10 PCs or Macs
• Inexpensive

CONS

• Limited results from testing labs
• Parental control and webcam protection limited
• So-so phishing test score
• Advanced features require uncommon tech expertise

Trend Micro Maximum Security

Best for Encrypting Your Data

Why We Picked It

Imagine the chagrin of a thief who sneaks into the office, cracks the safe, and steals a secret document…only to find that it’s written in a cipher she can’t crack. Keeping your important data encrypted is a dandy way to foil spies, and the Vault component of the many-skilled Trend Micro Maximum Security makes encryption simple. Just copy your sensitive docs into the vault and use the digital shredder to securely delete the originals.

While encryption is a highlight, it’s far from the only boon you get with Trend Micro Maximum Security. To start, this is a full security suite, with antivirus, parental control, system tune-up, and even a spam filter. Nobody, not even the owner of the shady Wi-Fi network you’re using, can spy on your internet communications when you protect them with Trend Micro’s VPN. The Pay Guard hardened browser shields your financial transactions from digital prying eyes, and Data Theft Prevention intervenes any time your predefined personal information is about to be transmitted elsewhere, whether accidentally by you or deliberately by a data-stealing Trojan.

Who It’s For

If you’re not so much worried about spyware in general, but more worried about protecting certain files and documents from spies, Trend Micro’s Vault can help. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that you also get a full-fledged security suite with additional spyware-fighting mojo built in.

PROS

• Excellent scores in our phishing and malicious download tests
• Comprehensive Android security
• Protection for macOS beyond the basics
• Unusually feature-rich iOS protection
• Many useful security features

CONS

• Lab scores from perfect to dismal
• Poor score in hands-on malware protection test
• Parental control weak

Avira Prime

Best for the Latest Protection

Why We Picked It

With most modern security suites, you automatically receive all updates that occur during your subscription. Avira Prime goes a step beyond. This suite incorporates the premium version of every Avira product, even those that haven’t been released yet. And yes, quite a few of these components provide protection against various forms of spying and spyware.

To start, you get full, unfettered access to Avira’s VPN, not the limited version supplied with lesser Avira products. When your communications go through the VPN, nobody can spy on them, not even if the network itself is compromised. Speaking of the network, Avira’s Network Scanner lists all devices making use of your network, though it doesn’t check them for security problems or let you deny access to interlopers.

Other spy-fighting features include: an active Do Not Track system to keep ads and other trackers from profiling you; a secure deletion shredder that can ensure a spy with forensic recovery software can’t get back files you meant to delete; and a device control system that can prevent exfiltration of data via removable devices.

Who It’s For

How would you feel if your security suite provider released a brand new type of security software, but kept it separate from the suite? Avira Prime keeps you up with all the latest additions, including every Avira product, both existing and future.

PROS

• Includes Pro editions of all current and future Avira tools
• Protection for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices
• No-limits VPN
• Mostly excellent scores from antivirus testing labs

CONS

• Lacks many expected suite features
• Poor score in malware-hosting URL test
• Dark Web Monitoring did not work in testing
• Browser-independent Web Protection not effective

Bitdefender Home Scanner

Best for Thwarting Wi-Fi Spies

Why We Picked It

“It’s coming from inside the house” means you’ve got big trouble, really big. Likewise, if a spy gains access to your Wi-Fi network, that’s exactly the level of trouble you’re in. Forget attacks across the internet; this spy is right in your network, and you may not even know it. Unless, that is, you analyze the network with Bitdefender Home Scanner.

This free scanner examines your home network and lists every device it can find. It also reports on any devices that suffer security weaknesses, weaknesses that might provide entrée for a hacker. You’ll want to go through the list and make sure you know what device each item represents. After that, the scanner notifies you of any new devices that connect.

Who It’s For

If you have a home network (and who doesn’t) it behooves you to know just what’s connected. With this free scanner, you’ll get an immediate warning if some malefactor breaches your network security.

PROS

• Lists all devices attached to your network
• Identifies devices by name and type when possible
• Flags devices that may be vulnerable
• Reports new devices connecting to network

CONS

• Security advice the same for most problems
• Can’t block access by unwanted devices
• Advises purchasing the Bitdefender Box, which is not currently available

Buying Guide: The Best Antispyware Software for 2023

Where’s Kaspersky?

Long time readers may note the absence of Kaspersky Plus from this collection. It definitely has some strong spyware-fighting features, among them fine-grained webcam control and an encryption system for your files. It remains highly effective, with excellent scores from the independent testing labs. So, where’s Kaspersky?

For years, Kaspersky has faced accusations and censure based on its Russian origins, though none of the accusations have come backed by hard evidence of malicious behavior. We at PCMag focused on the capabilities of the products, not on the brouhaha around the company. However, the current war in Ukraine has raised the stakes. Governments and third parties are cutting ties with Kaspersky. The FCC labeled Kaspersky a national security risk.

After consideration, we can no longer recommend that you purchase Kaspersky security products. We’ve left the reviews in place, with a warning, since they provide useful information. But at least for now, we’re removing Kaspersky products from our “Best for” lists.

What Is Spyware and How Does It Work?

Just what is spyware? The term covers a wide variety of sinister software—programs that can do everything from capturing your passwords as you type to literally spying on you through a webcam or internet-aware device.

As the name implies, a keylogger keeps a log of all the keys you type, everything from personal messages to username and password combinations. If you have a keylogger running on your system, chances are good that some crooked individual planted it specifically to spy on you. The keylogger can even be a physical device, installed between the keyboard and the PC.

We call them keyloggers, but in truth these nasty programs log a ton of information in addition to keystrokes. Most capture screenshots, save the contents of the clipboard, note every program you run, and log every website you visit. The perp can use these various threads of information to, for example, match up a username and password you typed with the website you were visiting at the time. That’s a potent combination.

(Credit: PCMag)

As noted, a first-class malware protection utility should wipe out keyloggers, along with all other types of malware. However, some of them add another layer of protection, just in case a keylogger slips past. When this sort of protection is active, the keylogger typically receives random characters, or nothing at all, in place of your typing, and attempts at screen capture come up blank. Note, though, that other logging activities may not be blocked.

Of course, keylogger protection in software can’t prevent a hardware keylogger from capturing keystrokes. But what if you don’t use the keyboard? A virtual keyboard on the screen lets you enter your most sensitive data by clicking with the mouse. Some products go to extremes, scrambling the key locations, or creating a flock of decoy cursors to foil screen-capture attacks. Virtual keyboards are often found in password manager tools as well, so you can enter the master password without fear of having it captured.

(Credit: Kaspersky)

How Do Trojans Steal Your Data?

The historic Trojan horse looked innocuous enough to the soldiers of Troy that they brought it inside the city walls. Bad idea; Greek soldiers exited the horse in the night and conquered the Trojans. The malware type aptly named Trojan horse works in much the same way. It looks like a game, or a utility, or useful program of some kind, and may even perform its promised function. But it also contains malicious code.

It’s Surprisingly Easy to Be More Secure Online

So, now that you’ve brought it inside your city walls, what can the Trojan horse do? The possibilities are vast, but I’ll focus on the ones designed to steal your personal data. They silently sift through your files and documents, seeking information to send back to malware HQ. Credit card details, social security numbers, passwords—the malware coder can monetize these and other kinds of personal information.

One way to foil this sort of attack is to use encryption software to protect your most important files. You’ll find encryption built into many security suites, among them Trend Micro Maximum Security and G Data Total Security. Note, though, that it’s tough to find and encrypt every shred of personal data. Good thing that your antivirus usually whacks these nasties before they launch.

A variation on this theme creates what’s called a man-in-the-middle attack. All your internet traffic gets redirected through a malware component that captures and forwards personal information. Some banking Trojans take this a step beyond, actually modifying the traffic they handle. For example, the Trojan might transfer $10,000 out of your account but strip that data from the activity log that you see.

You can prevent man-in-the-middle and other types of browser-based spying by using a hardened browser. Implementations vary from suite to suite. Some wrap your existing browser in added protective layers. Some offer a separate high-security browser. And some move your browsing to a secure desktop, entirely separate from the normal desktop. The smart ones automatically offer the secure browser when they see you’re about to visit a financial site.

(Credit: Bitdefender)

Routing your traffic through a virtual private network (VPN) is another way to foil many kinds of browser-level spying. You can definitely use a VPN along with your malware protection, for a suspenders-and-belt approach! More and more security suites are including a VPN component, though some charge extra for full functionality.

What if the worst happens and an evildoer uses your personal information to steal your identity? Norton 360 With LifeLock is all about detecting identity theft attempts early and helping you recover from the effects of such an attack. It’s our Editors’ Choice among security suites that include identity theft protection.

How Do Advertisers Track Your Browsing Habits?

Have you noticed how when you look at a product on a shopping site, you start seeing ads for it on other sites? Online advertisers really want to present ads that you might click on. To that end, they use a variety of techniques to pin down your browsing habits. They don’t necessarily know your name, or your email address, but they do know “that guy who keeps shopping for Millie Bobby Brown action figures.”

Creepy, right? The good news is, you can set your browser to tell every site you visit that you don’t want them tracking you. The bad news is, they can (and do) totally ignore that request.

(Credit: Avira/PCMag)

The advertising and analysis networks that perform this kind of tracking are necessarily large. It’s not too hard to compile a list of them, and actively block their tracking, or to at least give the user the option to do so. This active Do Not Track functionality is sometimes paired with general purpose ad blocking. Note, too, that using a secure browser or a VPN can help to throw off the trackers.

The most advanced trackers create a fingerprint by quizzing your browser about all kind of details, fiddly stuff like what extensions are installed—even what fonts are available. The usual active Do Not Track implementations can’t help you against these. If you really, really hate the idea of having your online behavior tracked, consider giving Avast AntiTrack a try. This tool keeps tweaking the data that goes into your browser fingerprint, so the trackers lose track of you.

Of course, sometimes you can’t avoid giving out your personal details, like giving your email address and credit card to a shopping site. The etailer may not be spying on you, but others can get hold of that data. Using a tool like Abine Blur, you can go ahead and shop online without ever giving out your real email address or credit card. Blur includes active Do Not Track, password management, and more.

What About Spyware That Uses Public Data?

Real-world espionage experts don’t spend all their time hiding behind potted plants or focusing binoculars on their targets. They can often gather an impressive dossier just by collating information that’s publicly available. Spies call this OSINT, for Open-Source Intelligence. The same is true of a growing class of businesses called data brokers or data aggregators. Working strictly from publicly available data, these snoops can assemble a thorough profile of you, your neighbor, and just about anyone.

To stay on the legal side, these businesses have to obey the law. That includes the laws about removing your personal information from their files if you ask them to. But how do you know to opt out when you don’t even know they’ve got your profile?

(Credit: Optery)

A growing army of privacy services has arisen to help. These services search dozens or even hundreds of data broker sites to find your information and then automate the process of opting you out. Optery is our current favorite in this realm. It handles hundreds of brokers and verifies that your data got removed. It will even search out your data for free if you’re willing to make the opt-out requests yourself.

What’s the Best Webcam Antispyware

That webcam on your laptop or all-in-one computer makes video conferencing super easy. You can tell when it’s active, because of the little light next to it. Right? Well, no. There are varieties of malware that can turn on the webcam and watch you without causing the light to reveal their activities.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg famously tapes over his webcam, for privacy. If tape seems cheesy, you can get a sliding webcam cover for just a few bucks. But, with the right security software, you don’t need to physically cover the camera.

Products from Sophos and Trend Micro include a component that monitors any program that tries to activate the webcam. Norton has a similar feature. Authorized programs, like your video conferencing tool, get access without a problem. But if an unknown program tries to peek through the camera, you get a warning, as well as a chance to give the spyware a black eye.

Do My Smart Devices Need Antispyware Software?

Your home network supports a collection of very visible computers and mobile devices. Behind the scenes, though, it also supports an even bigger collection of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Connected garage doors, washing machines, light bulbs—everything’s on the network these days. Toys, too. It’s cool that your child’s new doll can learn her name and converse realistically. It’s not so cool when it turns out that the doll is spying on you. (No, the doll’s name is Cayla, not Chuckie.)

There are occasional instances like the connected doll where IoT devices deliberately collect data about you. But the lack of security in most connected devices is even more worrisome. Spending extra bucks to secure a smart light bulb makes no financial sense, in some manufacturers’ eyes. The competitor who skips security can get to market faster, and for less. Ultimately, you may pay the cost for their negligence.

Any unsecured IoT device can potentially offer spies a view into your house, and your habits. Ironically, hacked security cameras provide a lovely view for the hackers. Even something as simple as a thermostat that adjusts the temp when you’re home can reveal that you’ve gone on vacation.

You can’t go around installing antivirus on each connected doorbell, refrigerator, and bathroom scale. The only way to truly secure these devices is to install a network security device like Firewalla. Without adding hardware, you can at least keep track of just what lives in your home network.

(Credit: Bitdefender)

Some security products now include variations on the theme of a network scanner. Features include verifying your network security settings, cataloging all devices on the network, and flagging devices that may be vulnerable to attack. If your antivirus or security suite includes this feature, be sure to take advantage of it, and learn as much as you can. If you didn’t get this feature as part of your protection, consider trying the free Bitdefender Home Scanner.

How Does Antispyware Software Work?

The spyware protection features I’ve mentioned are important, but they’re not the only tools available. I mentioned encrypting your sensitive files. For maximum security, you must also use secure deletion to erase the originals beyond the possibility of forensic recovery. And yes, quite a few antivirus and security suite products offer secure deletion.

If spyware does get a foothold on your PC, it can’t hoover up data that isn’t there. Many security products can clear traces of your browsing activity, general computer activity, or both. As a bonus, getting rid of unnecessary files can free up disk space and may boost performance.

It’s unlikely that a spy would get physical access to your computer and copy sensitive documents to a USB drive. That’s something that happens in the movies. But if you have the slightest worry about that possibility, consider choosing a security suite that lets you ban use of any USB drive that you haven’t previously authorized. G Data Total Security, ESET Smart Security Premium, and Avira Antivirus Pro are among the products that offer this kind of device control.

As I noted earlier, this article focuses on products that employ techniques aimed specifically at different types of spyware. It’s not about the best general-purpose security software. In the end, the most powerful tool you can apply to keep yourself safe from spyware is a top-of-the-line antivirus or security suite. These products handle all kinds of malware, including threats much tougher than mere spyware.