The Best Antispyware Software for 2025

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Nearly 40 years ago, we started reporting on computer viruses and the antivirus tools that fight them. The nefarious business of writing malware evolved, and some perpetrators turned to writing software for spying on unwary victims. As software specifically designed to counter those cyber-spies arose, we also expanded our coverage to antispyware. These days, spyware protection is generally rolled up inside an antivirus or security suite, but it’s still necessary. We’ve collected tools that fend off spyware in various ways for your consideration. Bitdefender Total Security is a mega-suite, for instance, but along with antivirus protection, firewall, and spam filtering, it offers extensive features to help fend off spyware. After perusing our top picks, read on to learn more about the types of spyware and the best technology for quashing it.

What Is Spyware and How Does It Work?

Just what is spyware? The term covers a wide variety of sinister software—programs that can capture your passwords as you type or spy on you through a webcam or other internet-aware device.

As the name implies, a keylogger keeps a log of all the keys you type, 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 these nasty programs log a ton of information in addition to keystrokes. Most capture screenshots, save the clipboard's contents, note each 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.

As noted, a first-class malware protection utility should wipe out keyloggers, along with all other types of malware. However, some 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 even touch 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, so you can enter the master password without fear of having it captured.

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, a utility, or a useful program of some kind, and it may even perform its promised function. But it also contains malicious code.

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 type of attack is to use encryption software to protect your most important files. Encryption is built into G Data Total Security and a few other security suites. Note, though, that it's tough to find and encrypt every shred of personal data. It's a good thing your antivirus usually whacks these nasties before they launch.

A variation on this theme is called a man-in-the-middle attack. All your internet traffic gets redirected through a malware component that captures and forwards your 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. Some move your browsing to a secure desktop, entirely separate from the regular desktop. The smart ones automatically offer their secure browser when they see you're about to visit a financial site.

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 that when you look at a product on a shopping site, you see ads for it on other sites? Online advertisers really want to present ads that you might click on. To that end, they use various techniques to pin down your browsing habits. They don't necessarily know your name or email address, but they do know "that guy who keeps shopping for House Targaryen 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 that they can (and do) ignore that request.

The ad 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 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 kinds of details, fiddly stuff like what extensions are installed and 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 retailer may not be spying on you, but others can get hold of that data. Using a tool like IronVest, you can shop online without giving out your actual email address or credit card. IronVest 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 publicly available information. Spies call this OSINT, which stands for open-source intelligence. The same is true of data brokers and data aggregators. These snoops can assemble a thorough profile of you, your neighbor, your spouse or roommate, and just about anyone from public information.

These businesses have to obey the law, including the laws about removing your personal information from their files if you ask them. But how do you know to opt out when you don't even know they have your profile?

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 and Privacy Bee are our current favorites in this realm. Privacy Bee handles over 900 brokers, more than any competitor. Optery verifies that your data has been removed and shows before and after screenshots as evidence. Both will 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.

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

Products from Sophos and Norton include a component that monitors any program that tries to activate the webcam. Authorized programs, like your video conferencing tool, get easy access. But if an unknown program tries to peek through the camera, you get a warning and 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.

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 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 track what lives on your home network.

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, take advantage of it and learn as much as possible. 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, many 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, eliminating 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 happens only in movies. But if you have the slightest worry about that possibility, consider choosing a security suite that lets you ban the use of any USB drive that you haven't previously authorized. G Data Total Security, ESET Smart Security Premium, and Avira Prime are among the products that offer this kind of device control.

As I noted earlier, this article focuses on products that employ techniques aimed at different spyware types. It's not about the best general-purpose security software. Ultimately, 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.

Editors’ Note: Given that the US government has banned new sales of Kaspersky security products, we no longer recommend them.