Tenebril debuts free anti-spyware tool

Anti-spyware software maker Tenebril on Wednesday plans to release an update to its SpyCatcher product along with a new, free version dubbed SpyCatcher Express. Both products promise to find and remove spyware from a user's computer, including "mutating" spyware that was created to avoid detection. "The hardest spyware to find and detect is the evasive, mutating spyware. We alone have a method of identifying, blocking and removing it," said Fred Felman, vice president of marketing at Tenebril.

SpyCatcher Express is a slimmed down version of SpyCatcher. For $29.95, buyers get features such as automatic updates and protection against phishing. By offering a free product, Tenebril hopes to win customers who might subsequently open their wallets for the more feature-rich product, Felman said. However, with free products from Microsoft, Lavasoft and others, Forrester Research analyst Natalie Lambert believes consumers simply won't pay for spyware protection. "Consumers are looking for free products. Why should they pay for something they can get for free? This is especially true as Microsoft enters this market," she said.