Spybot – Search & Destroy
| Spybot – Search & Destroy | |
|---|---|
Spybot - Search & Destroy 2.1 | |
| Developer(s) | Safer-Networking Ltd. |
| Initial release | 2000 |
| Stable release | 2.9.82
/ December 23, 2021 |
| Written in | Delphi |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile, and Symbian (older versions of Spybot only) |
| Type | Spyware removal software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | Safer-networking.org |
Spybot – Search & Destroy (S&D) is a spyware and adware removal computer program compatible with Microsoft Windows. Dating back to the first Adwares in 2000, Spybot scans the computer hard disk and/or RAM for malicious software.
Spybot-S&D was written by the German software engineer Patrick Michael Kolla, and is distributed by Kolla's Irish company Safer-Networking Limited. Development began in 2000 when Kolla, still a student, wrote a small program to deal with the Aureate/Radiate and Conducent TimeSink programs, two of the earliest examples of adware.