Several days ago MSN Messenger fan site Mess.be reported that the latest definitions for Microsoft AntiSpyware detects the actual Messenger Plus exe as Spyware.
Messenger Plus! bundles adware (C2 Lop) which is optional during the install stage. This recent change means users are advised of a threat coming from "msgplus.exe" even though this exe contains no spyware or adware. If you remove the "threat" using Microsoft AntiSpyware this fails to remove the C2 Lop adware and removes the Messenger Plus! un-installer. In simple terms this means if you have the spyware installed, Antispyware doesn't remove it but removes the un-installer of Messenger Plus so you can't remove it afterwards!
I have personally alerted Microsoft to this problem and their response has been disappointing. "The tactics used by spyware/adware vendors continuously evolve and present major challenges. We are looking into the issue that you raised about the removal of C2 LOP when a user chooses to remove Messenger Plus, and want to ensure our removal is complete as possible....We encourage software bundlers not to include spyware/adware in the first place to avoid the problems that arise once spyware has gotten on a user's machine."
Patchou, the author of Messenger Plus! has had a hard time getting a response out of the software giant too. We sat down with him last night and asked him a couple of questions regarding his feelings on the recent change.
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Screenshot: Microsoft AntiSpyware Warning
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