Norton Power Eraser is a new tool just released by Symantec. The software is designed to delete fake antivirus and other various scareware. The software scans the entire system for suspected files in about 5 minutes. I liked how the program paid particular attention to load points (startup areas) in the registry and even the Windows Installer locations. Once the scan is done, the results are uploaded to the cloud (Symantec’s servers) and analyzed for suspicious intentions. The software found three suspect files on the test system, Spyware Blaster, Hotspot Shield, and a Windows Installer file.
All of these files are reputable false positives. However, since the software is in beta there are some bugs and this should be expected. Regardless, upon clicking on any of the suspect files, Power Eraser will explain why it made it marked any component as malware. Note that this is the new “File Insight” protection just released by Symantec.
According to Power Eraser, the preceding false positives were simply not known by Symantec’s Servers at the time of the scan. Finally, if Power Eraser does make a mistake a user can easily review the results and delete the problem.
