Security Task Manager: Knowledge Is Power Security Ratings Joseph Moran
Security Ratings
Because even detailed statistics like this will only tell you so much, STM tries to discern the potential danger posed by each process by assigning it a security rating from 1 to 100 points (higher numbers mean greater danger potential). STM determines these ratings based upon suspicious characteristics or capabilities of the process. Some examples include the ability to monitor keyboard input, interact with the browser, listen on one or more TCP/IP ports, or the lack of a visible application window or internal description data.
The problem is that most of the criteria used to assign the security rating can legitimately apply to "good" software, which makes the overall value of the ratings quite limited. A case in point: Of the five highest-rated processes STM found on my computer (with scores ranging from 67 to 92), all were legitimate and included a spam blocking application and utilities for a printer and camera. If you know a process to be safe despite its rating, STM lets you override it so that it's not flagged again in the future.
When you highlight a specific process from the list, STM displays some of the specific properties that earned it its security rating. After selecting a process, you can also click a button to remove the process from memory or quarantine it so it can't reappear when the system restarts. Depending on the item, you also may get the option to uninstall the host application. Another button will take you to the author's Web page, which (usually) displays information about the selected process gleaned from a Google search on the file name, along with comments from other STM users. In some cases this sheds some light on the origin of the file, but often the search produces no useful clues.
Ultimately, Security Task Manager is a mixed bag. There's no question that it easily trumps Windows Task Manager by providing more detailed information on a greater number of running files, and makes looking up or removing those files more convenient. On the other hand, the inaccuracy of the ratings makes this feature more of a hindrance than a help since even files with high ratings are likely to be legitimate.
Security Task Manager runs on any version of Windows from 95 through XP and is available for a free 30-day trial download. The registered version costs $29 and adds the capability to scan for device drivers and system services. Registering Security Task Manager also gets you an added utility called SpyProtector that purports to be able to detect and disable attempts to monitor your system as well as flag any behind-the-scenes changes to your Registry.
Pros: Provides detailed information on running processes; easy to quarantine or remove questionable files
Cons: Many legitimate programs flagged by high security ratings; sparse online documentation and help
