Lavasoft

The company created one of the first anti-spyware applications- Ad-Aware. Today, they offer a line of security products, including Personal Firewall, Privacy Toolbox and Digital Lock.

In 1999, spyware was emerging as a true threat to computer user's privacy and anti-virus software wouldn't touch it.

These days, most anti-virus software protects you from spyware, rendering Ad-Aware less important than it once was.

Read our review of Ad-Aware to learn more about Lavasoft's flagship program.