Like we did for the first Spyware Obstacle Course, we set up a pristine virtual system, both to ensure we were using a sterile environment and to prevent our actual system from being infected. We downloaded and installed an application notorious for bundling several types of spyware. Then we ran each of the antispyware applications to see what spyware it caught and what survived the removal process. To normalize the removal results, we used the mostly dependable Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner to identify leftover spyware traces.

Knowing each test produces results based on the product's definition file, we ran two rounds of tests a week apart. The second test gave developers a chance to update their definition files to include the latest spyware threats.