What follows is a list of categories (you have seen them in the product description as Threats), and how products are classified into these categories.

• Adware
  Adware is basically every software that displays advertisement on your computer. As adware itself does not threaten your privacy or security, additional factors are checked before adware gets added to the Spybot-S&D database. This would be for example:
  • Security - if adware installs without your knowledge, or only mentioned on page 24 of a long license agreement without the option to not install it.
  • Connectivity - if adware installs it own automated updater that downloads updates and/or additional software without your confirmation or even knowledge.
  • Permanence - if the adware keeps in memory and is annoying you with advertisement even if the host application that did install it is not running, and this hasn't been announced on install.
  • Backdoors - if removing the host doesn't remove the adware, and the adware uses multiple protection schemes to prevent its removal.
• BHO
  Browser helper objects are small programs that extend Microsofts Internet Explorer. All BHOs are classified as such, but the classification as a BHO means no threat until it was installed secretly, or spies on your IE usage. In that case, additional classification will reveal this.
  The only exception to BHO not being harmful are those classified as Unstable BHO. Those are programs that have made the browser they integrate into (Internet Explorer) unstable, crashing it or causing other negative side effects.
• Browser hijacker
  There are three criteria that classify a software that changes your browser start or search pages as a browser hijacker:
  • Stealth - changing the settings without informing you or asking you for confirmation.
  • Permanence - if the software installs itself in a way that prevents changing the page settings back using the common ways.
  • Backdoors - if the software uses security exploits of your browser to install itself without your confirmation.
Software that changes the Internet Explorer or any other browsers start and/or search pages without your consent, or software that does this changes, but adds additional measures to prevent you from changing the settings back is classified as a
• Dialer
  Every software designed to call toll numbers for non-serious matters, using your dial-up hardware, is classified as a dialer. Matters that are regarded as non-serious are currently visiting porn sites and downloading cracks or hacks.
• Keylogger
  Keylogger are easily classified, as those are programs designed for spying on other people. Advertisement for this products shows this purpose very clearly in all cases.
• Malware
  Classified as malware is software that comes with the purpose of doing harm to the users software that doesn't fit into the other categories. A few criteria for malware are:
  • Blocking - software that renders other software useless or even removes it.
  • Deletion - software that is removing software or data, for example virii.
  • Connectivity - software that constantly opens connections to Internet sites without any obvious need for this.
• Spyware
  Spyware is a worse form of adware. Spyware generally meets the adware criteria, an in addition one or more of the following:
  
  • Tracking - watching the Internet traffic reveals that the program does transmit an unique identifier assigned to you / your computer to track your habits of using the software or more.
  • Spying - the Internet traffic reveals that personal information, for example that complete URLs or form data, including possible sensitive data like login names and passwords, are transmitted.
  • Bad policies - the Privavy Policy of the product reveals that is collects personal information, which is sometimes even sold.
  • Loose policies - if the Privacy Policy only reveals a few harmless non-personal information that is transmited, without explicitely excluding any personal information like serious Privacy Policies do.
  In the case of Loose policies, software gets classified as Possible spyware until other criteria are fullfilled.
• Trojan
  Trojan is a classification for software that uses stealth to install into your system, possible with the intention of doing harm. Usually this classification is accompanied with a classification as keylogger, spyware or virus, which defines the level of threat the trojan is representing.
• Worm
  Classified as worms is software that is using local software to spread itself to as many other people and computers as possible without the users consent.
• PUPS
  The acronym PUPS stands for Possibly Unpopular Software and defines software that shows dubious behaviour and is likely to be unwanted. In many cases it is hard to find sufficient factual proof for malware status even though its malevolence is rather obvious by intuition.

Should the manufacturer decide to not answer such mails, the support forum is used to discuss the problem with the public.