PestPatrol was an anti-malware product, designed to protect a computer system against threats such as adware, spyware and viruses.

[4] Unlike most anti-spyware programs designed for home use on a single desktop, PestPatrol also provided a solution for the network environments found in enterprises.

[5] Among the features that made it appealing for enterprise security administrators was the ability to manage networked desktops remotely.

[6] Early versions of the product were criticized for the poor user interface, described alternatively as something that "looks like an application that was ported from OS/2, with unclear buttons"[7] or a "clunky, text-based UI",[8] but the reviewers praised its malware detection and removal capabilities, stating "PestPatrol is the most effective anti-spyware system - short of a switch to Linux - that we've ever used".

[7] It was described by InfoWorld as "one of the most established brands in anti-spyware",[9] and in 2002, it was selected as "Security product of year" by Network World, which cited its ability to detect and remove more than 60,000 types of malware, and its defenses against Remote Administration Tools (RATs).