Anti-spyware, anti-virus on collision course?

A software vendor's new technique for snuffing out spyware is raising questions over whether products such as it could crash computers by clashing with anti-virus tools that have used such methods for a decade.

Aluria announced it has added what it calls Active Defense Shield to its software to intercept files and detect and eradicate spyware before it resides on a machine. This type of anti-malware technique is known as kernel-driver or on-access scanning. Many anti-virus vendors have embraced the method because it opens a file to wipe out malware before it lands.

But the drawback is that if two or more vendors' products try to scan at once, the machine can crash. Anti-spyware, anti-virus on collision course?