Spyware Masquerading as Spyware Removal Software 424
Cocooner writes "News.com is reporting that some of the anti-spyware/adware software out there is doing more harm than good by acting as double agents. One example is a software package named SpyBan (google cache since the original site has been removed), which happened to be hosted by download.com, accused of installing Look2Me, which monitors and reports web surfing habits. SpyBan was downloaded over 44000 times before it was pulled. How 'low' can they go?"
Hmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Hmmm... (Score:3, Insightful)
Prior Art (Score:5, Funny)
Viruses claiming to be security updates
SCO pretending to be a software company
Re:Hmmm... (Score:2, Insightful)
And I've never once posted anonymously. If you're so confident in your opinion, you might try revealing who you are. I think maybe if the people here weren't outright hostile or condescending to any woman who posts here, maybe you'd all get laid more often.
Re:Hmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Out of 901 comments, I've only posted AC once.
My Karma's been excellent since my first month here.
In my last 20 comments, I've gooten five 3s, two 4s, and three 5s.
So why is there no Slashdotter, no not one single Slashdotter, to offer to make love to me? Oh, oh, me!
Oh, right, it's the penis thing again.
Damn Slahdot geek sausage-fest.
Re:The reasons geeks don't get laid (Score:5, Insightful)
Your rant highlights the typical behaviors of a nerd.
A geek is very social. While a geek may have several traits of a nerd, they are not condescending or selfish. I know many geeks who have social lives. I know many nerds who do not.
I am a geek. I am not a nerd. There is a difference.
Morbidly obese? (Score:3, Funny)
I'm sure you're not morbidly obese. You'd never get through the letterbox.
Re:Hmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Invention that does completely the opposite of what it claims to do
Like "Microsoft Works"?
Re:Hmmm... (Score:5, Insightful)
But these programs don't do the complete opposite of what they promise.
I'm sure they do remove spyware.
I mean, I'm sure they are very careful to remove competitors' spyware.
That makes your system more private and more stable, while ensuring that they get a tighter lock on the market for the data they've purloined from spying on you.
Think of it like government: government offers to protect you those who would rob you and beat you, so long as you agree to give the government 40% of your money in the form of taxes and take th eoccasional beating from a cop. Sure, if you fail to come up with the taxes, the government will take the money and beat you, but at least you're only getting robbed and beaten by one entity.
Which entity, by virtue of having a monopoly, can specialize in giving you only the best robbings and beatings.
As, God knows, with Reichsminister Ashcroft and Admiral Poindexter, the current government is I'm sure is getting very good at doing only the best spying on you, Citizen.
Re:Hmmm... (Score:5, Insightful)
Why the hate? Where is all this anger coming from?
Ashcroft has trashed a 600 years of jurisprudence by effectively abolishing habeas corpus. Right now, American citizens are sitting in prisons, not only denied their 6th Amendment right to a speedy trial, but wholly denied access to any trial, any court or any legal counsel.
Ashcroft doesn't think that is enough, and has further demanded the power without the right to revoke Americans' citizenship by his fiat, without recourse to judicial review.
Ashcroft has abrogated the rights of California, under the 10th Amendment, to make its own laws, and has insisted on prosecuting persons whose "crime "is to give marijuana to the terminally ill to ease their few remaining days of life.
Ashcroft has abrogated the rights of Oregon, by threatened Oregon doctors with the loss of licenses or even prison for following Oregon laws allowing people to die with dignity.
Ashcroft has ignored the intent of the US Congress by applying the wide-ranging powers granted under the "Patriot Act" to crimes that legislators voting for the "Patriot Act" never envisaged it would cover.
Ashcroft has perverted the considered opinions of the majority of US federal judges, by insisting on mandatory minimum sentences that even conservative Chief Justice William Rehnquist finds too Draconian, and has abused the consciences of Federal prosecutors by insisting on death-penalty sentences even when local Federal prosecutors thought that ultimate penalty unwarranted.
Ashcroft has championed secret arrests, closed trials, secret military tribunals, and even authorized the deportation of a Canadian resident, Maher Arar, to Syria, where Arar was tortured for 10 and a half months.
But you're right, at lest he's not a Nazi! Thank God Ashcroft tramples the Constitution in a three-piece suit and not a Party uniform.
It's NOT all Ashcroft's fault! (Score:3, Interesting)
Also, according to the 60 Minutes II report, Canadian intelligence officials knew and approved of Arar's deportation to Syria. So
A VERY interesting idea actually... (Score:3, Interesting)
How about we (geeks, slashdotters, etc) start pattenting all the evil ideas we can come up with? Think if we had the pattents to algorithms used in worms and viruses, or in spyware, etc. Of course, I don't mean we build anything with these evil ideas, but then we could sue the pants off anyone who did.
I know a guy at Microsoft who says they have people to develop worm/virus algorithms just so if someone ever uses it,
How low they can go. (Score:3, Funny)
All the way to hell, I really hope.
Re:How low they can go. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How low they can go. (Score:2)
How 'low' can they go? (Score:4, Funny)
As low as a worm?
I'll stick with the basics.... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'll stick with the basics.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I'll stick with the basics.... (Score:2)
Re:I'll stick with the basics.... (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, it's simpler than that.
Install the Spy-ware Remover. Remove the spy-ware. Remove the remover.
For the more paranoid^H^H^H^H^H less trusting, take a snap-shot of the system, consisting of a list of all files with md5sums for each.
As above, Install the remover, remove the spy-ware, remove the remover. In most cases the spyware will be stand-alone, except for crap like MS-Windows registry entries. Ensure that other than such system-wide repositories like that, after the removal of both spy-ware and spy-ware remover, than no files have been added to your system, and the md5sums of existing files haven't changed.
Finally, spy-ware is only a problem if it can transmit the information it gathers out of your system to its masters. Here MS-Windows users actually have an advantage over linux, because most MS-Windows firewalls can block both incoming and outgoing connections, and can block or allow specific applications using specific protocols on specific ports.
First, as a standard practice, block everything (I even block localhost to localhost connections), then allow only what you actually require (most MS-Windows firewalls allow you to do this interactively and some support single-time-only allowances, so it's not nearly the burden it seems to someone used to IP tables).
Then watch to see if the firewall reports that an application is making outbound connections. If one does, ask yourself why it needs to connect out, and whether you did something to initiate its connecting out.
The one Achilles's heel here is the multitude of applications that use HTTP connections for one thing or another, and the browser in general. To minimize (but not totally control) this, I route all browsers through two HTML transforming proxies, so many cookies and javascripts never even reach the browsers. Other applications get direct connections, but obly if they need them. My mail client, for example, does not need to connect to port 80 for any reason, so I never worry about web bugs in HTML mail. Browsers (well, the proxy at the end of the chain) can connect only to ports 80 and 8080, minimizing risks a little; connections to non-standard ports must be authorized interactively.
I highly recommend Kerio firewall, by the way; it's free as in beer and quite full-featured. Proxomitron is excellent for transforming HTML. Get an md5sum implementation, or better yet, get Cygwin and have a linux-like environment too.
Re:I'll stick with the basics.... (Score:5, Informative)
Not true at all. In fact, I couldn't care less about spyware transmitting information. When I start to care is when I get a call because someone's machine is malfunctioning.
I've seen numerous spyware hijack IE, replace the startup page, install IE extensions to randomly popup advertisements, change how DNS resolution works, etc. I've seen machines where it takes minutes to start up a browser.
I highly recommend Kerio firewall, by the way; it's free as in beer and quite full-featured.
Kerio is trivial to bypass if you bypass the winsock API and program directly to NDIS. I've done this as a demonstration only, but seeing how spyware is so pernicious, I bet you'll soon see spyware doing the same things.
Application-level firewalls are useless if the user has full access to the machine. If the user has the ability to bypass the firewall, a program can do so just as easily and there is no way in Windows to differentiate between messages coming from keyboard/mouse and messages coming from other applications. Similarly, these are useless if the user has the ability to choose whether a program is put in the firewall's "allowed applications" list, as a malicious program can simply fake the user input and put itself there; on the other hand, taking away this ability from the user is not something I'd like to do, as my users should be free to use Mozilla, Opera or any other browser they choose without going through me.
I think we're talking about different things: I'm not concerned about keeping spyware off of my personal workstations, as these machines never get spyware in the first place due to me being careful about what I run. What I care about is keeping employee machines spyware-free while at the same time allowing users to install their own applications without going through me.
Actually, the situation is exactly the same as with viruses: I don't worry about viruses on my personal machines, but I know my users aren't sophisticated enough to differentiate between an attachment called "file.doc" and "file.doc [fifty spaces] .exe", so I install antivirus software on their machines. Similarly, I know they're going to download and execute spyware, so I'd like some tool that runs in the background recognizing spyware and preventing it from running. The paid version of adaware does this, and I consider it a virus scanner that stops viruses written by questionably-legitimate companies instead of individuals.
So there is a place for anti-spyware tools: if you're a sophisticated user on your own machine, you can do without antispyware software, but if you're in a situation where antivirus software is warranted, antispyware software is also a good idea. I just wish McAfee would stop pandering to these spyware "companies" so we wouldn't have to get two site licenses for similar software.
On download.com (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:On download.com (Score:3, Funny)
How low can they go ? (Score:3, Interesting)
I've got Spybot on my Windows box at work, and the number of times it triggers is just amazing (yes, even on
Simon
Re:How low can they go ? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:How low can they go ? (Score:2)
spybot (Score:5, Informative)
If you run a Windows system then I heartily recommend Spybot Seek & Destroy [safer-networking.org] to keep it clean and immunized. Support the author too, donate a few bucks for good work.
not related in any way, just a satisfied user
Re:spybot (Score:5, Informative)
As someone who considers themselves "careful" as can be when it comes to keeping their system clean (Ad-aware was my option before finding Spybot) I was absolutely *shocked* at the volume of "tracking" cookies that Spybot found.
I admittedly surf porn sites regularly. I found that Spybot never complains there. It mostly complains here on Slashdot (banner ads send Avenue A) and travel sites (some Travelocity cookie is blocked A LOT).
It scared me how much shit is out there and I am GLAD that someone has created this software that is easily updated, runs relatively quickly, quitely, and easily.
Re:spybot (Score:4, Informative)
Re: SpyBot and additonal help.... (Score:5, Informative)
I'll tell you another little tip, though. If SpyBot already claims it's cleaned everything up, but your PC is *still* spontaneously generating pop-up ads on the screen, or running abnormally slow (perhaps you still see odd processes listed as running in the process list?), here's the way to fix it.
Run regedit, and search the entire registry for "run once". There are several "run once" registry keys, with plain old "run" keys directly above each of them. (You're mainly interested in what's in the "run" keys, but searching for "run" will find hundreds of things we're not interested in.) If they're starting up some kind of trojan horse or spyware/adware program on your Windows PC (and assuming it's not simply in the "Startup" program group!), they've got to be doing it in one of these "run" keys. Look for sneaky files in there with names like "windowsupdater.exe" (MS doesn't ever run a file by this name to do the real Windows updates), or just gibberish names like 0br003445l.exe and delete them from the "value" line of the "run" key. I've even seen files in there I wasn't sure about, until I looked in the folder under "Program Files" where it was running from; Then I saw a *documentation* file in the program's folder explaining that the utility was "designed to automatically present advertisements to the computer user at random intervals"!
Re: SpyBot and additonal help.... (Score:2)
The Problem (Score:5, Insightful)
useless wankers (Score:5, Funny)
Stopsign software is the same thing... (Score:4, Informative)
One user on my network install it, basically shut down all network connections. And loaded the computer full of crap.
Also known as eAnthology.
Downloading. (Score:2, Interesting)
I have a client that has to have me clean his computer every 3 months of spyware since he and his children click on the banners on websites.
It is time that websites stop showing banner ads for these types of websites. Afterall, if the uneducated people on the web only make it to portals and news sites, then it is unlikely they are going to find the spyware.
I fear that the best
Re:Downloading. (Score:2)
internet junkbuster.
install it on the local machine and set the browser proxy settings to use it. needs no user intervention after that.
Voila... problem solved.
for anyone who doesn't know, use these tools (Score:5, Informative)
Spybot [safer-networking.org]
Ad-Aware [lavasoftusa.com]
There are others, but these pretty much have it covered i think.
Re:for anyone who doesn't know, use these tools (Score:2)
I haven't used it for a while though, so someone correct me if this is no longer the case.
Re:for anyone who doesn't know, use these tools (Score:3, Informative)
The definition list for Ad-Aware is dated 02-04-2004, pretty fucking current.
Re:for anyone who doesn't know, use these tools (Score:5, Informative)
Re:for anyone who doesn't know, use these tools (Score:2)
Ewan
Maybe off topic (Score:2)
Granted, this spyware crap is nasty, but lets look ahead to an optimistic future, where windows no longer sports
Just dreaming I guess
Re:Maybe off topic (Score:2)
False Advertising (Score:3, Insightful)
Sue their asses into oblivion for false advertising, deceptive trade practices and any other related matters.
You as an individual could also sue them on the same grounds.
I am not a big fan of suing for the sake of suing but this stupidity and outright fraudulent practices must be crushed by all means necessary.
IANAL but I do have a legal background (and I slept at a Best Western once).
Re:False Advertising (Score:2)
I am sure in the EULA there is a clause that you are agree for them to install anything they wish to. And that in return for use of thier software, you are allowing direct advertising.
Terms and conditions of using the software.
Software firewall (Score:2, Insightful)
Again, just my 0.02$
Re:Software firewall (Score:2)
Don't get me wrong, I wish they would learn, but it's about as likely as getting hit by a falling piano.
Re:Software firewall (Score:2)
MyDoom - this seems like the 50th damn mail virus that exploits nothing but people's stupidity. After 5 years of these, people STILL click the damn things. If they can't learn something as simple as "don't click the attachment", what makes you think they will learn a firewall, which is an order of magnitude more complex?
Spyware = Virus (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Spyware = Virus (Score:5, Interesting)
For example, We're forcing all the students on campus to install F-Secure. At this point I have had 300 of them call or bring in their PC because it keeps telling them their infected with a Virus. What is happening is that it detects one of the spyware files as a virus but leaves the rest of the spyware there. Then the Rest of the spyware happily reinstalles the file that F-secure Deleted, and Repeats the process over and over and over until adaware is run on it.
Until virus scanners get into the act of completely removing a spyware/adware infection (IE Scan the Registry and remove viral entries, Clean all traces of a known Virus, ETC) its not helping out much other then pestering the user until they run spybot on it.
This is pretty common (Score:5, Interesting)
Other spyware (Score:2)
How Low (Score:2, Funny)
I don't know, but the limbo hurts my back, so let's hope it does theirs as well.
If not, someone kick them in the crotch while under the pole.
Spyware Removal guide (Score:5, Funny)
Step 2: Turn Computer off
Step 3: Never use Computer Again
Re:Spyware Removal guide (Score:2)
Step 3: Install GNU/Linux!
Wait a second... (Score:2, Funny)
In other news...Bonzi Buddy claims to be your buddy, when he's not your buddy at all!
Insensitive clod.
Not happy (Score:3, Interesting)
Program authors who set up this kind of trojan horse (think about it, it is like a trojan horse), should be publicly flogged and hung from the gallows at dawn.
I have lost hours cleaning up spyware messes. It would totally piss me off to have the tool I use be spyware-infested. That's akin to using a vaccine that is full of contaminants.
Re:Not happy (Score:2)
It's more like an antibiotic full of immune bacteria.
More fake programs (Score:5, Informative)
Re:More fake programs (Score:2)
If this is news to anyone (Score:2, Flamebait)
This has been happening for a while now and is pretty obvious if you're forced to use IE for any extended period of time.
There will be a popup or two with the not-so-subtle title 'SPYWARE DETECTED!' and enough flashing colors to make any experienced sufer wary. Spyware works best against the inexperienced, is this a surprise to anyone?
That is why we need open source software (Score:2, Interesting)
I seriously wonder what other kind unknown spyware that are used to monitor us? I can even imagine information being collected and stored locally on the computer by various programs and that this information is later picked up and shared through a spyware
Re:That is why we need open source software (Score:2)
I run SpyBot and Ad-Aware and I have never detected any real spyware on my computer. That's because I know enough to avoid it even when all my apps are closed-source.
The people with the problems are people who can't examine the code for themselves anyway...which leaves the average Joe precisely where he is already.
Besides, are you telling me that checking on network traffic on an individual machine (I've seen some fabulous programs that do th
Irony (Score:5, Informative)
"Gator cursors?! Rad. I love little annoying cursors." Install spyware.
If people would be more informed about their computing habits, spyware would be avoided, as would viruses.
Adware, on the other hand, may have some legitamate uses. For example, Opera had a free version of it's browser that shows ads. AIM shows ads. Even Slashdot shows ads.
But if you don't like it, don't run it. Research is the key. It's time we stop letting people use computers until they understand HOW to use them.
Re:Irony (Score:4, Interesting)
Ever wondered why there are laws and courts of law out there? Because the "ha ha, if you're not informed, it sucks to be you" approach just doesn't work.
You're no less than asking that everyone spends inordinate hours of their life doing research about every single piece of software. Maybe for you it's fun. For most of the rest of the world it isn't.
And even if you enjoy that for software... how about imagining a world where some other product might be affected. Would you like to check every single pencil or roll of toilet paper or disposable razor blade for hidden spyware equipment? It's exactly the non-computer equivalent of spyware: something which masquerades as a useful everyday item, but which in reality exists only to rape your privacy.
Would you even have time to do that? Would you enjoy doing that? Would you actually learn everything about mechanical watches just to be able to tell if there's a little extra in your watch? What about your new cell phone? How do you know it's not transmitting a little extra to a third party? Etc.
If you didn't answer a wholehearted "Yes!" to each of the above, well, then you probably get my drift. Just as you probably have better stuff to do than becoming an expert in mechanical watches, other people have better stuff to do than to become an expert in computers.
Either way, multiplied by the number of computer users, the "so get informed" solution would mean tens or hundreds of billions of hours wasted per year. A murderer can be sentenced to death for, basically, shortening someone's life by 20-30 years. This "so inform yourself" solution ammounts in the long run to stealing years off everyone's life.
There has to be a better solution than that.
Re:Irony (Score:2)
Opera 7 [google.com]
Photoshop 7 [google.com]
Flash 6 [google.com]
Ever wondered why there are laws and courts of law out there? Because the "ha ha, if you're not informed, it sucks to be you" approach just doesn't work.
It DOES work like that, depending on what you mean. I doubt if I said, "I didn't know that selling heroin was illegal," would get me out of jail. Further, if I say, "I didn't see the clause in the UELA that sa
Re:Irony (Score:2)
Spyware vs. virus (Score:4, Interesting)
My solution was to wipe the PC and stick on Xandros. But this is not feasible for everyone. So how much time and money do spywares actually cost, and is there no way these creeps can be persecuted for theft of computing resources or interference in operations? I know that the EU cybercrime laws prohibit at least some aspects of spyware (such as interference in normal system operations and interception of private communications).
Credit card scam (Score:5, Informative)
New Credit Card Scam
This one is clever.
You receive a telephone call from someone purporting to be from your credit card company. They claim to be from something like the security and fraud department, and question you about a fake purchase for some amount close to $500.
When you say that the purchase wasn't yours, they tell you that they're tracking the fraudsters and that you will receive a credit. They tell you that the fraudsters are making fake purchases on cards for amounts just under $500, and that they're on the case.
They know your account number. They know your name and address. They continue to spin the story, and eventually get you to reveal the three extra numbers on the back of your card.
That's all they need. They then start charging your card for amounts just under $500. When you get your bill, you're unlikely to call the credit card company because you already know that they're on the case and that you'll receive a credit.
It's a really clever social engineering attack. They have to hit a lot of cards fast and then disappear, because otherwise they can be tracked, but I bet they've made a lot of money so far.
My Anti-spyware software: (Score:2)
How 'low' can they go? (Score:4, Informative)
As low as they need to in order to make a buck.
Does this really suprise anyone? We've continuously seen spammers/telemarketers/advertisers/etc. sink lower and lower over the years as their tactics are countered. First there was telemarketing then the Telezapper [telezapper.com] gave us all a little hope that the incessant calls would stop. Then the telemarkters came up with a new tool [cnn.com] that beat the telezapper. We responded with the Do Not Call Registry [donotcall.gov] and now the telemarketers are suing on the basis of free speech. They will stop at nothing, not even the breaking the law, to make money.
I'll say it once (Score:5, Informative)
Some of the others that I have seen/tried, are too zealous and end up removing bits that are *required* by proper programs, and end up wrecking things.
Ad-Aware, good as gold.
In addition, IIRC they offer a corporate-based version, much like Norton-Antivirus corporate, and that's a slick idea.
I've seen this alot... (Score:3, Informative)
Funnily enough as this article popped up I was on the phone w/ another coworker who had installed SpyHunter on a suggestion from an office mate... Problem was it started giving weird errors and she claims it kept reinstalling itself when she's remove it from Add/Remove Programs. She deleted the folder it belonged in and that seems to have eliminated it finally, but I had to clear a registry entry on her PC for her that was trying to start it...
Funny thing was whatever genius wrote the software didn't enclose the path to the program in quotes, so it was trying to run C:\Program... That's really the kinda programmer I want mucking about deleting 'Spyware' off my PC.
Thank God for Lavasoft...
How can you tell (Score:3, Insightful)
"About SpyBan
SpyBan is a cutting edge software, which is able to detect and remove all popular forms of spyware programs including Trojans, system monitors, keyloggers and adware. You don't need to be a computer expert, or spend a lot of time learning how to use it. SpyBan is one of the most user friendly spyware protecting programs available on the market today and it is 100% FREE!"
Technology
SpyBan has very advanced algorithms, which not only can detect primitive and old spyware, but can detect new generation applications as well. SpyBan loads every time you start your Windows and appears on your taskbar next to clock. If you point your courser to the SpyBan icon and click on it, SpyBan will appear. If you click on "Scan Now" icon, SpyBan will immediately start scanning your computer's hard drive for existing spyware all available local disks.
The descriptions themselves reek of spyware.
Easy! (Score:2)
The descriptions themselves reek of spyware. (Score:2)
"Now Billy, pay attention! Sigh. You need to learn proper use of subject and predicate, because you'll never amount to anything besides a worthless huckster. What is wrong with the following sentence 'I send you this file in order to have your advice?'"
Re:How can you tell (Score:2)
Dell...smarter than we think? (Score:2, Interesting)
This is just an extension of E-mail (Score:2)
It kind of sucks that you can't trust download.com, but being paranoid a
Seem to be US company - could they be prosecuted? (Score:2, Interesting)
"SpyBan has very advanced algorithms" (Score:5, Insightful)
I particularly like this bit of their page:
Need SpyBan?: Your computer and your privacy are at risk if you: - surf the internet more than 1 hour a week - share your computer with another person - make purchases online - use file-sha
hmm, that's me! sign me up! classic scamster stuff, sad that it got 44,000+ people.
Great business move though (Score:3, Interesting)
Remove spyware which log stuff for other businesses while installing your own. Business-wise very good move, granted you have no ethics and are morally bankrupt. Kind of like McAfee AV marking Symantec products are virusses and then installing trail versions of it's own competeting software.
Re:Great business move though (Score:2)
Thats like saying that if Intel bombed AMD headquarters, it would be a good business move for them. Its not a good business move if you get sued and/or prosecuted.
Mozilla? Opera? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Mozilla? Opera? (Score:4, Informative)
The less you install the more clean and stable the system - general rule-of-thumb for any windows box as anyone that's been intimate with their registry would know. One program I have to work with every day installs over 70 registry keys (which isn't too bad) but the uninstaller is lucky to find 4 of those.
*sigh*
Download.com (Score:2, Informative)
Not to mention the oh-so-easily abused rating system, and obvious sponsoring BY spyware programmers...
And with such a reliable sounding name, the average Joe just thinks "hey it's from Download.com how could it possibly be bad? right?"
And the next thing you know, your computer illiterate relative is on th
Your ISP knows where you go. (Score:3, Insightful)
Marketers (Score:5, Funny)
These are marketers. Was that a trick question?
If I were in a room with a lawyer and a marketer, and I only had one bullet... I'd kill myself.
I hate to suggest legislation, but... (Score:2)
Could some simple law be developed that says software cannot do the opposite of what it says it does. Would this work? Or could we make an anti-spyware law that limits what software is allowed to report on without your consent? (Of course, some of these apps probably tell you that they do this in the EULA, which no one reads, but that is a separate issue)
Open Source Windows Spyware Project? (Score:3, Informative)
I'd really like to use and support an Open Source removal tool - I want to see the source, etc. - in my co.'s environment. Is there such an animal?
My mother... (Score:3, Interesting)
She finally caved in and allowed me to install Linux on her PC, thankfully!
I converted my 70 year old grandmother to Linux last year and she loves it...hopefully my mom will stick with it as I usually have to remove viruses and trojans once every couple months.
Cookie spyware (Score:2)
Spyware? (Score:2, Offtopic)
*shrugs* I guess this must be a windows problem.
</OELQ>
The FAQ from alt.privacy.spyware (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, I know the programs listed in the faq are a bit windows-centric. But guess which platform most posts on that newsgroup are about.
Norton Anti-Virus more annoying than most virii (Score:3, Interesting)
Now of course if I'd bother to RTFM and spend my time reconfiguring Norton I suppose I could figure out how to make it less annoying, and then take up more of my time doing the same to every machine in the office... but I was just wondering if the people working for Norton might consider making their products less godamn annoying then the virii they aspire to prevent.
Re:Spyware (Score:2, Informative)
Cheap Windows shots aside, there are many ways to get crap on your non-Windows machines. Cookies, web-bugs cross-site banners etc etc are ways to track a user. My OpenBSD boxes are secure from known hacks but I still surf with a Privoxy [privoxy.org] filter and a Squid cache [squid-cache.org] at the head of my home LAN..
Security and privacy are like an onion, no need to repeat the whole analogy here.
Re:Spyware (Score:3, Funny)
Re:SpyBot S & D (Score:2, Informative)
Re:SpyBot S & D (Score:3, Informative)
Re:SpyBot S & D (Score:3, Interesting)
I'll tell you what needs to happen -- is Congress needs to crack down on those pages that try to force you to install a program, aka viewer, in order to look at the web page. I have made quite a bit of money cleaning such things from people who got dupped into downloading and installing programs because it was the only choice they