 sj |
||
|
||
BS: Spybot software? Info, please.
|
|
|
Subject: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Oct 05 - 11:39 AM A while ago there was a note at the top of the forum about Spybot software, and I don't see it there now. Has anyone used that program and can recommend it? Any useful info out there? Please and thank you. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: John MacKenzie Date: 02 Oct 05 - 11:52 AM I use it and it seems to work well. Giok |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Oct 05 - 11:55 AM Okay, well, I did a Google search and there seem to be a whole bunch of such programs, not just one. So which one is good to use? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: bobad Date: 02 Oct 05 - 11:59 AM I use three of them regularly: Spybot Search and Destroy, Microsoft AntiSpyware and Ad-Aware SE Personal and have never had any spyware issues. They are also all free. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Oct 05 - 12:02 PM I use Spybot Search&Destroy, AdAware, and Spyware Blaster (recommended by the folks at Spybot). They work well. I came up with some new bug last night on the kids' computer that I had to have Symantec remove, so they don't get all of them, but they do a pretty good job overall. SRS |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: artbrooks Date: 02 Oct 05 - 01:23 PM I run it regularly, as well as Ad-Aware (another free program) and my Norton virus checker. Each pick up something different. Spybot's site is http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html, and both it and Ad-Aware can be downloaded from CNET .
-Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: JohnInKansas Date: 02 Oct 05 - 01:32 PM There have been a number of programs that have attempted to "look like" Spybot S&D but that are actually malware. It is important that you get the right one. The home page for the real one is at Spybot Search & Destroy. There is a good summary of what it's for, and what it does and doesn't do there. Click on "Download" in the "Home" box on the left of this page to get the program. You may be offered a number of "mirror sites" when you get ready to download it. Just for reference, the above link is: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/targetpolicy/index.html Spybot was consistently rated at the top of most reviews of antispyware (AS) programs a few months ago. It remains among the best free programs, although the "top rating" flops back and forth between a few nominally priced paid programs more recently. Unless you have one of the "full suite internet security packages" (such as the newest Symantec "Internet Security" for example) you should have Spybot S&D. It doesn't do any good, of course, unless you update regularly, and run regularly. Ad-Aware is another good program. Home page is at LavaSoft Ad-Aware. For reference: http://www.lavasoftresearch.com/tac_main.php Ad-Aware takes a very aggressive approach to defining what is "spyware," so it finds a lot of stuff that's more in the "annoying" category than really dangerous; but it also does a pretty good job on some really nasty stuff. Again, if you're trying to assemble reasonable AS protection from free resources you should have Ad-Aware. Keep definitions up to date and run fairly often. If you're running a recent Windows version, you can also get Microsoft's "Malware Protection." This is actually a "beta" program, but appears to be pretty good. It doesn't give you a lot of options, and it schedules itself to run daily so some people may find it a bit "intrusive;" but it's worth considering. It really only works well if you're signed up for automatic security updating of your Windows, and real autoupdate is only available for WinXP. A sort of "virtual autoupdate" is available with Win2K (for now, but scheduled to terminate fairly soon), but I don't know about other Win versions. IF YOU HAVE a decent firewall, AND a good AntiVirus program, Spybot Search & Destroy plus Ad-Aware will provide fairly decent protection agains malware that might otherwise cause you problems. NO PROGRAM CAN REALLY HELP if you're dumb enough to click on things you don't know anything about - especially if you click on stuff that claims it's "free." John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Oct 05 - 01:36 PM Okay. Thanks for the links! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 02 Oct 05 - 02:16 PM See link by John in Kansas for the real Spybot. I use the 'pay' version. Works well and has an update about every other day. I use it with AntiVir version 6 (free), which also frequently updates. When the pay version expires, however, I will convert to coverage by my broadband cable provider (seem to be no complaints). |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: John MacKenzie Date: 02 Oct 05 - 02:22 PM I also use Enigma which came bundled with Spyhunter, and it seems like a really thorough programme. [program] G ¦¬] |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Seiri Omaar Date: 02 Oct 05 - 02:35 PM Spyware Doctor also works well. But John's right. Just be smart about what you click on. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: JohnInKansas Date: 02 Oct 05 - 03:02 PM No AS program (or AV program) can provide perfect protection. New threats appear almost daily, and it takes some time for detection and removal tools to be developed for each new one. While AntiVirus specialists have effective formal organizations for getting the word out when a new threat is found, similar organization of AntiSpyware people is somewhat loose. There are a number of Bulletin Board sites that offer help WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN INFECTED. Virtually all such sites require that you perform specific operations, in a specific order, and using specific programs. Depending on the severity of an attack you may experience, you may or may not be able to get the required programs after you discover you need them. If you admit the possibility that you might someday have a problem, you should visit one of these sites to get at least a rough idea of how they operate, and you should DOWNLOAD NOW the programs that would be needed to solve your problem. If you don't admit the possibility that you might someday have a problem of this sort, you're an idiot and a threat to the entire web community. Typhoid Mary comes to mind. All of the help sites I've encountered will require you to: 1. READ THE FAQ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. 2. Run AdAware 3. Run Spybot S&D 4. REBOOT 5. Run HijackThis to make a logfile of processes running on your machine. 6. Run HijackThis to make a startuplist log file of processes that start up when you boot. The site may direct you to general "fixit" articles which you should visit. If these don't solve your problem, the FAQ procedure may direct you to: 7. Start a Thread at the site NAMING AND DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM and wait for instructions. 8. If and when you are told to do so, post one or both of the logfiles (steps 5 and 6) to the thread or forward it to an address that will be provided. DO NOT POST OR SEND any log file unless it is specifically requested. 9. Wait for a reply, and then do EXACTLY as instructed. Although there are numerous similar BBS sites, one that has been highly recommended is at SpywareInfo: Site run by SpywareInfo "Weekly Magazine." Offers a FAQ for how to setup, clean up, and produce data files that can be submitted for "expert analysis." You should go here NOW and at least read the FAQ. Sites for downloading AdAware and Spybot S&D have been provided above. The link immediately above will suggest that you read Tom Coyote's "Hijack This Quick Start" page, and I'd suggest you do so. There is a link at Tom's HijackThis page where you can download the third program you should have, HijackThis. (Link provided for those too impatient to actually read the FAQ. Get over it, or you won't have much success when a problem comes up.) The HijackThis programs (several versions available) download as .zip files and you should unzip and make a trial run to make sure a good logfile is produced. I would suggest that you rename (or move to another folder) a logfile when your machine is running properly, for future reference. Comparison with a logfile made after a problem pops up can often make it easy to spot what's been changed, and may even let you fix something without resorting to the help sites (if you're careful). Get AdAware NOW if you don't already have it. Get Spybot Search and Destroy NOW if you don't already have it. Get HijackThis NOW if you don't already have it. You can make your own choices about whether to run these programs regularly as part of your maintenance; but they are essential and universally used if you should ever need major help. John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 02 Oct 05 - 09:34 PM Hear Hear, John! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Seiri Omaar Date: 02 Oct 05 - 11:51 PM Yeah, don't slack off on the maintenance. If you do, it comes back to bite you. Hard. And if you are that lazy, do make sure you have a decent computer tech. Cheers, Seiri. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Dave Hanson Date: 03 Oct 05 - 09:43 AM I have Spybot Search and Destroy, it appears to find the same 12 threats every time I run it, this even happens if I run it twice in succession, seems a bit pointless to me. eric |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Oct 05 - 10:03 AM Spybot came up with a new version about three weeks ago, which I discovered after I saw that the updates weren't "taking." Poking around I found the new version, downloaded it, and the updates load properly now. SRS |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: JohnInKansas Date: 03 Oct 05 - 11:13 AM eric the red - There are a few possibilities for why Spybot S&D may find the same threats repeatedly. When the scan for threats is completed, it will show you a list of what it found. There must be a "check" in the box beside each threat, you must tell it to remove the ones that are checked, and you should get a "success" box showing that they have been removed. This should all be pretty much automatic, but you can set up Spybot to "scan only," in which case it won't do the follow through and complete the deletion. If you have another AS program on your machine, the various AS programs sometimes find each other's signature files and report them as "threats." In most cases they won't delete them, but will continue to report them. Newest versions of Spybot don't do this, so far as I know, but if you have an old version it may happen. Downloading and using the latest version may help. If you find the file "SpybotSD.exe," (probably in Program Files/Spybot) right click and choose "Properties," the Version Tab should say "1.3.0.12" if you've got the latest that I know of. If your Spybot signature files are not current, Spybot may be detecting a newer threat that it doesn't know how to completely remove. When you haven't done a recent scan the "update" box in Spybot may be grayed out; but when you complete a scan using the sig files you have, it should be available. Click the box and get updated. Rescan with the current sig files. If you are running Win2K, you must log on as "Administrator" before running Spybot S&D. If you run it as a "user" the program doesn't inherit administrator privileges and may be unable to fix some problems that it finds. You may encounter the same difficulty with other Windows versions, if you've set up an Administrator account and normally run under reduced privileges. Win2K requires an Administrator account. Other Win version can have one, but few home users set one up. Fixes that require changing entries in the Registry are not recorded permanently in Registry until you reboot. Spybot, or any other AS program, may continue to "find the threat" if you don't reboot so that the Registry can clean itself up, even if the "fix" has been entered - the completion is "pending" until it's permanently written into the registry by rebooting the OS. The above are the "innocent" reasons why you might get repeats. Some programs contain spyware components that you agree (whether you know it or not) to have installed in order to run the program. Removing the spyware component may disable the program. Spybot may report the presence of the spyware, but ordinarily will not remove something that will cripple a known and commonly used program of this kind, unless you specifically instruct it to do the removal. You can configure Spybot to ignore a specific item when it does the scan. If you need to do this, you need to find, read, and follow specific instructions from one of the Spybot FAQ sites. File sharing programs, and especially music download and sharing programs are prime culprits here, although there are others. Spyware may be installed as a "payload" of a virus/worm infection. The payload itself is not "viral" so your AV may delete the virus that installed it, but may leave the spyware it carried in. The spyware "payload" may have included an instruction, usually placed in your Start or Startup setup, to "install" the spyware. The instruction to install spyware isn't itself spyware, so your AS program can't/won't remove it. Removing the spyware may be unsuccessful since it gets reinstalled whenever you reboot, or whenever you run some specific file or perform some specific operation. This is the kind of stuff that sites like the SpywareInfo guys at my 02 Oct 05 - 03:02 PM post deal with. I doubt that your "repeats" are of this kind, but if they are, you've got serious problems. The crudmongers that do this sort of stuff to you rely on people with the "seems a bit pointless to me" attitude to spread their junk and keep it working. John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Dave Hanson Date: 04 Oct 05 - 04:43 AM JohnInKansas, I follow the instructions word for word and it always successfully removes the threats, if I run it again it finds the same threats straight away, this dosen't cause any problem on my PC. it's just confusing. I also have Norton Anti Virus installed and it happens with Norton but only with one threat, very confusing. eric |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: GUEST,Jon Date: 04 Oct 05 - 05:32 AM especially if you click on stuff that claims it's "free." I think that needs expanding on but I'm not exactly sure how. Yes, you can get into trouble with free stuff but it ismportant to know that there is also amazingly good free software around. This version of the dt databse I've been messing with uses nothing but free software. Apache, MySQL and php on a version of Linux. All of these things are used by big companies BTW - I'm not pointing at toy stuff that isn't used in the commercial world. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: GUEST,Jon Date: 04 Oct 05 - 05:46 AM Probably more than anything it comes down to how dodgy you think you are being when looking for free stuff. If you are going somewhere thinking "I shouldn't really be doing this" you might find that's true.... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: GUEST,Jon Date: 04 Oct 05 - 06:02 AM Just spotted I didn't give the intended mySQL link. I thought I'd given this page |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: GUEST,Redhorse at work Date: 04 Oct 05 - 08:45 AM Spybot did use to have a problem with false positives. I've been using Spyware Doctor for some time. It seems particularly good at rooting out search hijackers.I've found it simple and effective, without the manual registry editing of HiJack this. Best used in Safe Mode nick |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: JohnInKansas Date: 04 Oct 05 - 09:33 AM eric the red - As mentioned, sometimes a threat deletion is incomplete until a permanent registry is written. The completion normally happens when you restart or reboot your computer. You might try rebooting and then rerunning the AS scan just to see if that's what's going on. The only instances I've seen of Norton (or other AV programs) giving repeated hits on the same infection is when a "reload" line has gotten into Registry/Start/Startup. Often it requires some additional steps to clean things up. If you're getting repeats it would be well to visit one of the AV sites and look for specific - and complete - removal procedures, using the name of the infection that's coming back. In some cases, your AV may be able to "inactivate" something that it can't completely remove. (This happens a lot if you don't log on as Administrator when running your AV scans in Win2K.) Cleanup/removal programs specific to a few viral infections that require more than the basic AV program can do are available at most AV websites. Jon - There's no argument about the value of freeware, but you should only download it when you have gone to a site where you know that you can expect to get what you want. Obviously my reference to clicking on something that says it's free is in reference to stuff that pops up unexpectedly, or stuff you find on sites you don't know anything about. Crudware often imitates popular freeware programs to try to entice you into downloading theirs instead of the real thing. See comments above on phony Spybot lookalikes. The additional warning would be that any popup that claims "You may be infected," or that proclaims you are about to suffer a disaster of any kind, is probably an invitation to download an infection. DON'T DO IT. If you think you might have an "infection" go to a site you know to be reliable and let them help you. Don't take advice from strangers (at least until you're properly introduced). John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Geoff the Duck Date: 05 Oct 05 - 09:23 AM Eric - it might be woth listing the recurring itms. Somebody here might recognise them and be able to offer advice. With Ad-aware we get recurring items which are "tracking cookies" put onto the computer when particular otherwise innocent web sites are visited. We just wipe them each time they show up. Quack! GtD. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Tam the man Date: 05 Oct 05 - 09:47 AM I use Spy bot as well and it works |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 05 Oct 05 - 09:49 PM Geoff the Duck mentions 'tracking cookies'. Some 'tracking cookies' are wanted, like the ones used by Mudcat to remember your membership here, etc. It is possible to use some browsers to allow/stop cookies. There were also older standalone progs like 'cookie crusher' etc that would only allow cookies from sites you approved to be written on your machine. You could arrange it so that for any new site you visited, you would be asked. Also many sites try to write cookies for 'third party' sites - i.e. sites which are not part of the site you are visiting. These are usually only 'tracking sites' anyway, and killing them is really what is most wanted. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: JohnInKansas Date: 07 Oct 05 - 04:22 AM It probably doesn't deserve a new thread, so here 'tis in the closest related recent place: A recent report: eWeek: Fake Google Toolbars Go Phishing By Ben Charny, October 5, 2005, reports recent fake messages inviting people to install "updated" Google Toolbars. All functions of the fake toolbars are disabled, with the exception of a keystroke logger to collect your credit card numbers and passwords. (The "enable pornographic ads" function is among the many that don't work.) Thus far, this Phishing exploit has appeared only in "Instant Messaging" (IM) but similar attacks may be expected via regular email. The IM messages are faked to look like they come from someone on your "buddy list" to make them look legitimate. The attacks observed appear to use spyware based on "CoolWebSearch" which has been around for quite a while, and is one of those really nasty spyware kinds that often requires more than running an antispyware program for complete removal. (A specialized tool, CWShredder, is available and is frequently recommended if you happen to have run into the CoolWebSearch junk.) The article notes that Yahoo confirmed in March that some users had been receiving fake IM messages, disguised to look like they came from "buddy list" people, that directed the recipients to fake websites that asked for Yahoo login and account information. Increased attacks via IM are predicted, and almost anything that works in IM may be expected to appear in email. NEVER CLICK ON UNSOLICETED "OFFERS," even if they look like they came from a "friend." If you really want it, use your own browser and search tools to go to the source, confirm that it's real, and download direct. NEVER GIVE PERSONAL INFO in response to an email or instant message. If you think someone needs info from you, use your own browser, or better your telephone, to go to a KNOWN GOOD point of contact and verify that the request is legitimate. Even if it's a legitimate request, personal info should NEVER be transmitted except via a SECURE link, indicated by BOTH an https:// addy and a "locked padlock" in the lower status bar. John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Spybot software? Info, please. From: Dave Hanson Date: 07 Oct 05 - 05:11 AM Thanks JohninKansas and Geoff the Duck, I'll give it all a try when I've time. eric |
