Tech: Spyware eliminating programs

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 07:40 PM

I had hassles with early versions of CC - Cookie Pal is not too bad.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Greg F.
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 08:30 AM

Best add-on cookie manager I've found is "Cookie Crusher" available
HERE
and worth every penny for the registered version. Works a treat & is easy to install & set up to work the way you want it to.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 04:52 AM

Managed to keep spybot open (right clicking on pc bottom toolbar icon) long enough to check settings. I had ticked a box which was supposed to shut it down when it has finished, but seemed to close it before it starts to do anything.
Even the good computer sowtware can be a pain in the neck!
It is now updated and running again. It found one problem missed by Ad-aware, so was worth getting back.
Quack!
Geoff the Duck.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 06:27 PM

kat et al...had the same hijacking browser trojan on my computer as well...The free version of AVG (version 6.0)found it and eliminated it, and I've not had any problems since. Can't remember specifically what the trojan was called, as AVG found about ten other viruses along with the offending file! - but it might've been a flavor of the virus called "second-thought" (I think there is an "A" version and a "B" version)) that was causing the hijacking problem.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 05:44 PM

ok! Now just check out ALL the myriad settings they provide!

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: GUEST,kat on new browser!
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 04:01 PM

Just kissed off IE and am trying out Mozilla! Interesting and not nearly as difficult to switch over to as I was thinking 'twould be! Thanks, BillDee!

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 02:31 PM

Recently our default internet connection keeps being re-set, so when we open a browser it doesn't open the only connection which works. Something is interfering with the settings in Internet Explorer, but I can't figure out what is doing it. We deleted all dial-up connections from the control panel, only leaving the one we use, but the hijacker keeps cancelling our default. It is very annoying to have to manually open the connection, especially as I use opera as my browser, and personally will only ever use IE if I cannot get a page to work on anything else. Unnfortunately other family members use IE.
Ad-aware doesn't pull out any solutions, and Spybot has disappeared - I'm not sure if something has landed on the computer to sabotage it or what? - When I try to open it, the box appears fora a split second but then vanishes, and appears to automatically close down.
Very annoying.
Quack!
Geoff.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 02:30 PM

Mozilla or Mozilla Firebird are the ones with the best features I know of with no ads (Firebird has no email or newsgroups built in)
other browsers are K-Meleon and Off-By-One...and I believe there is one based on IE called "Avast"

free email ..best I know of is Pegasus...it will do EVERYTHING once you get it set up like you want. There are others ..Foxmail I think still exists

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 01:35 PM

I have been trying to configure a Windows but otherwise Microsnot-free PC - but most copies of Opera for example are Ad-supported.

Suggestions for freeware browsers and email clients that are not ad-supported?

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 12:46 AM

there are several types of programs one needs for a high level of security these days. One is a virus checker, like Norton, AVG, McAfee..etc... one is a cookie control agent, which can be stand-alone or part of certain browsers(Mozilla and Opera have them built in) ....or part of other programs like firewalls, which it is a good idea to have also. Good 'free' firewalls are things like Kerio, ZoneAlarm, or Outpost.

Those 3 things will do most of the work to prevent 'stuff' from getting on you computer and doing nasty things...but WinPatrol does a 'different' sort of thing, as does AdAware & SpyBot S&D, which find stuff that gets through....
..and there is one other which does tricks to make general web-surfing smoother and cleaner...like preventing re-directs to sites you didn't ask for, stopping pop-ups, preventing 'text scrolling' in the status bar, freezing GIF animations, controlling javascripts and ad banners and MUCH more..etc. This is The Proxomitron...I simply would not surf without it any more. (It has been mentioned before.) It is so powerful that, if you get & enable all the filters available for it, almost nothing would happen when you surf! Well, maybe plain text would show...

It IS the case that programs like WinPatrol, Proxomitron, and firewalls need to be taught YOUR rules and wishes, and need some care to set up like you wish, but after awhile, you almost forget they are there..(WinPatrol is no use if it DOESN'T ask you about certain things, and you can tell it which programs you trust and want to run!)(and you 'can' turn off the *bark*)

It is unfortunate that we need all this, just as it is sad we need to lock our doors and have anti-theft devices in our cars, but that is how it is. It is best to learn how these security trick and devices work BEFORE something bad happens, even though some of them can be confusing till you get the adjustments made.

If you go to that Pricelessware page I noted above, you'll see better write-ups than I give here...and if you'd to see several more security programs that were suggested, instead of just the top vote getters, go here...some interesting stuff, though not what 'everyone' needs.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Mark Clark
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 11:22 PM

Nice post, John, and well worth reading.

WinPatrol will help you monitor cookies if they are a concern to you. You can add terms to the "nuts" list and WinPatrol will prevent the cookie from being set. You can still have cookies on for the sites, such as Mudcat, whose cookies you actually want but you can kill the third party tracking cookies. WinPatrol will warn you when a cookie has been added and give you a chance to permanently allow it by checking a box or removing all unchecked cookies. This feature may be used or not, as you choose.

Kat, you are probably the victim of what is termed a "browser hijacking." WinPatrol gives you the ability to see all the "browser helper" apps that you are loading and decide whether you want them or not. Another great program aimed specifically at browser hijacking is HijackThis. It will find any possible way your browser can be hijacked and let you stop it. HijackThis also comes with a program called StartupList that builds a text file listing absoutely everything that gets started by any means when you boot your computer. This list is often requested by knowledgeable experts at support forums (fora?) such as SpywareInfo, Tek-Tips Forums, JLR Forum.Net, or many of the sites listed as Windows Support Sites at the Windows Support Center site (not Microsoft, Inc.).

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 10:03 PM

Kat - and the couple of others with the homepage reset thing:

There is a fairly well known virus that does this, and a complete cleanout usually means using Regedit to get offending lines out of your registry. I'd suggest checking your symptoms with your AV provider of choice for instructions. This may not be spyware.

On the subject in general:

I'm about as offended as anyone about invasions of my machinery, but quite a few of the things commonly called spyware are at least "semi-legitimate" business tools, used by a number of sites for what they consider to be legitimate business purposes. Properly used, they're annoying, but not much more than just the "price of doing business."

It is illegal, in the US, for anyone to place "monitoring" software on your machine without your permission - but, they can be extremely sneaky about getting you to say yes without realizing you've done so. Most instances of adclick, doubleclick, fastclick - and most other stuff that AdAware detects are, technically legal things you've agreed to let them use when you visit their sites. You have to deliberately go get their privacy policy and actually read all the fine print to know. You can fight with it all you want, but every time you re-visit a sight that subscribes to one of these services, you'll get a new cookie.

One of the reasonably good articles I've seen on the subject recently is at Spyware—It's lurking on your machine. (Ziff Davis PC Magazine)

If you click the "print" icon at the top of the first page, it will display the whole sequence of several related articles so that you don't have to step through. (It's about 10 pages, printed, but you don't have to print it). If you do print it, be reminded that you can usually set print options to print a table of links, in case you want to look at some of the links offline.

I'd strongly urge anyone concerned about this subject to read it.

One of the more insidious instances they cite is the use, by virtually all of the music download (MP3) sites, of imbedded spyware that cannot be removed without disabling the download program. If you have one of these programs on your machine, you are being tracked much more thoroughly, and personally, than anything you'll get from the traffic measurement cookies.

Most of the anti-spyware programs cited here, and in other similar threads, will do something, but most of them do very little to actually improve your privacy that cannot be accomplished by regular, intelligent, cleaning of your cookie bin. Some people, depending on surfing habits, may need more; but an reasoned understanding of what it is that you're fighting is a very important first step.

I'm seriously irritated by it all, but then I'm similarly irritated by the ... with the cell phone at the symphony concert.

Appropriate response isn't always very satisfying.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 09:31 PM

Oops. Thanks, Bruce, but sorry, I was so fired up about it, I meant that it only changes the homepage when I shut down the PC and reboot. But the content advisor thing does happen every time I close the browser.

The spyware we've got is some sort of adclick thing, too. I think I may have found a way to get rid of it through the above mentioned WinPatrol, though! Thanks, again, guys!

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: mack/misophist
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 09:26 PM

Using IE is not the world's best idea. There are others just as good. Using Outlook is a very bad idea.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 09:15 PM

Kat - My IE homepage has been hijacked too. Fortunately, it only resets if I turn the computer off, not just the browser. So my preferred homepage is up most of the time. The hijacker is some sorta pay-per-click search engine but I forget the exact name. Anyway, the bastards actually have an FAQ that gives you instructions for what to do if you don't want their page to be your homepage and the regular "Set Homepage" procedure doesn't work. Yeah! Right! I'm gonna follow the instructions that the assholes that put the thing there in the first place provide to remove it. And then I'm gonna click on a couple of spammers "Click here to be removed from our mailing list" buttons. For the increasingly rare times that I use IE, I'll live with it.

Bruce

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 08:15 PM

We recently had a nasty invasion of spyware on our computer. We still have some files that we know are spyware files that we can't get rid of but they can no longer be executed.

We hired a consultant to clean up our machine and he installed Ad- Aware, Pest Patrol, Zone Alarm and the Google Tool Bar with popup blocker. We already had Norton Antivirus. We run Norton Disk Scan, Ad-Aware and Pest Patrol everytime we backup the hard drive which is about once a week.

For what it's worth, things have been fine for about two months since we've been using this software.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 05:05 PM

I found winpatrol a pain. I couldn't figure out how to stop it barking at things I wanted!

Also a freeware/shareware mag over here in teh UK has just tested AVG adn found it not as good at detecting viri (I know it's wrong but I like it) as the main paid for progs.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 04:41 PM

spybot works great BUT not if you don't know what it is safe to have it eliminate or not! I got long lists of registry keys and other stuff; had not idea and didn't want to do a process of elmination. I finally uninstalled it and rely on AdAware.

However, I have a nasty bit of spyware still on which resets my homepage every time I close my browser. Also, NOW, when I close my browser, the next time i open it, my content advisor is enables and I cannot disable it without resetting all of its settings. Used to be I could just hit Disable and it would do so. This happened after Rog took my harddrive in to work and they tried a couple of tricks to get the spyware off.AAAArrrggghhhh!

Will now go check out WinPatrol.Thanks, W.E. and guys!

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 04:08 PM

WinPatrol 'watches' to see if anything is added to your registry or startup list. (and barks at you to warn you! *grin*)It is useful even when adding a program you want, but don't want to start automatically.

I do NOT use the paid version, and still find it helpful..

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bassic
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 03:56 PM

Took Marks recomendation re-spybot several months ago and it is doing a fantastic job and does it quickly, eficiently and without interfearing with anything else. All for free. Same goes with AVG for anti virus. Makes Norton seem like an interfearing busy boddy that just loves to throw spanners in the works!! What does WinPatrol do Mark that the others dont do? If it is necessary then I will go for it based on your previous recomendations. Is the $20 version essential?

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 03:17 PM

those suggestions are right on! read more here (This is the most recent list of free programs voted best in their class by the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup)

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Justa Picker
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 02:25 PM

Sorry about the link.
Try this and download the free ware version.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Mark Clark
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 02:23 PM

Spybot Search & Destroy is unexcelled in this area. Also get and use WinPatrol and pay the $20 for the Plus version, it's well worth it.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Justa Picker
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 02:23 PM

Ad-Aware is a good one.

Subject: Tech: Spyware eliminating programs
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 02:07 PM

Any advice? Sorry this is 'above the line' but it is technical in nature. I've just downloaded Norton Anti-Virus and I'm now wondering about anti-spyware programs. Spysweep has been advised. Any other suggestions?



W.E.