Spyware
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
Frank I remeber visiting Gibson Research Corporation and seeing a link to a program that searched your computer for spyware and reported it. Just visited it and can't see anything about it any more. He does have a program Shields UP that checks your computers vulnerability to hackers accessing open ports that may be of interest to you. Sorry I can't be of more help. Michael Martin Pegasystems Pty Ltd Australia martm@pegasystems.com +61 413-004-018
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
ZoneAlarm (blocks outgoing unless you allow it, some incoming) and BlackIce (blocks incoming). Get a hardware firewall - DLink has one that does both DSL/Cable and modem (dialup) - which is better than BlackIce IHMO. If you do find spyware running, email the vendor and get in their face about it.
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
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Also known as 'Addware', its an alternative to shareware. Thought the software is 'free' you have to put up with adds been displayed in it (usually in one of the toolbars). The bonus of this is you get a full version sofware package for free. Its called Spyware because is sends stats back to its owner/developer on various things about your system. This is usually includes your browsing habits and/or how you computer is equiped (thought it very well could be allot worse, I have never realy looked in on what one was doing, so I cant say for sure). Have a good one, -Ben "Its funny when you stop doing things because they’re wrong, but because you might get caught." - Unknown
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
Go get AdAware: http://www.lavasoft.de/aaw/index.html Also, here is a list of known spyware out there: http://www.infoforce.qc.ca/spyware/enknownlistfrm.html Moderator at www.helpfromtechs.com
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
There are many ways you can be spied on. The most insidious are the programs that mysteriously appear in your box, but there are other things as well. You know about cookies. What you may not know about is the technique of placing page elements that are downloaded from tracking network servers. Bam, they've got a unique page identifier and your IP address (for that session). By correlating this, they can track your browsing, to a degree. Without cookies. With cookies, it's much better for them. A good cookie-killer is IDCide Privacy Companion. I'll post later with links. TSADBOT.EXE, from Timesink, is one that is used by a lot of adware. It sets itself up to start on boot-up and runs with multiple threads ALL the time, whether or not you use the adware. It is installed EVEN IF YOU DECLINE TO ACCEPT THE TERMS OF YOUR ADWARE LICENSE AND CANCEL THE INSTALL. Of course, it hangs around while you get online so it can phone home. Aureate and Radiate are also offenders in this arena. Comet Cursor is serious spyware, and is typically installed at KIDS' WEBSITES. AdAware, mentioned in one of the posts above, is the best I've found for dealing with this stuff. Finally (and this will go over like a lead balloon here), Windows runs MDM.EXE (Machine Debug Manager) and RPCSS.EXE (Remote Procedure Call Service Subsystem) all the time on many systems, even though it is completely unnecessary on a home machine not doing DCOM. RPCSS is reputed to send and receive on various ports in the background, for no apparent reason. In my own case, I found it was typical for multiple instances of MDM.EXE to be loaded at any given time. RPCSS (backbone of DCOM) runs as a service when DCOM is enabled in the registry, essentially opening your computer wide to anyone with the know-how to exploit it. Together, these two consumed 20% of my system resources to deliver NOTHING, except the potential for an incredible amount of spying for two years. Thanks, MS. When I need to debug into a remote procedure call on my home computer, I'll sure be glad you've got 9 threads running and ready.
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
Some useful links: Info about TSADBOT. Counterexploitation, the home page for above link. Homepage for IDcide. It's free. It could be spyware, too, but it's not on the list. Yet. Anyway, it appears to do a fine job of confounding the tracking networks, and I prefer the one devil I don't know to the thousands I also don't know. It also gives you the ability to keep a database of all the servers that have been spying on you. Export it from the registry and put it into the hosts file in your Windows directory with your local host as the IP address, like so: 127.0.0.1 www.stinkingadserver.com Fools your browser into looking on your machine for the bugged graphics and ads. Don't believe that this info is worth all of the money being spent to collect it if it is only used for the stated purposes. I think many of these companies are cheesy fronts for government agencies with three letter acronyms.:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
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I was aware of spyware before, but now, suddenly, I am a little concern. What can I do about it. Any software that can protect me from that? Frank
Read this exchange on a message board about RPCSS before you declare me paranoid. I challenge anyone to come up with a good reason why DCOM is enabled by default on practically every machine sold, and a legitimate reason for these two programs to be running ALL the time, no matter what I'm doing. MS may or may not be collecting a database of pirates, but I don't think that is the purpose. I think it's a lot worse than that. Big Brother is not in your living room, he's in your home office.