Spyware/Adware

[wishfulthinking]

I never had a problem with these until I went wireless broadband. Now I run the scan every 10 minutes and I pick up plug-ins and the lot.

Where do they come from? Are they scripts in websites or something?

Nothing worse then reading a story on lit and my spyware program jumps up about 3 times telling me I have programs trying to download.

Getting paranoid.

[Edited to avoid more confusion than normal]

 

[TheEarl]

Broadband doesn't just mean you can get websites quicker, it means that everyone else can get into your computer at a higher speed too.

I'd recommend a good firewall/antivirus combo (either Panda or Norton really, you do get what you pay for, so I wouldn't recommend a free one) and regular use of the free programs 'Spybot: Search and Destroy' and Adaware.

The Earl

 

[wishfulthinking]

I find Norton doesn't pick up adware or spyware because it doesn't consider it a virus, and when I scan a file with it, nada.

I've never heard of Panda.

 

[TheEarl]

Norton won't pick up Spyware, but it'll pick up a lot of other nasties. Spybot: S&D and Adaware (just Google for them) are free programs which get rid of any and all spyware for you and keep most of it from returning.

The Earl

 

[Alex De Kok]

I'd endorse TheEarl's suggestions, but add that firewall too! Zone Alarm is free (and good) or Zone Alarm Pro for a fee (www.zonelabs.com). In anti-virus, Norton, yes, but AVG is good, with regular updates, and free.

Alex

 

[TheEarl]

Alex: Free firewall and antivirus are better than nothing, but not as good as the paid stuff. There is a pay version of AVG which costs £30 and it is infinitely superior to the free one.

Basically, all the companies will spend lots of time making their firewall tip-top, because they expect you to pay for them. The free ones will not have the same quality, because you are not paying for the quality.

The Earl

 

[herecomestherain]

wishful, what browser are you using, IE?

 

[Guest]

dunno if you are aware of it but if you are using Microsoft stuff...
there is a new beta version of spyware. www.microsoft.com/spyware
normally i would scoff but i tried it and was plesantly surprised.
also, if you want to cut down on getting crap on your puter, you might want to try mozilla browser...its free and not as suseptible to spyware.

 

[NoJo]

dunno if you are aware of it but if you are using Microsoft stuff...
there is a new beta version of spyware. www.microsoft.com/spyware
normally i would scoff but i tried it and was plesantly surprised.
also, if you want to cut down on getting crap on your puter, you might want to try mozilla browser...its free and not as suseptible to spyware.

Thanks for the link, Vella-geek.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Alex: Free firewall and antivirus are better than nothing, but not as good as the paid stuff. There is a pay version of AVG which costs £30 and it is infinitely superior to the free one.

Basically, all the companies will spend lots of time making their firewall tip-top, because they expect you to pay for them. The free ones will not have the same quality, because you are not paying for the quality.

The Earl

A good point! I use Norton and Zone Alarm Pro (the pay-for one!) I also run Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D , and my broadband router has a hardware firewall, too. Paranoid? Me? Yes!

Alex

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the link, Vella-geek.

mmmmmm
i just got full body tingles.

 

[TxRad]

A lot of the major Virus/spyware/malware companies are putting out free home use versions of their commercial software to cut down on the spread of this stuff. The free versions are the same as the commecail version except for the bells and whistles for the most part. Some take manual updating instead of automatic.... '

If you want and can afford the commercial stuff by all means get it... If you can't afford it.. at least use the freeware.. for your own saftey as well as helping to put and end to some of this crap....

BTW Spyware has an imunize section.... use it after each time you do an update... it blocks known bad sites at the root . IE

Firefox and Mozillia 1.7.5 are another good way to stop or at least slow this stuff down.... Firefox is a standalone browser where 1.7.5 is a suite very simalar to Netscape but without AOL and the commercials.....

 

[Colleen Thomas]

One note on spybot, it has an immunize function that automatically blocks a lot of spyware, this may be of help since it dosen't warn or ask,it just blocks them quietly.

 

[pop_54]

One note on spybot, it has an immunize function that automatically blocks a lot of spyware, this may be of help since it dosen't warn or ask,it just blocks them quietly.

Spybot's good because it immunises not removes ad progs and spyware, if you remove them they keep coming back cos the master spy is watching your PC to see what you need in the way of spyware. If you immunize them and leave the core prog on your HD but make them impotent the master spy thinks you don't need a new version even though the old one is useless.

As for browsers, AOL and IE are just huge chunks of spyware anyway, AOL love to watch what you're doing and load you with ad ware, so too does Bill Gates, but his purposes are a little more sinister. Any of the stand-alone browser models that don't require IE or Explorer as a base are fine, some better than others, but they all do a little bit of spying on you, however they usually ask you if they can so read their terms closely. I use Firefox and Avant, I have actually ripped IE out of the PC completely with a lovely little prog that gets rid of all of it, the only trace left is the Iexplore core so I have a desktop, Crashes due to Explorer are a thing of the past here.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Spybot's good because it immunises not removes ad progs and spyware, if you remove them they keep coming back cos the master spy is watching your PC to see what you need in the way of spyware. If you immunize them and leave the core prog on your HD but make them impotent the master spy thinks you don't need a new version even though the old one is useless.

As for browsers, AOL and IE are just huge chunks of spyware anyway, AOL love to watch what you're doing and load you with ad ware, so too does Bill Gates, but his purposes are a little more sinister. Any of the stand-alone browser models that don't require IE or Explorer as a base are fine, some better than others, but they all do a little bit of spying on you, however they usually ask you if they can so read their terms closely. I use Firefox and Avant, I have actually ripped IE out of the PC completely with a lovely little prog that gets rid of all of it, the only trace left is the Iexplore core so I have a desktop, Crashes due to Explorer are a thing of the past here.

I have been usin the Mozilla firefox 1.7.5 and its stops likw 75% of that stuff from gettin to me. Important ------ leave the IE sittin there, it don't bother nuthin, and I have to use it for bankin and cedit card sites and stuff.

A good combination for bugs is clear cache, run Adaware, run Hijack This, check your task pane for runnin programs and your start-uo programs often.

With IE I couldn't run my firewall full blast, with Mozilla Firefox I can and its still fast.

 

[TxRad]

You also have to have IE to run windows update..... on XP 2000 & Me

 

[pop_54]

You also have to have IE to run windows update..... on XP 2000 & Me

I don't do the modern stuff, I'm an old guy still sticking with 98Se and Bill's all but abandoned me now for updates. I must be really honest as well, we use Mandrake 9 as much as Windows I got a dual boot system over two hard drives, Linux and 98Se.

 

[wishfulthinking]

I've got the microsoft beta program, and it seems to be working great.

I have IE BTW

By immunise do you mean quarintine? And I leave it on my computer so it doesn't keep downloading? That may be my problem, I keep deleting the bastards.

I'm going to check out the mozzila and zonelab stuff!!

 

[TxRad]

I've got the microsoft beta program, and it seems to be working great.

I have IE BTW

By immunise do you mean quarintine? And I leave it on my computer so it doesn't keep downloading? That may be my problem, I keep deleting the bastards.

I'm going to check out the mozzila and zonelab stuff!!

Spybot takes the program off but leaves the tag in IE... making the master Spy Program think that the malware/spyware is still there... Imunize as in vacinate...

If you're using the firewall that came with XP... excuse me, but you ain't got one... A sieve would offer more protection..... The one in SP2 is a little better but not much... Neither gives you any options on controling the firewall....

 

[TxRad]

I don't do the modern stuff, I'm an old guy still sticking with 98Se and Bill's all but abandoned me now for updates. I must be really honest as well, we use Mandrake 9 as much as Windows I got a dual boot system over two hard drives, Linux and 98Se.

Ah, i knew there was something I liked about you Pop... you're a belt and suspenders kind of guy.... 98 se for games and Linux for everything else....

Dual boot... the only way to fly......