great article about spyware and adware and the business behind it

[Silver_2000]

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_29/b3993001.htm

[Tex Arcana]

And you people think I'm nuts when I rant about crap like this?? Or when I call Windows nothing more than a "virus" or "spyware" itself, especially with the new WGA garbage that's going around?

I'm planning on migrating to Linux very soon. I won't touch Vista with a ten-foot pole, nor will I ever use any version of IE without some sort of sandbox. Hell, I had to run it last week to get a copy of my transcript, and I it tried to install at least 10 unwanted things when it fired up, and those were identified by Spybot:S&D as spyware. :hammer:

As much as spam, spyware, and botnets (to enable spam, of course) are threats, so is the operating system that enables them a threat.

[Silver_2000]

And you people think I'm nuts when I rant about crap like this?? Or when I call Windows nothing more than a "virus" or "spyware" itself, especially with the new WGA garbage that's going around?

I'm planning on migrating to Linux very soon. I won't touch Vista with a ten-foot pole, nor will I ever use any version of IE without some sort of sandbox. Hell, I had to run it last week to get a copy of my transcript, and I it tried to install at least 10 unwanted things when it fired up, and those were identified by Spybot:S&D as spyware. :hammer:

As much as spam, spyware, and botnets (to enable spam, of course) are threats, so is the operating system that enables them a threat.

Give me a break
if spybot detected 10 things when you fired up IE your PC is already infected - its not like IE is a blackhole searching for bad things and sucking them in on its own. You need to stop hacking your hosts file and stay away from the porn sites and free downloads

Reminds me of the warnings that unprotected windows on the internet will be infected in 10 min... :nono: :Bullshit

[Tex Arcana]

Give me a break
if spybot detected 10 things when you fired up IE your PC is already infected - its not like IE is a blackhole searching for bad things and sucking them in on its own. You need to stop hacking your hosts file and stay away from the porn sites and free downloads
1) I don't hack my hosts file;
2) I don't do porn sites;
3) I don't do free downloads unless from trusted sites.

They were all browser helper objects, and I had done a recent scan before I did that, whcih came back clean; so chances are I picked them up in a flyby of some sort, hell if I know where.

[Silver_2000]

1) I don't hack my hosts file;
2) I don't do porn sites;
3) I don't do free downloads unless from trusted sites.

They were all browser helper objects, and I had done a recent scan before I did that, whcih came back clean; so chances are I picked them up in a flyby of some sort, hell if I know where.

So explain to me why you back your hosts file up if you arent making changes to it. And explain to me why you couldnt get to Talon but could get to SVTLightnings.com which are on the same server.. :rolleyes:

Im to believe that there are browser helper objects just sitting in wait amongst the IPs ? Please stop the madness.. If your PC is allowing ANYTHING to get to it that wasnt requested then you have MUCH bigger issues

[Tex Arcana]

So explain to me why you back your hosts file up if you arent making changes to it. And explain to me why you couldnt get to Talon but could get to SVTLightnings.com which are on the same server.. :rolleyes:

Im to believe that there are browser helper objects just sitting in wait amongst the IPs ? Please stop the madness.. If your PC is allowing ANYTHING to get to it that wasnt requested then you have MUCH bigger issues
I run Spywareblaster, which, as part of its protections, backs up the hosts file against hacking/intrusions (YES, there are virii and spywares that will modify the hosts file to do whatever they want it do, hell if I know what). And my friend and I determined that the problem was what you said the other day: that my provider's DNS was borked.

"Madness"?? When YOU post a link to an article that confirms what I've been crowing about for nigh on 10 years now?? If you believe that IE can't pick up an infection by merely visiting a website, you are seriously deluded: hell, I watched AntiVir blocking trojans being delivered via Juno's dialer window (IE based) thru the damn ad images!! And that's been a known exdploit for at least 3 years now.

The real problem is people like you who assume Windows and Internet Explorer are secure, when they are riddled full of holes big enough to drive the Titanic thru. :nono:

[Silver_2000]

I run Spywareblaster, which, as part of its protections, backs up the hosts file against hacking/intrusions (YES, there are virii and spywares that will modify the hosts file to do whatever they want it do, hell if I know what). And my friend and I determined that the problem was what you said the other day: that my provider's DNS was borked.

"Madness"?? When YOU post a link to an article that confirms what I've been crowing about for nigh on 10 years now?? If you believe that IE can't pick up an infection by merely visiting a website, you are seriously deluded: hell, I watched AntiVir blocking trojans being delivered via Juno's dialer window (IE based) thru the damn ad images!! And that's been a known exdploit for at least 3 years now.

The real problem is people like you who assume Windows and Internet Explorer are secure, when they are riddled full of holes big enough to drive the Titanic thru. :nono:

Never said they were secure. Ive been supporting PCs for 15 years and have NEVER seen a passive infection that wasnt on a LAN.

If YOUR IE picked up browser helper objects on connect they are from an INFECTION on YOUR PC. It detects an IE connection and actively goes and GETS the files. You likley attempted to clean previous infections but didnt get it all

It also could be related to usig CHEAP ass Juno dial up... It used to be ad supported.. If you are tied to dail up I would upgrade to a decent provider like earthlink and perhaps get adial up router to protect your PC. With the use of NAT nothing can get to your PC unless your PC initiates the connection

Ill bet $100 that your PC is actively going and getting the infections.

EDIT try this
http://www.kataan.org/techref/rg1000.html

Edit 2
PS - did you notice the link to Firefox at the bottom of the page ? Its there for 2 reasons - Revenue and its a GOOD idea

[Tex Arcana]

Never said they were secure. Ive been supporting PCs for 15 years and have NEVER seen a passive infection that wasnt on a LAN.

If YOUR IE picked up browser helper objects on connect they are from an INFECTION on YOUR PC. It detects an IE connection and actively goes and GETS the files. You likley attempted to clean previous infections but didnt get it all

It also could be related to usig CHEAP ass Juno dial up... It used to be ad supported.. If you are tied to dail up I would upgrade to a decent provider like earthlink and perhaps get adial up router to protect your PC. With the use of NAT nothing can get to your PC unless your PC initiates the connection

Ill bet $100 that your PC is actively going and getting the infections.

EDIT try this
http://www.kataan.org/techref/rg1000.html
I've seen selftransporting worms and trojans propagate thru dialup networks, remember Blaster?? That nailed networks and dialup netowrks. My home network was nice and clean because I was careful, both because I was behind a hardware firewall (Smoothwall FTMFW), and because all my machines were protected (AntiVir, Spybot, Spywareguard and blaster, Stinger).

BTW, that Juno crap, that wasn't me; it was a friend who's totally ignorant of the threats. I educated him with that, tho. My dialup was SBC, and I didn't use their damn software (which, funny thing, carried a virus on the CD they provide you, my younger son got nailed when he got his).

That gateway, I wanted one last year, and me and my friend were supposed to creat one, because you can't find 'em for less than a couple hundred bucks, if you can find any at all.

[Silver_2000]

here is one with a $50 buy it now
http://cgi.ebay.com/Proxim-ORiNOCO-Wireless-Start-up-RG1000-w-PC-Card-US-JP_W0QQitemZ9728310760QQihZ008QQcategoryZ58327QQss PageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just email the seller to be sure it still has rj11 since thats not specifically listed

[Tex Arcana]

here is one with a $50 buy it now
http://cgi.ebay.com/Proxim-ORiNOCO-Wireless-Start-up-RG1000-w-PC-Card-US-JP_W0QQitemZ9728310760QQihZ008QQcategoryZ58327QQss PageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just email the seller to be sure it still has rj11 since thats not specifically listed
Gah, you haven't paid much attention lately, have you?? I HAVE BROADBAND NOW. I don't need a dialup firewall/gateway anymore.