Spyware - Adware - Virii

[M@]

I think it's high time for some witch burning. I just spent an agonizing 2 hours trying to clean the spyware and adware off my laptop. Reboots - haveing to use a 2nd computer to download patches/fixes - tricksy reinstalltion of the stuff after I reboot...

My sister (the doctor) had similar problems on her computers last week, and she called me 3 times today while she was trying to help her cleaning lady get her computer back up and running.

So - the bottom line is "How much collective time has this problem cost the world?" And that should translate into the sentance for those responsible. I asked my sister to get a script for some drugs which will prolong the pain inflicting plan I am constructing.

The major frustartion is that I'm a software developer and I know what I'm doing when it comes to computers, and this crap STILL costs me HOURS of downtime. This has really, *REALLY* come to a head - and I'm worried that bad things are going to happen.

One of the little *******s is popping up ads for american express with an "Apply Now" link... which I assume they get a few bucks every time someone applies... so American Express must be able to track these slimeballs.

Any advice on what to do once I catch them?

M@

[elwood]

Any advice on what to do once I catch them?

M@


Well I for one spend at least one hour per week cleaning up spyware/adware somewhere. I would love for you to cut the nutz off of one of those guys.

M@, are you using Ad-Aware or Spybot?

[pepperdawg]

Same here - very frustrating.....I use spybot which seems to work pretty decent, although I havent seen a recent update posted from them since early april...

[el-bagr]

Very curious indeed! Just yesterday I spent 3 hours burning off malware. It took CWSshredder, Adaware, and Spybot, plus registry hand-deleting to do it. I had all sorts of things I hadn't noticed, but yesterday morning I started getting google result-hijacking to 2020search, comsearch.net, and defenders.veloz.com -- those three sites were always search results 2 through 4.

Nasty stuff.

[el-bagr]

Just caught this article (http://www.pressherald.com/news/local/040518bean.shtml) on LLBean's lawsuit against vendors whose ads pop up due to spy/adware. I'm rooting for Leonwood, but I feel their prospect for success may be dubious.

[kfarrar]

Virus and malware have cost me in excess of over 40 + plus hours in just the last two months. Last night i spent 4 hours working on my pc. It down right pisses me off because I don't have that much time. Then to spend what little time I do working on my pc. It makes me friggen want to scream.

[M@]

The whole thing makes me want to toss all the computers into a bonfire and live of the land in the mountains somewhere. But then I realize how easy disposable diapers make things and I reboot the machine one more time.

M@

[elwood]

M@,

You'll never have another piece of adware again if you quit surfing the internet...

HA!

[Skilasnow]

Go Mac!!! I have none of the problems about which you are discussing :D

[elwood]

Go Mac!!! I have none of the problems about which you are discussing :D


You don't have any of those problems is because the only people using macs are Graphic Designers and Video Editors... Since that is such a small percentage of the computing world, nobody cares about them.

If you think there are no security holes in macs, think again. My buddy is a hacker and would be able to exploit your system any way he wanted. Believe me.

[M@]

If you think there are no security holes in macs, think again. My buddy is a hacker and would be able to exploit your system any way he wanted. Believe me.

And for example, ran across this news story today:
'Extremely Critical' Security Hole Found In Mac OS X (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=74&e=7&u=/cmp/20600174)

So the problem is universal. If you are a hacker/virus writer you usually try to attack the biggest audience, which is why Windows folks are more at risk.

M@

[DMC]

I used to hack peoples(mostly friends) PCs as a goof...
At AT&T if someone left their PC on I'd install Netbus...
Which was a cool trojan that had a nice front end to it... One of the things yo could do was open and close peoples CD tray remotely...
It would drive peole insane!!!!

I let Elwood drive my PC the other day remotely... It was wierd... We were chatting in notepad...

[elwood]

I let Elwood drive my PC the other day remotely... It was wierd... We were chatting in notepad...


It is very bizarre when someone takes control of your PC remotely before your eyes... "Where is my mouse going?!? :eek: "

[Skilasnow]

You don't have any of those problems is because the only people using macs are Graphic Designers and Video Editors... Since that is such a small percentage of the computing world, nobody cares about them.

If you think there are no security holes in macs, think again. My buddy is a hacker and would be able to exploit your system any way he wanted. Believe me.

I am by know means beleving that my mac has no holes, but until, as M@ said, we are the larger audience, I have little fear of the hacker-at-large :D

[elwood]

I am by know means beleving that my mac has no holes, but until, as M@ said, we are the larger audience, I have little fear of the hacker-at-large :D


That kind of talked will get you hacked skilashacker! What's your IP address? :p

[DMC]

OS-X is suffering from a bad hack oppurtunity right now...
Apple was told a few months ago and hasnt done anything about it yet...

[elwood]

Everybody has security flaws...just seems MS gets all the bad press. Even open-source people aren't completely safe...
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5216353.html

[M@]

Got my systems clean of the adware. Not really sure what I was infected with - but it took 3 seperate programs to get rid of it.

Here's what I used:
Ad-aware 6.0 (http://lavasoft.element5.com/software/adaware/)
SpyBot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/)
HiJackThis (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/index.html)

I can't recommend the best order to run them in... probably ad-aware, then spybot then hijackthis. I think that's the final order where I finally had all 3 tell me I was clean.

My system runs a lot faster... a lot less accessing the hard drive when I'm not doing anything... that sorta thing.

I still wanna find these ****ers and string them up though. Multply my headaches times a million and that's what they need to expierence.

M@

[el-bagr]

Burn them!

I've always been a Spybot kind of guy, but Ad-aware has worked better for me in the last month. Slicker interface too.

[Justin]

Go Mac!!! I have none of the problems about which you are discussing :D

I'm with ya... it' funny when spyware ~does~ d/l on to my machine. since OS X doesn't know it...I just through it out.

Graphic designers, video editors, and music editors...well anybody working in the 'art' world use Mac's. Small percentage for sure. Fine by me... It makes my computer up keep much easier. OS X is GREAT. I've had my G4 laptop for 8months and it hasn't crashed yet (eat your heart out Bill Gates). haveing Linux under the hood is no doubt the source of stability but also the source of the security problem you speak of.

It's Ironic first time computer users almost always go the windows route...Macs are much more User friendly

of course this is my 0.02$ :cooldog:

[DMC]

Doenst OSX have big security hole?
and didnt they just try and fix it and made it worse??

I gotta find the article...

[el-bagr]

OSX security hole (http://www.schlossnagle.org/~george/blog/archives/259_Terrifying_OSX_Security_Hole.html)

[elwood]

OS X is GREAT. I've had my G4 laptop for 8months and it hasn't crashed yet (eat your heart out Bill Gates).


I have had an XP pro machine at home running since the week XP Pro came out. What was that 2 years ago? I have yet to see that machine go down unexpectedly. Of course I am a Network Administrator, and completely anal about my machines...but Windows machines stopped crashing after 2000 came out. I have yet to see a reason why I should own a Mac. For crying out loud, didn't macs just start using TCP/IP in O/S 8?

:rolleyes:

[skicdave]

I have had an XP pro machine at home running since the week XP Pro came out. What was that 2 years ago? I have yet to see that machine go down unexpectedly.

Really? Elwood I think your mommy is rebooting it on you every night before she tucks you in! :eek:

I have yet to see a stable reliable PC running Bill Gate's ware.

<randarama>UNIX rules matties! I've seen many a production machine running for months, even a year without reboots and NO puzzling, unexplainable, mindbending errors, crashes or grinding to a halt for absolutely no reason. Oh and no need for 2GB of memory to run a few apps... or 3.4GHZ processors in order to enjoy fully a 3MB DSL</randarama>

:yardsale:

[DMC]

My Ford(UNIX, MAC) can beat your Chevy(Windows)...

I have no problems with XP either...
I may get a MAC for my next PC... But - I'm hopefully a long way from that purchase...

[Justin]

I have had an XP pro machine at home running since the week XP Pro came out. What was that 2 years ago? I have yet to see that machine go down unexpectedly. Of course I am a Network Administrator, and completely anal about my machines...but Windows machines stopped crashing after 2000 came out. I have yet to see a reason why I should own a Mac. For crying out loud, didn't macs just start using TCP/IP in O/S 8?

:rolleyes:

The problem with PC's ain't PC's, it's Windows. Bill Gates' bugy software is the source of many of your jobs....

<feeling out numbered>

Flame away boys.... :D

windows vs. osx is ~almost~ like politics on message boards :doh:

[elwood]

The problem with PC's ain't PC's, it's Windows. Bill Gates' bugy software is the source of many of your jobs....

<feeling out numbered>

Flame away boys.... :D

windows vs. osx is ~almost~ like politics on message boards :doh:


Absolutely incorrect. The problems with PC's ain't PC's and it ain't software either. IT IS USERS. USERS cause computer problems. If there were no USERS there would be no PROBLEMS. ;)

[DMC]

Your sooooo right...

[skicdave]

Absolutely incorrect. The problems with PC's ain't PC's and it ain't software either. IT IS USERS. USERS cause computer problems. If there were no USERS there would be no PROBLEMS. ;)

Well... I suppose you 'could' say USERS are a problem since puters work ok as long as USERS stay away from them. XP is generally fine booting up at least. If you leave it at that and don't touch it, you may be ok... remember... Look but don't touch!!

However my puter is useless unless I am using it... the major flaw in MS O/S's. Oh well, at least PC's are pretty reliable as far as keeping the room warm in the winter... :chicken:

[DMC]

wow.... This is wild...

I mean - I'm a PC developer as well as UNX and MVS... But mainly a SQL guy...
And I've never really developed a hatred of an operating system - except maybe Windows 3.1... I'm on most platforms at all times.... And Linux at night...

They all have strenghts and weaknesses...

The OS on my new cell phone is pretty cool... Only crashed once in two weeks...

[elwood]

They all have strenghts and weaknesses...


Exactly... Many people just think bashing Windows is the "in" thing to do.

Honestly, If Windows is installed the right way, you don't do anything stupid while using it, and are behind a hardware firewall, you should never have a problem with it. If you do, you shouldn't be using Windows anyway. Like I said 2 years and never crashed on XP...and I tax my system heavily with very graphics intensive online video games. I put Windows to the test much more than your average user.

[M@]

Emacs sucks. VI for ever.

M@

[DMC]

I developed an entire system using notepad when I worked for a "Dot Com"...
I even had a littel icon on the web page that said "Created with Notepad"

Everyone got a kick out of it...

Elwood - from my experience - most Windows Crashes are caused by Video Cards

[skicdave]

Emacs sucks. VI for ever.

M@

Yah mon! I still use VI for most editting. sed, awk, grep, wc, sort... can't live without em!

Like they says in NH...

Live free (Unix) or die (Windows)! :p

[elwood]

Elwood - from my experience - most Windows Crashes are caused by Video Cards


Many crashes are video related. You will never have this problem if you get yourself an 8x ATI 9800XP w/ 256MB DDR... Couple that with the 1.5GB system RAM I have, I can run anything.

[Justin]

Absolutely incorrect. The problems with PC's ain't PC's and it ain't software either. IT IS USERS. USERS cause computer problems. If there were no USERS there would be no PROBLEMS. ;)

different strokes for different folks... we all "think different". <shameless plug>

http://www.devdepot.com/description.html?pcode=AWFS

I admit, i'm partial... grew up in and around photo equipment. The dog at the studio where i work growls when you say "Bill Gates" :doh:

[DMC]

My first PC was an AppleII.... I used to play Lesuire Suit Larry on it... And type memos and stuff..

[Justin]

security continued... (http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Apple-Issues-Mac-OS-X-Security-Patch&story_id=24184&category=trends)

[NtrentT]

I use Adware and Adwatch, they work great.