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AdWare Warning
dustoff45

Posted on 11/16/2004 10:04:11 AM PST by Dustoff45

Do Not open the Worst Christmas Present ever. You will begin to receive, via IE, some of the worse adware I have ever seen, very intrusive. - Looks like Browser hijacking stuff.

If you have already gone there, look for a little puppy dog down by your clock time, and know that you are badly affected.

Time for SpyBot and other adware removers.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Humor
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1 posted on 11/16/2004 10:04:11 AM PST by Dustoff45
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To: Dustoff45

I didn't get it from therer but you aren't kidding. That stuff was horrible. I ended up with something like 6 separate seachbars. It inserted a bunch of things into my favorites and force fed me popups all day long.


2 posted on 11/16/2004 10:11:57 AM PST by cripplecreek (I come swinging the olive branch of peace.)
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To: Dustoff45
Solves all those nasty problems.
3 posted on 11/16/2004 10:15:05 AM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: Dustoff45

I got something similiar a few months ago and moved to Firefox.`


4 posted on 11/16/2004 10:15:18 AM PST by smith288 (I have posted over 10,000 times. The more I post, the more intelligent you become!)
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To: ShadowAce

Ok, Linux isn't the solution to all of life's woes. Educating users is. If he doesn't know to disable things like Java, ActiveX scripting, etc., then he wouldn't know about turning off unnecessary services like ssh that RH/FC install and turn on by default. Window's can be safe as long as you take the proper precautions, and Linux can be just as unsafe if used by an inexperience user.


5 posted on 11/16/2004 10:22:24 AM PST by Ex-Dem (AFL-CIO - Where organized labor becomes organized crime.)
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: smith288
I got something similiar a few months ago and moved to Firefox.`

I switched to Firefox recently and wasn't effected when I opened that Christmas stories crap.

Firefox is a great little browser.

7 posted on 11/16/2004 10:24:58 AM PST by cowboyway (My Hero's have always been cowboys.)
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To: Ex-Dem

While that is correct, Linux does not allow adware at this time. The issues you discussed related to security, as opposed to privacy.


8 posted on 11/16/2004 10:34:47 AM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: ShadowAce

Ok, so you'd have him trade in his security for privacy. I'm talking the big picture here. No adware, in exchange for someone taking control of your machine by bruteforcing your sshd. Not much of an improvement...


9 posted on 11/16/2004 10:39:21 AM PST by Ex-Dem (AFL-CIO - Where organized labor becomes organized crime.)
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To: DaveLoneRanger; cripplecreek

Check out: "Spybot": http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html

They seem to have stopped supporting / updating the old version, but have a new updated (still freeware) build of Spybot you can download.

Some 'Puter Geek I talked to some time ago reccomended running both Ad Aware http://www.lavasoft.de/ and SpyBot, as one picks up what the other is apt to miss... generally.

Seems to work for me.

Spybot is a little more complicated; read the tutorial before running it, or you can delete some "good" stuff along with the "bad" adware.

Does this "Christmas" file come as an attachment in E-Mail, a popup on a browser window, or what? Does it have a file extension like *.exe ?

I run Netscape, so don't know if I'm vunerable or not.
Have sent out an e-mail "heads up" to some of my contacts to alert them to it.

Please keep us posted!

UJ


10 posted on 11/16/2004 10:58:54 AM PST by Uncle Jaque (Vigilance!)
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To: Uncle Jaque

I just visited the website (humor), linked in the post.

Then noticed a bunch of activity, opened up the processes and found several executables driving the CPU toward 100%

Using both Spybot and Adaware to remove well over 200 entries.

This PC was clean this morning.

I foolishly had opened IE to visit FreeRepublic. I am back to FireFox by Mozilla.


11 posted on 11/16/2004 11:13:26 AM PST by Dustoff45 (Voting for SpellCheck online for Freepers)
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To: nw_arizona_granny

Spybot link.


12 posted on 11/16/2004 11:41:22 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (On this day your Prayers are needed!!!!!!!)
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To: Dustoff45

I keep IE on board ONLY because of the occasional website that requires it specifically - and then only on rare occasions.

Have MS mail too, but avoid it like the plague.

Currently can only send E-mail via my Netscape account; can recieve on that or my ISP "Roadrunner" Cable connection, but RR won't accept any of my SMTP for some reason;
Been hours on the phone with TS and going over all the settings, firewall etc.. - can't seem to find the problem.

I used to like EUDORA, which we are told is essentially virus proof - but I cant get it to send or pick up any e-mail for some time now.

Tried Thunderbird (Mozilla) - no go with that either.

Netscape Communicator is pretty schitzie, but at least it sort of works most of the time.

At least RR provides a pretty decent FW/AV at the ISP level, which keeps attacks to a minimum - and so far our resident redundant security system has kept us pretty well covered.

The buggers keep coming up with new malware all the time, though, dang 'em.


13 posted on 11/16/2004 12:11:25 PM PST by Uncle Jaque (Vigilance!)
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To: nw_arizona_granny

Link to Spybot 1.3

http://beam.to/spybotsd


14 posted on 11/16/2004 12:14:20 PM PST by Dustoff45 (Voting for SpellCheck online for Freepers)
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To: Dustoff45

Thank you.

(smile)


15 posted on 11/16/2004 1:07:52 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (On this day your Prayers are needed!!!!!!!)
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To: Dustoff45

Thank you for warning me. I hate spyware.


16 posted on 11/16/2004 2:12:14 PM PST by Ptarmigan (Proud rabbit hater and killer)
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To: Ex-Dem
You are right, Linux isn't the solution to all life's woes but Apple OS X is :D (just kidding). However you fail to take into consideration that a lot of people are not computer savvy and the bastards who write the spyware are counting exactly on such people. Your statement that "Linux can be just as unsafe if used by an inexperienced user" is completely flawed, clearly you never used Linux or Apple's OS X.
17 posted on 11/16/2004 9:19:41 PM PST by Quinotto
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To: Quinotto

Actually, I'm a computer scientist and I do use Linux on a daily basis. Just about every week, I see attempts by script kiddies using ssh bruteforcing program in my logs. You just made my point by saying that most people aren't computer savvy. As I pointed out above, someone who isn't savvy enough to protect themselves against spyware in Windows probably wouldn't know to secure services on a Linux box and choose a proper, secure password to prevent against someone completely taking over their machine.


18 posted on 11/16/2004 9:30:11 PM PST by Ex-Dem (AFL-CIO - Where organized labor becomes organized crime.)
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To: potlatch; ntnychik

Adware warning


19 posted on 11/16/2004 10:39:25 PM PST by ntnychik (Proud member of the Bush-wazee)
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To: Dustoff45; ntnychik

I have Spybot search and destroy and AdAware SE and I haven't had any problems.

Haven't seen any little puppy dog except my own, LOL.


20 posted on 11/16/2004 10:45:40 PM PST by potlatch (Under Construction.......)
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