Message To Spyware: Get Off Our Private Property

Tech News World ^ | Gene J. Koprowski

[j_tull]

By Gene J. Koprowski TechNewsWorld March 25, 2004

"We monitor these trends for our customers, and we've been telling them that this is something they need to worry about," Bruce Hughes, director of malicious code research at TruSecure's ICSA Labs, a Herndon, Virginia-based computer security consultancy, told TechNewsWorld. "The number of complaints is increasing."

Keystroke loggers and spyware developers may soon be silenced, as Congress is debating a bill that would outlaw the intrusive software and declare it akin to trespassing on private property.

"It's my computer. It's my private property," said Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana), during a public hearing in the U.S. Senate earlier this week, talking about his bill to ban spyware. "I bought it and paid for it for my use only. Not some leech."

Spyware is generated by a number of nefarious sources. Generally, purveyors of faux shareware, offered over the Internet, will include a spy program with their download as the undisclosed purchase price.

Other spyware spreads like a computer virus, secretly, through banners, pop-ups and other means that help install malware on a user's PC.

The installation often takes place instantly if the user's browser security features are left at the default setting. The software may monitor your keystrokes to see what Web pages you visit, he added. Or it may be even more pernicious, such as a Trojan that can link you to whatever Web site its programmers command.

The plague of spyware is getting so bad that it might rival spam if it does not abate soon. "We monitor these trends for our customers, and we've been telling them that this is something they need to worry about," Bruce Hughes, director of malicious code research at TruSecure's ICSA Labs, a Herndon, Virginia-based computer security consultancy, told TechNewsWorld. "The number of complaints is increasing."

Many Are Annoyed Sen. Burns isn't the only one burning up about the spyware problem. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) also are backing the Spyblock Act. Like so many pieces of legislation, the Spyblock acronym stands for an almost bizarre title -- Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge -- apparently written by young Capitol Hill lawyers with questionable literary talent.

The primary provision of the bill would prohibit spyware developers from installing their software on a PC without the owner's consent and also would mandate that deinstallation software be made easily available. Spyware and adware developers also would be forbidden to share any information gathered on individuals' PCs with other marketers without the consent of the user.

The goal of the legislation is to help the Internet continue to grow as a communications medium for home PC users.

Fear of Declining Computer Use "If people think they are being spied on, they are going to use that computer a lot less," said Senator Burns during the hearing. There is a risk, witnesses at the hearing testified, that such a broad-brush approach to prohibiting spyware could inhibit the growth of legitimate, contextual advertising agencies on the Net.

Witnesses at the hearing also raised the concern that, in the future, browser developers and other legitimate businesses might sell spyware and adware services to their customers as another revenue source, and, if prohibited from such activities by law, would see a major potential revenue stream dehydrated. Lastly, witnesses claimed a ban on spyware could harm the free e-mail business that relies on adverts for revenue.

But some were not persuaded. "Certain issues are no-brainers," Sen. Boxer said during the hearing. Spyware is "going to drive people away from their computers." Don't miss a story -- sign up for our FREE e-mail newsletters and view the latest headlines at a glance.

[j_tull]

A future regulation with a 0% chance of funded enforcement, why bother?

[sittnick]

Worse yet, even if you fund enforcement, you won't GET enforcement. What are the feds going to do about a remote server in Tuvalu, Bulgaria or Sealand?

Moreover, the spammers/malware providers are very good at burying consent deep into the EULA. The uninstallation may consist of a hard to follow program that messes up the registry and creates more problems than it solves.

[inquest]

Why does it need to be "declared" to be like trespassing on private property? Either it is trespassing or it isn't. If it is, then it's already illegal.

We don't need some new law for every conceivable situation.

[OpusatFR]

I had some spyware latch onto to my PC a month ago. It caused havoc with my programs and my kids had to work to get it off.

Now they have installed all sorts of spykillers, popup and cookie killers.

This is ridiculous. Why should some spyware that disables my PC not be classified as destruction of private property?

[j_tull]

Moreover, the spammers/malware providers are very good at burying consent deep into the EULA. The uninstallation may consist of a hard to follow program that messes up the registry and creates more problems than it solves.

Excellent point.

[Hardastarboard]

Spyware purveyors ought to get jail time AND genital mutilation as their penalties.

This next statement just kills me: akin to trespassing on private property. It IS private property. It's the same thing as Wal-Mart coming to your house and putting a sign up in your yard. I had one of these things on my machine that was eating about 40-50% of CPU, and nearly all my dial up bandwidth, so that it was virtually impossible to surf the internet. I found out who the company was that put it out there, and threatened them with a massive class action lawsuit. Never heard back from them, of course.

One more rant, and I'll stop. Isn't it dangerous and contradictory for Democrats to support private property rights? Isn't that the roadway to a counter-revolutionary bourgeous middle class? Ralph Nader wouldn't like that.

[DoctorMichael]

A 'summer student' last year downloaded a bunch of software (for god knows what reason) onto the 'community' computer that is in my office and that I'm responsible for. In less than 2 weeks the computer was completely non-usable - extremely slow, pop-ups galore, etc., etc. - and had to be sanitized. The first run-through of AdAware found over 600 spyware programs onboard.

Disgusting.

[MarkL]

Here's a question for the other techies out there...

I've got a client who is afraid that his system may have been compromised by a key-stroke logging program. While I haven't been out to visit his system, I'm wondering if this sort of thing would be found by something like Spybot S&D, or AdAware?

Is there any good security site that lists processes and files that might be found on a computer that's been hit by one of these programs?

Thanks,

Mark

[Kozak]

Keystroke loggers and spyware developers may soon be silenced, as Congress is debating a bill that would outlaw the intrusive software and declare it akin to trespassing on private property.

Except when that program has been placed their by your humble civil "servants".

[j_tull]

I use Pest Patrol, which does an initial scan for keyboard loggers at login.

[inquest]

Exactly. If government's allowed to do it, then everyone should be allowed to.

[Rifleman]

Some will be found some may not be. Get both Spybot and Ad-Aware, and update and run them weekly. Also, get an antivirus program, keep it up to date.

The vulnerability of MS products to malware is becoming an unmanagable problem for the industry. If Bill and Co don't fix their security problem in Longhorn MS will be a much smaller company in a few years.

[Abcdefg]

Try Zone Alarm. It will notify you of anything that trys to access the network.

[MarkL]

Try Zone Alarm. It will notify you of anything that trys to access the network.

Glad to see I wasn't the only one to think of this!

I told him to download it from Zonelabs, and I'm waiting to hear back from him on it.

Thanks!

Mark

[thoughtomator]

We need 2nd Amendment rights against hackers of all types... if they're stealing resources and information from your computer, you have the right to beat the living crap out of them and leave them buried alive in a New Jersey swamp.

[philo]

Kids downloaded some Malware the other day that redirected all my search engines to one search engine called BestSE. even my start page was directed to this. Ad-Aware and spyBot couldn't get it off.

Found a program called "Hi-jack This" http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html"

It lists all possible Malware and spyware on your computer and you check off the stuff you want to get rid of. Please use with somebody computer savvy. Checking the wrong stuff off may do more harm than good.

[Drammach]

Check this site: Dedicated to spyware blockers, and related programs..

http://www.webattack.com/main.html

Also, this one.. This is a registry protection proggie..

http://www.diamondcs.com.au/index.php?page=regprot

[Howlin]

Does Ad-Aware do that?

[reagan_fanatic]

I use a combination of SpyBot and a little program called CWShredder.

Both have kept my system clean of these nasty little programs.

[Archangelsk]

Jethro,

Go to http://www.lavasoftusa.com and download Ad Aware (it's free). Follow the installation instructions after downloading and run the program, all adware and spyware will be cleaned off.