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Top 10 "Most Unwanted" Spyware Named
TechWeb ^ | December 10, 2004 (2:48 PM EST) | Gregg Keizer,

Posted on 12/14/2004 6:22:01 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

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To: Xenalyte

Cool Web seems to involve a whole bunch of different sources and different bugs.

The particular problem I had was that one of my kids managed to infect MS Media Player. It LOOKED like media player, but something else had taken its place and disguised itself as Media Player. I had to delete it, clean up the Registry, and re-download Media Player from MS Update. But from the research I did at the time, there are dozens of different things various coolweb leeches can do to your computer, some no doubt worse than others.


41 posted on 12/14/2004 7:09:59 PM PST by Cicero (Nil illegitemus carborundum est)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I don't have Spam. I don't have Spyware. I don't get viruses. I don't get obnoxious or offensive email. I've run Norton once a week since I bought this computer and subscribed to Earthlink. That was in April. Norton has never found a thing. Zip. Zero. Nada. My internet service is clean as a whistle. Earthlink is a fabulous service.


42 posted on 12/14/2004 7:13:20 PM PST by GVnana (If I had a Buckhead moment would I know it?)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

BTTT


43 posted on 12/14/2004 7:16:12 PM PST by Fiddlstix (This Tagline for sale. (Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: Cicero
disguised itself as Media Player

Yep. And these b***ards are not without a perverted sense of humor:

Before I got the last AdAware update, I kept getting an XXX site-file downloaded, with a desktop icon and everything. The program could actually disable my AdAware program the first two runs....there was a "ts" on the task bar when it froze. Finally dawned on me that it was "Tough S**t"!!!

I'm being barraged. I have to run the AdAware before and after every connection. I have many bots mentioned above. And, when you eliminate them, they have back-up that attempt to re-install, apparently. Gotta run twice when you get 'em the first time. Grrrrrrr

44 posted on 12/14/2004 7:20:07 PM PST by dasboot
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To: dasboot

And these things are dismantling my features on IE. Mebbe that's why I posted twice?? Only hit the box once.


45 posted on 12/14/2004 7:22:35 PM PST by dasboot
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To: GVgirl

You don't have kids who get on the computer and install spyware every time you turn your back. But innoculating with Spybot, Spyware Blaster, and Spyware Guard have blocked most of it. When they go to reinstall Kazaa or the latest thing their friends have told them about, my computer won't let them do it.


46 posted on 12/14/2004 7:25:24 PM PST by Cicero (Nil illegitemus carborundum est)
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To: dasboot; GVgirl

So who is your ISP?


47 posted on 12/14/2004 7:26:26 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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Comment #48 Removed by Moderator

To: FreedomCalls

Cool Web search was listed in the report. That one has affected my sons computer and I have not been able to remove with Spyhunter and Adaware. It would not let me get to AVG to download that virus protector. In one evening I removed 141 spyware and 900 ads.

This virus/ worm spyware came when my son checked optimizer.exe. It also put up a porn site for the ie browser. I had to sut down his internet because of this. Now he is using my computer. I am checking it constantly.


49 posted on 12/14/2004 7:28:15 PM PST by Rhiannon
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To: snapperjk; Ernest_at_the_Beach

As far as I know, no operating system other than Windows has spware or malware.

The Mac's probably a better solution than Linux for most people because it runs a much wider array of consumer-friendly software.

Until another OS increases its market share past 10% or so, I think the risks are minimal. As long as spyware makers can profit from the top 90% more effectively than going after 5% slices of the market, I don't see much of a threat using Linux or the Mac.

D


50 posted on 12/14/2004 7:28:25 PM PST by daviddennis (;)
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To: Powerclam
And getting info on Linux from PC-World is like learning about Christianity from Osama bin-Laden

ROFL!!! .....Good One!!!

51 posted on 12/14/2004 7:28:51 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Juno. Stuff is coming through email...seemingly without even opening attachments....spam. I'm pretty deficient at figuring this stuff out; just do what my wife says.


52 posted on 12/14/2004 7:29:50 PM PST by dasboot
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To: GVgirl
I've run Norton once a week since I bought this computer

I had 2 virus installed in my computer with Norton...Pestpatrol found and eliminated them.

53 posted on 12/14/2004 7:30:35 PM PST by lewislynn (The meaning of life can be described in one word...Grandchildren)
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To: Fiddlstix

Surprised to see Look2Me isn't in the top ten. That POS kept me busy for a week on my sisters machine. Writes itself into Exploxer.exe, writes multiple backups into the registry and multiple randomly named .dll's into the system directory. Took the Adaware, a notebook and the Win2k recovery console to finally get rid of it. I got $100 for the first guy that finds and punches the author in the face for writing this little abomination.

Currently I'm running pretty safely (as is my sister now) with Adaware, Spybot, Firefox, AVG, Sun Java (people forget this upgrade) Zone Alarm and a router. And I deactivated ActiveX for all but Windows update.


54 posted on 12/14/2004 7:31:51 PM PST by MichiganMan (Thank Michael Moore for 2004!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I used to get 30 or 40 spyware programs every time I surfed the Internet according to Ad-aware using IE.

Since I switched over to the Firefox browser, I get zero spyware programs when I surf, again according to Ad-aware.

55 posted on 12/14/2004 7:34:03 PM PST by Walkin Man
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To: Rhiannon
Info and a site selling a product to help you:

The CoolWebSearch Chronicles

Might be worth the money.....?Cool Web Search is in a special and hideous class of its own.... the product is CWSHREDDER I think, included in this:

InterMute is pleased to announce that SpySubtract now includes CWShredder™, the best defense against the CoolWebSearch Browser Hijack. Also, SpySubtract 2.6 has thousands of additional Spyware signatures to keep you protected.

56 posted on 12/14/2004 7:37:25 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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To: dasboot

See post #56.

If you are just using Dialup , a package like offered by Intermute should be a big help....The really bad stuff comes with being on an always on network ( broadband ).


57 posted on 12/14/2004 7:42:19 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

the best advice I got for removal (I'm windows XP) is to disable system restore, run the anti- programs, reboot, run them again, then re-enable system restore.


58 posted on 12/14/2004 7:42:31 PM PST by isom35
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To: Walkin Man

Firefox knocks down the popupads very well too... i can even browse Drudg's site without problems.... couse I do it only when I am using my Linux machine....


59 posted on 12/14/2004 7:44:26 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (A Proud member of Free Republic ~~The New Face of the Fourth Estate since 1996.)
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To: FreedomCalls
No mention of CWS (Cool Web Search) or Xupiter.

"They include such programs as PurityScan, which puts up pop-up ads and tricks users into installation by claiming to find and delete porn on the PC; CoolWebSearch, which can hijack searches, browser home page, and IE's settings; and Perfect Keylogger, a spy that records all visited sites, keystrokes, and mouse clicks to, for instance, divine passwords, account numbers, and other sensitive information."

CWS is nasty stuff indeed. I hate all of these b@stards. They are ruining the web for the newbies who don't know how to deal with this stuff.

I've gone to co-workers homes and spent hours cleaning their machines of crap, usually it's the kids or the nanny who who initially get it infected.

60 posted on 12/14/2004 7:46:26 PM PST by TC Rider (The United States Constitution © 1791. All Rights Reserved.)
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