Posted on 01/03/2005 1:51:12 AM PST by goldstategop
If I start having problems with Word, I'll just switch to OpenOffice. And if I start having problems with Windows, I might switch to another OS.
The article does mention users of P2P networks who use an unpatched Internet Explorer and WM 9 Players are more vulnerable to this rogue download. But the fact this ready exploit exists means every one should keep up their guard and lock down IE, use an alternative browser (like Firefox) where possible and turn off the automatic notification feature in WMP. No one wants to have to clean up a crippled computer loaded with tons of unwanted scumware.
I installed OpenOffice on both of my computers. I like the GUI better than MS Office and all of the outputs open in Office (on my company notebook).
As for the spyware that is the subject of the original post? Some people seem to automatically click the "yes" and "Install" button whenever a dialog box pops up on their screens.
Cybernetic mayhem is generally targeted at four kinds of things, i.e. windows itself, ms word, outlook, and the internet explorer. To the extent that you can avoid any of those things, you're safer and better off. I do all of my email and most of my web browsing on a linux machine, and avoid ie and outlook altogether.
Admin authority is a Windows user default. Create another ID and change it to non-admin and use only that lesser ID.
I most assured this is the case. I worked a little with LinkShare and FTD.com affiliate programs. FTD was very concerned about trademark violators and web content.
Its due to a poor DRM design by Microsoft. Ironically, as Eric L. Howes has observed P2P users illegal MP3 files are more secure than MS's own WM files! Its a commentary on the state of the industry that no one wants to make DRM secure for consumers who browse to listen and watch on the web. Enough of these abuses and people may get turned off to multi-media content altogether.
There's a lot of rip-off software on the web too. Most of it useless.
Even reading articles on FR, the package will block out material from questionable sources and all sorts of places I really don't want to receive data from. Neat stuff.
Its still a resource hog. Until PeerGuardian 2.0 is released, I'm running Protowall. Its from Bluetack.co.uk.
I'll have to check. I hadn't noticed any degradation of performance, but then I'm not doing everything I normally do on this machine yet. I'll check it out. For all that I do it seems to work out fine. What I'll do in the future is shut it all down for stuff I do off line and see if there's a difference. Live and learn...
One of the biggest offenders in malware-infected Windows Media files is LoudEye, which, by the way, provides the system that runs the MSN music store.
LoudEye (Symbol LOUD) is a public company. These guys a riding for a particularly hard fall.
Wow. You all seem to know a lot about this stuff. I've had my computer crash back in July of '04. I was getting ready for a major presentation, The First World Congress on Agroforestry. The computer crashed a week before ....man was I mad...new Dell too. Won't get into some of the 'award winning service' issues, but maybe you could answer a simple question now.
Last week I upgraded to a high speed DSL service. I run Ad Aware at the end of each session, mostly cookies show up. And Norton Internet Security System runs constantly. I've not had any real problems since July, until the scheduled scan with Norton yesterday. I didn't know what to do with the spyware detected. Ad Aware didn't catch it. The reason I didn't was it was installed with the software for the DSL. I know this 'cause it wasn't in the list of programs before installation. Norton says it's Visual IP Insight(SBC) and should be removed although it's low risk.
I was told by the provider that my first 10 days on DSL service would be tracked in order to determine my internet habits and tune up the DSL. I tend to believe them as service is from SBC.
Can I delete this IPInsight or should I?
Since I have been posting at FR, I have seen a huge jump in spam offering me green cards to work in the USA. I am an American citizen and don't need a green card, but of course my Canadian IP and residence and my frequenting of American political websites tags me as someone who wants to move to the USA ... I get up to 4 spy cookies from FR every time I sweep with ADAWARE after I've been here.
Last time I looked, intentionally spreading computer viruses on the internet is a crime.
It is surprising how many (even FR-eepers) refuse to install and run
1. A virus checker (there are free ones)
2. Spyware checkers/eliminators (there are free ones)
3. Intrusion-prevention programs that try to keep malware from taking over or running unauthorized executables (there are free ones)
4. Email previewers (there are free ones)
5. Firewalls (there are free ones)
Many prevention programs are available and several good ones are free.
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If you aren't running these, you are part of the problem, people!
Define "Spy Cookies".
Cookies are generally speaking text files YOU have given the website you are visiting permission to log on your machine to help remember who you are and what you have done. The key here is that YOU ALLOWED the cookies. Without them, I would have no idea that you responded to this little reponse.
Spyware is much different than a few cookies.
If you don't want cookies, turn them off.
Update SpyBot too. They are adding new checks every day. Currently more than 24,000.
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