Morpheus installs something more than spyware

news.com ^ | March 19, 2002, 5:00 PM PT | John Borland

[Erekos]

Not only are they collecting usage information, but they are potentially profiting off of links you type in by passing them off as click-throughs.

The following websites listed in the DLL they install:
www.sephora.com
http://www.sephora.com
www.shop.barnesandnoble.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
www.rdxrp.com
www.maplehollow.com
www.rdxrs.com
www.inmotiongolf.com

There are also references to what appears to be a auto-updating executable. Very scary.

For more info you can check here or here

[Charles Martel]

Musiccity.com even has the nerve to specifically state that Morpheus is free of "spyware". I don't have the quote in front of me, I'll post it later if I can. In the meantime, we could all go over to CNET.COM and leave unfavorable reviews of the Morpheus software.

[Bikers4Bush]

For later.

[LowOiL]

If everyone just used their durn FTP programs to search for music, this would end all these spyware peddlers.

I love my CuteFTP program. Not only does it allow me to upload download my stuff on the net (ie pictures for freerepublic) but it has an amazing MP3 search engine. Spy Free of course....

[Fish out of Water]

index bump

[Bush2000]

Spy Free of course....

"Kaiser Soze: The greatest trick the devil ever played was getting everyone to believe that he didn't exist..."

[boris]

Can these be removed by Ad-Aware?

--Boris

[Bella_Bru]

Yes. BUT, some programs will not run once you have cleaned them with Ad-Aware. Kazaa is a good example of this. Run Ad-Aware on it, and it refuses to run.

WinMX does not come with any spyware, and it has many files.

[TechJunkYard]

The new Morpheus marketing program is based on a technology called browser helper objects (BHO), which attach themselves to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

Aha. Where does Morpheus want you to go today?

[Bush2000]

Aha. Where does Morpheus want you to go today?

Dude, if you install their binaries on your machine, it doesn't matter what platform it's attached to. Spyware is spyware.

[Rebelbase]

Bump for later

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

WHAT ABOUT AUDIOGALAXY any spyware there ? i know its real easy to use and i had to download a satelite

[TechJunkYard]

I'm talking browsers, not platforms. Speaking of platforms, there is only one which supports IE. Or has it been ported to the mac yet? Okay, two.

But note the pattern: MS makes products which are easy to exploit... for whatever purpose... caveat user.

[PJ-Comix]

I glad I didn't download the new Morpheus software. I can still download files via Morpheus without any problem.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Only the earliest versions of CuteFTP are free of spyware.

And technically, Morpheus does not have spyware (3rd party program imbedded) in it.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Actually, if you look it up, the companies that have sold their products to Microsoft are the ones who have developed products that have security issues (Intel, for example).

Not all MS security issues are MS's responsibility. It is just bigger targets are easier to hit, aren't they?

[TechJunkYard]

You might want to go back and re-read the article and links. Netscape is not affected. Nor is Opera nor Konqueror, etc... only IE. MS' "innovation" and lack of attention to user privacy and security is what makes this stuff possible when you use their browser.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Your comment

MS makes products which are easy to exploit

did not specify IE.

[TechJunkYard]

Your comment... did not specify IE.

And that was merely a reply to B2K where he brought up the "platform

[Bush2000]

But note the pattern: MS makes products which are easy to exploit... for whatever purpose... caveat user.

Dude, if you let me run an executable on your machine, it won't matter whether IE is present or not.