OT: Spyware... a fool's journey.

BruiseLeee

BruiseLeee

Joined
Sep 7, 2001
Messages
5,946
Dunno if this is the proper way to do stuff but it's what I did.

I have Zonealarm set to give a little pop up window whenever a program wants to access the internet. So if I'm offline the only program that gets out will be svchost (I think for XP).

On Monday I install some freeware video codec. On Wednesday, Zonealarm gives me a pop up that says a program called livenote wants to access the internet.

I do a search on my hard drive for livenote and there are several programs called livenote on my machine. All of them installed on the Monday. One was livenotereinstaller. (I wonder if you deleted just one of the programs that the program would reinstall itself. I had a spyware program like that once :mad: )

I ran Ad-aware and it didn't find the program. So, since the only thing that I installed knowingly installed on the Monday was the codec, I assume that livenote was packaged with it.

I deleted all the livenote stuff.

Everything seems to run ok. :confused:
 
they're sneaky. at least they named it something obvious, a lot of them make innocuous names and scatter them all over the place.
 
You gotta watch out for package deals. I installed a new login screen from theme-xp.org and any of their .exe compressed files come with 3 different programs. Just make sure you click next and do NOT check the box. standard kazaa, and several other programs do the same thing.
 
Heres the trick to being really thorough.

(1) Install:
Ad-aware
Spybot Search and Destroy

(2) Update both of their recognition files.

(3) Restart the machine in safe mode

(4) run both Ad-aware and spybot back to back.

(5) Restart the machine

If you run the spyware killing programs in a normal session, a lot of the components are running and can't be eliminated. Infact most spyware keeps an active component in memory and simply rebuilds itself after the fact.

By going into safemode, none of the spyware is active and is easily identified and removed.
 
I just recently downloaded & installed the FREE AVG anti-virus program at the recommendation of one of my nephew's when I got my computer online on the 12th.
I was searching for different things today trying to get my computer back to the way it was before it crashed and inadvertently downloaded two trojan viruses!:eek: :grumpy:
The nice thing is that AVG caught the first one right off and instantly notified me with a warning box that just Would Not go away!
It told me to run a scan with AVG which I did. AVG caught the virses and trapped them and sent them to where all good viruses go!:D :cool:
Then the warning box went away.:D
Then I ran a scan with Adaware and it found 88 new spywares which it quarantined and then I deleted them.

I have Norton which I pay for and it didn't catch squat! I have a better name than squat but I'll leave it to y'alls imagination.;)
I may just not re-subscribe with Norton when it comes due in a couple of months.
Why should I when a freeware anti-virus program works better?
 
Dean the AVG was listed as best in one of the popular computer magz. I think it was for this year but could be mistaken.
 
Another good spyware removal program is PestPatrol. After installation & "pest" removal it will monitor incoming "pest" through the PestPatrol control Terminal which comes every time you boot the PC. Updates online, like Adaware.
Between PestPatrol, Adaware, Mcafee, & Stinger I've never had much a problem getting rid of any "Internet gifts". Everybody has their own favorites, these work for me.
 
great tip, sundsvall - I'll have to give that a try.
 
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