A C.G. computer poll: How much spyware/adware have you found

[Crazy Guggenheim]

Poll question: A C.G. computer poll: How much spyware/adware have you found

on your computer in the last month? 

[Crazy Guggenheim]

1. Oh don't be shy ........

[Crazy Guggenheim]

2. El Bumpo.

[billyskank]

3. Difficult to tell

'cause I run Linux, and Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware only run on Windows, that I can tell. I won't have any of the most malicious stuff, like CoolWWWSearch, but I daresay I've got a fair few tracking cookies in there.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

4. Big question. Is there any adware/spyware detection software

for Linux? I haven't been able to find any as of yet.

[billyskank]

9. I've never heard of any

Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, of course, but hey.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

10. That's what bothers me about Linux.

[Hugin]

35. Linux doesn't hide it's running processes from it's users...

So it's very easy to see if something undesirable is running.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

36. I'm going to PM you on that.

[Deja Q]

42. Yeah, but most of us would rather do work than browse the system monitor.

Common sense, really.

I'd pay good money for an application that knows what to look for. I have too much shit to do. Do you? :evilgrin:

Oh, I use Linux - Red Hat Fedora Core 4. I ditched Suse (aka shitse) a long time ago. So much the better for having done that...

[ghostsofgiants]

5. None.

Seriously.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

6. WOW! Congratulations! BTW, have you run the software in Safe Mode?

[ghostsofgiants]

7. I always run Ad-Aware in safe mode

[Crazy Guggenheim]

8. You are most excellent!

[ghostsofgiants]

11. I like to think I know what I'm doing, haha

When I hear people complaining "I've got so much spyware!" and whatnot, I just think "learn to use your computer properly." It's really not that difficult.

Or maybe I'm just lucky, I dunno.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

13. I agree. One also has to learn about how to configure the security too.

I don't like some of the default options on *any* of them.

[Mutley]

18. I didn't know you're supposed to do that.

Why?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

21. It only loads the *basics* thereby letting the software access

more running programs.

[Mutley]

23. Good to know.

I'll do that next time. Thanks.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

24. Make sure you set Ad-Aware for a *Full Scan*.

[Mutley]

25. I do that anyway.

A 'quickscan' or whatever that crap is seems pointless.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

26. Next time do so in Safe Mode and see if it brings up anything.

[Mutley]

27. I will. I usually run it about once a week since the SO won't stop

with the porn sites. x(

[Crazy Guggenheim]

28. OMG! Filthy! Just filthy!!

[Mutley]

29. I don't care if he watches porn...

but who knows what those sites are leaving on my computer!

[Crazy Guggenheim]

30. That's the problem. When you look at the banned list from the

security settings *most* of them are from porn sites.

[Mutley]

31. We have an adult video store a few miles up the street.

I just don't know why he doesn't go there instead. I don't think there is such a thing as spyware on DVD players, right? :rofl:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

32. Don't give anyone any ideas ....

:rofl:

[Mutley]

33. D'OH!

Maybe the mods should delete that post.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

34. No they don't have to. Believe me, the dirtbag crackers are probably

working on it already.

[Mutley]

37. What is the point of spyware, anyway?

Do they really think that by f-ing up my computer I will buy something from them?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

38. I have asked that myself.

:banghead: :mad:

[CBGLuthier]

39. There actually is a point, sadly

Four of them (at least) to be exact.

Keyloggers, the worst of the bunch, will steal passwords and transmit them to another computer. In fact, I read of one the other day that if it sees you log into a certain bank, it will transfer the money into another account. Nasty, huh.

Then there are the hijackers. They replace your default search page with another one and theoretically collect some money for page hits.

And then you have the popup generators. Pop up ads that are clicked on lead to revenue.

Finally, the zombie spammers. They install software that sends email. Lots of email. Estimates are that 40% or more of the spam in the world is being generated by people who have no idea they are doing it.

The purpose of spyware is never to make your computer run badly, well almost never. It's just the fact that they are written poorly and then multiple processes and different types of spyware conflict and cause havoc and the computer becomes a boat anchor.

Yeah, it wasn't so bad when there wasn't money to be made from viruses and such but now that there is money in it, it will never end.

[Mutley]

40. Goodie for us.

*sigh*

[neuvocat]

55. Hey Crazy Guggenheim,

I was wondering: what is the advantage of running anti-spyware tools in safe mode? What programs do you suggest for pc's? I've got a Mac but professional curiosity is getting to me. Thanks.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

56. I'll get right back to you. I'm working on my server.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

60. Safe Mode loads only the basic services to boot the system. Much

of the Spyware/Adware detection software cannot detect some processes if they are running. Good free software to use is Ad-Aware and Spybot. The ones for purchase are Spysweeper and ZeroSpyware.

[neuvocat]

61. You mean certain processes run in Safe Mode...

that don't otherwise in the Normal Mode?

Thanks.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

62. No the reverse.

[anarch]

12. I don't use the internets

so no problems for me!

:thumbsup:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

14. I'm so confused!

[anarch]

actually, I don't even have a computer

Alright, OK, the real answer is "ten or less"...but there's probably a bunch of crap I haven't found yet. Damn stupid adware....

[CBGLuthier]

15. none

But I am a professional.

I have removed about 15,000 instances from others computers in the past month.

Hell, had one in the other day that had 2,000 spyware hits and about 500 virus hits. Was amazed I got that one back.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

16. What amazes me about some of those is the fact

that they can actually start!

[ghostsofgiants]

20. Wow.

Sometimes I think some people just shouldn't be allowed to use computers.

[Mutley]

17. Four with adaware. Zero with Spybot S&E.

About a week ago.

[Redstone]

19. None.

Mac System 9 is the reason.

Redstone

[Crazy Guggenheim]

22. Have you run any of the detection software for Mac on it?

[Redstone]

41. I do, (several kinds) once a month as part of routine maintenance.

Never finds anything. I'm damn careful anyway; never accept cookies from any site I don't want them from, stuff like that.

Aprt of that routine maintenance includes deleting anything from my System folder that I don't recognize the provenance of.

Redstone

[RazzleCat]

43. My Best Find

236 known spy ware. 15 known viruses. Not on "my" machines, but on machines I have been paid to fix. Yep, you can get paid to clean up after fools who never clean their machines, or use any sort of protection.

[Redstone]

44. I bet that's VERY lucrative work, and you'll never run out

of customers, because people never learn.

Redstone

[Crazy Guggenheim]

45. I know that at least 1/3 of my business comes from people who don't

maintain their system properly.

[BigMcLargehuge]

46. None

Mac user

[Crazy Guggenheim]

47. Still make sure you do maintenance on it. Believe me, contrary

to popular belief, *no* computer is 100% safe.

[Redstone]

48. There are indeed some uglies for Mac System 10, and a few for OS9.

And even those can be dealt with by a spending five minutes with your browser settings, never accepting cookies for a site you don't trust, and one simple setting in your QuickTime preferences (if you have OS9 or earlier).

Nobody gets to put anything on my computer that I don't allow them to, except a few software installers, and I manually delete the extraneous crap from the installers immediately.

Don't know about Windows or Mac OSX, but System 9 is damn easy to keep clean, if you just pay a modicum of attention.

I do run Windows in emulation, but haven't seen any junk crop up there either (according to Ad-Aware) If I do get a nasty in the Windows partition, I can just throw out Virtual PC and replace it from a backup.

Redstone

[Crazy Guggenheim]

50. I didn't know that about Virtual PC.

[Redstone]

54. Didn't know what? That it can be re-loaded from a backup? Sure it can.

To the Mac, it's just another application.

I back up twice a day. I've had Virtual PC go haywire once or twice, and instead of taking a bunch of time to figure out what was wrong, all I had to do was re-load it from the last backup (remembering to copy the preferences as well).

That's also how I can use in on my desktop and laptop computers without having to go through the installation rigamarole twice.

Just one of the MANY reasons I haven't "upgraded" to System 10. Can't do that with X.

Redstone

[trogdor]

49. Not my own PC, mind you.

I extracted around 1800 files from a friend's PC with AdAware. Is that a record?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

51. I've found 2500 before I stopped counting. I've also heard stories.

[seemunkee]

52. Just ran spybot and adaware - found 3 tracking cookies

Haven't run them in over a month.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

57. Make sure you have the updates too.

[mvd]

53. I empty the cookies, so..

a couple tracking cookies at most. No spyware or ad-ware.

[Initech]

58. None. I use Macs.

Ha ha! I am immune to spyware. Immune!!!

[Crazy Guggenheim]

59. Yeah right ...........

:popcorn:

[miss_kitty]

63. none

I don't know how, but none.

[Pobeka]

64. None. I don't know of anyone who's tried to make spyware for linux.

And I'm seriously unconcerned about the possiblity too. They couldn't get spyware running at the system level anyway, only at the user level.

Are you at least running firefox for windows?

I got a spyware at work (Windoze XP), because the company for some insane reason insists we use the security nightmare called internet explorer.

I spent 2 days tracking that down and ridding my system of it -- it was so new no one had heard of it except one spyware site.

I installed firefox immediately, told IT to go * themselves, and have had no problems since.

[annonymous]

65. I run Ad-aware regularly.

It is important for Internet Explorer users to clean their temporary files regularly. This can be done by bringing up the Tools menu, clicking Internet Options, General and clicking on Delete Cookies and Delete Temporary Files. Doing this on a daily basis will mean fewer instances of spyware on your computer especially tracking cookies.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

66. It's a good idea to have at *least* 3 pieces of Spyware/Adware

detection software. You might also want to get Spybot and Microsoft's AntiSpyware.