Dynaverse.net

Off Topic => Engineering => Topic started by: Alidar Jarok on July 13, 2005, 10:10:52 am

Title: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 13, 2005, 10:10:52 am
Just in case there is a single person in the world who doesn't know this, I'm reminding them.  I accidentally go to some site for 10 seconds and I'm spending well over an hour trying to solve the problem.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 13, 2005, 10:29:15 am
That reminds me... i should run a spyware scan on my home PCs.  Havent run one for a while.

It'll be interesting to see if i got any spyware that wasnt just tracking cookies since i use FF exclusively; and have a relatively fresh install of 2kSp4
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Mr_Tricorder on July 13, 2005, 10:40:00 am
You probably do.  Firefox isn't quite the safe haven from spyware that it was at the beginning if this year.  I went for two months without running a scan because I haven't had a spyware problem since using Firefox, but I ran a scan recently and it cleaned out a lot of junk.  It looked like the amount of spyware that I used to clean out every week back when I used to use IE.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 13, 2005, 10:56:31 am
I can usually tell if my PC is acting out of the ordinary.  I know (for the most part) what's running at any given time (system resource-wise), and notice any slowdowns... prompting a scan.

I dont doubt that i have some spyware.  I'm not terribly concerned with cookie spyware as long as i dont notice a slowdown on a 833mhz Athlon.

Being behind a NAT helps too.  As well as never opening unexpected emails etc.

I'll post results after i run my scan.  :)
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 13, 2005, 11:30:20 am
I'm the same way for the most part.  I don't mind spyware that doesn't cause much problems (no major slowdowns, etc).  Unfortunately, what I have now is much worse than that.  It gives me lots of pop ups (I dissabled that computers internet, so now it just gives me pop ups that say it can't find the website, but I'm still getting them).  I think it might be working, though, and I'll eventually solve the problem.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: IAF Lyrkiller on July 13, 2005, 12:42:53 pm
Spyware should be BANNED!!! ;D
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 13, 2005, 01:29:07 pm
Spyware writers should be drug out into the street to have immense piles of fecal matter dumped upon them.

(Well, could go further than that)
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 13, 2005, 02:54:48 pm
That's kinda humane, don't you think ;)
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 13, 2005, 07:19:34 pm
I figured outright murder wasnt quite called for.


Phishers... keeeeel em!




Doing spyware scan now.  SpybotSD with latest update first, then AdawareSE with latest update.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 13, 2005, 07:24:04 pm
Spybot done.  5 things.  4 cookies, one alexa htm file.  Non issues.  Running Adaware now
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 13, 2005, 07:36:04 pm
Adaware found 3 items.  2 more cookies, 1 other
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 13, 2005, 09:20:16 pm
I think it might be working, though, and I'll eventually solve the problem.

I spoke too soon.  After a day working on this, I don't think the problem is solved (and I'm not hopefully I'll have much luck tomorrow).  I'm still getting pop ups and my system is slower.

I'll just have to keep running Ad-Aware and Spybot and hope the problem will be fixed eventually.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Mr_Tricorder on July 13, 2005, 10:46:34 pm
You may have to dig a little deeper.  Check to see if you have any mysterious processes running in the background.  Whenever my computer starts acting funny and Adaware or Spybot can't fix it, I look at all of the processes running and google each one that I'm not sure about.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: stoneyface on July 14, 2005, 07:49:07 am
sounds like you might have the
nail.exe
aurora.exe
adware. if you do, i'm soooooo sorry for you. it's a bitch to get rid of. check to see if either or both of these .exe's are in your system32 or prefetch folder. there are a few good sites about getting rid of this particular nasty program. it seems that a lot of people are using "hijackthis" to find any extra proggy's that shouldn't be there.

good luck neighbor
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 14, 2005, 08:16:52 am
I do have it.  I just haven't had much luck getting it out.

I've managed to reduce its effect to a minor annoyance, though.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 14, 2005, 09:55:19 am
Just be careful if using hijackthis... you can easily delete something you need, which can cause OS issues.

Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: E_Look on July 14, 2005, 11:16:06 am
But if you know precisely what you are looking for, then Hijackthis! works well.

Use the search engine in either this forum or one of the other OTs here; there was a thread with a post, I think by ToastyO or Nemesis or Javora about a site that tells you what processes you should have running in your computer's background.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 14, 2005, 11:40:48 am
When i get home i can also post a link of good computer sites to check for things.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 14, 2005, 12:26:23 pm
Thanks :)

Right now I've found one site that seems pretty good (and most of the people who ask for help seem to have the same problem).
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 15, 2005, 09:49:36 am
When i get home i can also post a link of good computer sites to check for things.

Can you give me any ideas? :)
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Darth Sidious on July 15, 2005, 10:54:51 am
http://www.tasklist.org/ - helps to determine what odd stuff is running.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 15, 2005, 02:13:53 pm
I looked at some of that stuff.  Although I had a few things they didn't know what they were, I found nothing that was specifically listed as bad.  Than I found someone who fixed the same problem using this problem (http://www.mypctuneup.com/evaluate.php).  So I ran it and I think I'm fine now. ;D
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Death_Merchant on July 20, 2005, 11:06:12 pm
Glad to hear all is well now Alidar Jarok.

But what is this "spyware" thing you speak of????

Cheers,
DM The Resident Mac Wiseass
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Commander Maxillius on July 22, 2005, 04:55:34 pm
Glad to hear all is well now Alidar Jarok.

But what is this "spyware" thing you speak of????

Cheers,
DM The Resident Mac Wiseass

WOOT!  I, too, have a Mac, but I have to keep my laptop functioning properly so I can play SFC.  Gotta keep an eye on things because this thing is as immune to disease as a sailor on leave in Amsterdam armed with only his Spidey Sense to pull out ;D
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Alidar Jarok on July 23, 2005, 03:28:16 pm
Glad to hear all is well now Alidar Jarok.

But what is this "spyware" thing you speak of????

Cheers,
DM The Resident Mac Wiseass

Yeah, but you have a mac, which is worse :P

Actually, it turns out I had more problems than just this, but I'm doing much better with the help of a few various sites.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Fedman NCC-3758 on March 24, 2007, 10:36:43 am
I'm the same way for the most part.  I don't mind spyware that doesn't cause much problems (no major slowdowns, etc).  Unfortunately, what I have now is much worse than that.  It gives me lots of pop ups (I dissabled that computers internet, so now it just gives me pop ups that say it can't find the website, but I'm still getting them).  I think it might be working, though, and I'll eventually solve the problem.

You may have to manually remove a registry key.
Title: Re: Spyware Sucks
Post by: Electric Eye on March 24, 2007, 10:30:21 pm
The New Norton Systemworks removes all that crap, and Yahoo even has a partnership with Symantech on their anti-spyware removal tool.

IMHO, those found to be sending out spyware should get 5 years prison, Or we could go the constructive route, they must come up with anti-spyware software for FREE!  ;D