Spyware

Is it just me, or is it becoming really damn pathetic!?

 

No, it's becoming scary.

Spyware is the natural evolution of viruses into the commerical sector. Now the payload is ads instead of destroyed data, and the black-hat coders are now well-payed to break into your OS and deliver these payloads.

 

Surely, we as the consumers, can be-little or atleast put an impact back onto these people that are creating and/or delivering the spyware?

I cant even log on without ads! as soon as I do, before I even open a browser, I get an AD!!! then I got like 4 seperate programs running in the background to try and stop all this spyware, heck! I just found out today when I went to a site it automatically downloaded and installed a IE toolbar with a crapload of advertisements!

Software, that I used to love, is becoming SPYWARE friendly!!! so I refuse to use the software anymore! its pathetic, dillusional and barbaric!

Whats the INTERNET coming too? within the next 6 months, people will start spending more net time and bandwidth, unknowingly downloading Ads, SPYWARE programs, or just running around the net trying to fix the previous spyware problem, but will be bottlenecked because as they are searching sites for an anti-dote, they are unknowingly getting more!

Its a massive revolving circle that needs a good swift and brust kick in the buttocks!

The person who first created spyware should be put on a wall and have hard drives, monitors, sharaded edge mainboards, cases and alike, thrown at him with a force until he lay near unconscience on the ground whispering he is sorry for mercy!!!!

 

Just when I was feeling smug,X-Flat. I have no problems with pop-ups. Have the Google toolbar with the pop-up blocker. It does catch most. When my daughter uses her settings though, the Spybot picks up all kinds of garbage. I never use IM but she uses AOL's. Yeah, it's a job to stay clean.

 

I've never, ever had a spyware problem. I've had the typical Alexa stuff show up in IE from Ad Aware, but that happens off of a clean install for all XP users.

Ad Aware picks up cookies.

Hijack THis is always clean.

Spyware doesn't bother me, because I always keep a sharp eye out and avoid it.

I don't have to remove it, because it isn't there in the first place.

 

I'll second that!!! Spyware Blaster has been very beneficial to my computer.

 

Surfing habits is a major factor concerning spyware. If you click dubious advertisments, (which can appear anywhere, even trustworthy sites, as most have a seperate company manage the ads for them) go on dubious websites, and download software with a liscence agreement that states that they can install whatever the hell they like on your machine... then you are basically asking for it.

I, like a few people these days, can smell spyware a mile off, and steer WELL away from it. If it's absoltuley nececary to go on a questionable website, I will do so with some virually unheard-of browser that will not be targeted for IE based or Netscape/Mozilla based exploits. Not to mention the fact for my everyday browsing I use Mozilla Firebird, which is immune to many everyday exploits and annoyances (like those "Do you agree to install ... ?" boxes) and even if i stumble across a dubious web page, its obvious that its trying to do somthing that I do NOT want it to do (e.g. "You must click YES to install software!", despite the fact it has presented me nothing to click yes with), and I'll leave the site immediatley.

I agree, spyware is getting very scary. My parents PC has been hijacked by somthing, which opens up a instance of IE, renamed TCPService.exe, and tries to make me download some random piece of software? I think it might be a trojan or somthing... But its going bye bye, very soon.

Just like viruses, people need to know how to avoid and practice it, and the world would be a better place. Worms are spread by neglect more than anything else.