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McAfee lists Adware in Top 10 Viruses
joelethan writes "In the new sensitive, caring world of Windows security McAfee Virusscan detects adware/malware, just like its competitors. A surprising consequence is that the McAfee's Regional Virus Info now regularly shows adware in its infection top ten. It feels so good to see old favorites like 180Search and DFC listed. "Now for your listening pleasure it's Adware.Gator at number 7 with a bullet..."
"
ADWare is actually a secret conspiracy from the guys who make tums to capture a whole new generation of geeks..
Geek: "Helpdesk, how can I help you?"
Hapless Worker Drone: "I have all these funny ads that keep popping up!"
Geek: "Did you install that nifty new weather bug, or that 'Gator' thing?"
Hapless Worker Drone: "I didn't install anything! This is your fault! You guys are supposed to protect us!"
Geek: "See that socket over there? It's the automatic anti human virus protecter, stick your finger in and call me in an hour"
"It's not stealing if you don't get caught!"
Uh-oh! They'll get sued by Claria!
In Soviet russia, only old Koreans profit from pictures of Natalie Portman stored on Beowulf Clusters.
1) Switch to better web browser that dosen't have activeX spyware infecting it
2)Destroy spyware
3)Switch to a secure operating system.
4) ???
5) Profit, by not having to waste time with viruses!
However, Netsky still completely wipes the floor with the adware. Over 10 times as many instances of Netsky were discovered than Gator.
liqbase
But when will the financial geniuses at Symantec decide to start exacting a "fee" to spyware vendors to remove their malware from the list????
Because there are still people who don't know:
Ad-Aware
Search & Destroy
To keep your pc running fast and without too many crashes..
I have just upgraded to Enterprise 8.0i at work to test it out and I am very impressed with it. Good scanning times as well as some handy features like Buffer Over Flow protection. McAfee may have crappy home user products but the corporate stuff is top stuff!
this is the reason why i dont use windows.. one minute after your installation is done, you already got lots of spyware.
Not every computer related problem has Microsoft to blame. Though it is tempting to blame them...
..let's stick to some realism. I don't have any spyware on my Windows machine. Unlike viruses, the user has to actually install them (though that may involve just clicking "yes" in IE). Poor judgement can not be solved by technical solutions, OSS or not.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
It's not spyware, it's a virus! McAfee says so.
..it was recognised for what it is. Here, in the UK, such software falls foul of the Computer Misuse Act (which is due for an update). Personally, I already spend far too much time removing Adware, Spyware, BHOs, et cetera from Windows machines, especially at one site, where they seem to actually think CoolWebSearch really is cool.
This is a good move, currently I'm helping my mom's next door neighbor trouble shoot her Dell...1000 miles away! My mom has dial up, but her computer is just chocked by viruii and adware. She's new to the internet, so she thinks if she just does whatever she'll be ok.
Also, the McAfee trial she was using didn't catch much, I suppose she didn't have updated pattens, but with a dial up, is it possible/easy to get updates?
I'm leaning on her to get Broadband, and then let me put Linux on that Dell...
CB_)EW____>>>
free ipod and free gmail!
While not exactly *required* as AdAware and SpyBot are it is certainly a nice addition to the list.
SpywareBlaster
I would have posted AC to avoid the karmawhoring but Slashdot isn't allowing my subnet to post anonymously anymore. So blame them for the "Continual Karmawhoring".
I dont blame them on microsoft. I never said that. But spyware and virus problem is there, you cant deny that..
Only if you don't know what you are doing. I've been running XP for two years, and not one virus, or spyware, and pretty minimal effort on my part.
The problem is there, no denying, but the solution is way. What is more, it isn't windows specific anyway. Keeping your machine in order and secure is something you should be doing on any OS.
Magic Lantern, carnivore, omnivore...
So how do you keep the feds from snooping you?
Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
Could companies be prosecuted for exploiting bugs and vulnerabilities to install their garbage on people's machines? I don't know how many reinstalls I've went through, forgot to turn off the fifteen different settings in IE, and ended up with webpages spamming my desktop and taskbar as hard as they could by going to a seemingly harmless website, or mistyping the name of a popular website.
I recently fixed someone's computer that had so much spyware, it was running like a 66MHz machine on Windows 98SE. They were using a 2.5GHz with 512MB of RAM. The start button would take three seconds of griding to hit, and hitting it made three or four spam windows pop up, mostly about gambling, porn, or pills.
Job? I don't have time to get a job! Who will sit around and bitch about being broke and unemployed then?
Gator beats any virus in infestation rate if you look at the more relevant statistics.
Lalala
And also just to clarify that Adaware is NOT available at http://www.adaware.com/
http://www.adaware.com/ is actually a Ada software site who is taking advantage of their name to sell spyassasin. Kind of underhanded as it doesn't SAY it is spyassasin.
--jeff++
ipv6 is my vpn
McAfee lets you delete the specific executable that comprises the malware application, but doesn't help you delete the associated data files. I find I have to go in afterward and clean up after McAfee does its thing. (I suppose I should get a copy of Ad-Aware or one of the other anti-adware apps, but, frankly, most of them LOOK like the ads they're trying to kill - these guys need to get better GUI designers and look more "professional".)
Still, it's better than nothing.
BTW, have I said lately that adware/spyware authors should DIE A HORRIBLE, PAINFUL, LINGERING DEATH!
Don't underestimate the power of The Source
I wonder how much money McAfee spent in legal advice before doing this... I wonder how long before the spyware vendors sue, saying that their software performs a valuable service, as shown by the fact that users deliberately and knowingly install it...
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
Joe Six-Pack is finally getting a sense for these things, which is a great step. I recently started working for a net marketing company, and I'm amazed by the volume of flaming emails we get from people across the country saying that they will take us to court when they find the single cookie we put on their machine. There is also a lot of talk of pushing their congressmen to make our 'spyware' actions illegal.
I love this. It would be nice if people were more educated on this (and knew the difference between a viral program and an inert string of text that they have set their browser to allow), but it's a huge start. Detecting these programs as viruses is wonderful - it raises awareness levels. And the first step to legislation is enough people telling their congressmen. Remember, a phone call or letter is worth hundreds of constituient votes.
Four years ago when I first came across Gator, I considered taking apart their offices with a bat and a black ski mask. But I lived on the wrong coast. Now I might finally see them go to jail some day, and their cell mates will do far worse things to some scrawny coders than I ever could. But that will only happen if you contact your congresscritter. So do it.
Though I do agree, spyware should be illegal, most of the spyware is mentioned in the EULA. Check out: Is kazaa spyware?
where they quote the EULA agreement stating:
We may add, delete or change some or all of the Software's functionality provided in connection with KaZaA at any time. This may include download of necessary software modules. Any new features that augment or enhance
Like the web page suggests, thats "pretty open-ended."
Fact is, most people (>99% imho) DONT read the EULA!
I figured you guys would love this...
The firm i worked at up until recently decided to do some "sponsored marketing" thru Claria/Gator. I tried to preach their evils to the marketing department, but my protesting fell on deaf ears. A few weeks later, one of the marketing folks called me into his office because he was having terrible troubles with I.E. Turns out, as expected his lappie was riddled with spyware, w/ Gator/Claria products being the chief offender. When he asked what the major problem was, and I showed him the ad-aware, hijack this, and spybot entries w/ gator/claria all over them - i think he finally realized. The initial short term advertising contract wasn't renewed, or so i hear.
If more comapnies knew how bad these apps are, and what problems they created, maybe they wouldn't want their services and products advertised in this manner.
When is somebody going to step up to the plate and sue these companies for defacing personal property? They get away with it every day and there are laws against it. Plain and simple they are destroying people's property without their permission, at least not any signatures that would hold up in court. All it will take is for one company to sue these companies, and others will follow...at least our company will!
If carrots got you drunk, rabbits would be fucked up. - Comedian Mitch Hedberg R.I.P. 03/30/68-2/24/05
The problem with Adware/Spyware/whatever isn't so much the invasion of privacy part. After all, in most cases, you did click accept at some point. That's what happens when you need your pr0nzor or bikini calendar so much that you don't care where it comes from, you deserve it. The problem is the lousy implimentation of the invasion of privacy.
I helped a friend diagnose his constantly crashing computer remotely one time and found that he had over 18,000 individual copies of some type of CoolWeb in his Windows\System folder.
The real problem isn't with New.net hijacking and sending people to other domains; the real problem is when their software breaks and you can't use any TCP/IP related applications until you find someone with some technical know-how to fix it.
These bastards should be liable for this sort of thing. Actually, they probably are.
I keep forgetting my place. Jesus is for losers. Why do I still play to the crowd?
Mcafee is starting to mark adware/spyware as viruses.
Great!
Now make an AV app that effectively removes them when it's detected.
Right now, not one virus scanner cleans adware/spyware effectively. You always need to use either spybot or adaware to get rid of it for good. The reason for this is simply because every antivirus firm uses scanning techniques dated from the DOS era to scan and remove this stuff.
If you work for symantec, or mcafee, or any other AV firm for that matter, pleast drill it in your AV scanning division that the Windows Registry Must be scanned for viruses/adware/spyware entries First then all the files on the system. Then once it's found, remove all traces of it including folders, leftover installer files and temp files. I've seen spyware and adware that is just about impossible to remove unless you scour the entire registry for any possible method of entry, then scour the drive for installers that will reinstall it if it's removed. That is why adaware and spybot are so effective at removing this stuff. it removes it from executing and gets it all on the next restart.
Lavasoft Ad-aware is better at removing even some common viruses than most virus scanners today. It's almost second nature that you have to get a "Virus Cleaner" to remove viruses for some AV scanners that adaware removes on the first try.
Until AV firms understand that the registry is just as important to scan as the files, they will never be effective in removing these threats. Dont think that Virus writers aren't looking at these techniques these spyware groups are using to get around you guys and aren't implementing these techniques in their next virus.
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
The abusive, obtuse, and broad EULA's that people click on without reading make it extremely difficult to deal with these companies. Here is one great way we should consider.
1)Make a copy of their agreement, and replace "The cool thing we say we do" with "Free pizza for the office"
2)Replace "We get to infest your machine with junk" with "We get to tar and feather you and put pictures on the internet"
3)Get together a bunch of cheese pizzas and head to their office. Get them to sign the modified agreement for delivery.
4) Proceed to tar and feather the person that signed for the pizza, and share the fantastic photos on the internet.
Remember, it's not assault, it's marketing they agreed to in the license. The beauty of it is that if they fight it, they fight their own agreement, and we can use anything they do to get them to be responsible for the *hundreds of millions of dollars* of damage they have caused to innocent people's computers.
-Z