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Microsoft AntiSpyware thinks Firefox is Spyware
brightertimes writes "It seems that microsoft's new AntiSpyware
(beta) is now advising users to remove Firefox on
their computers.. A Zeropaid.com
thread
shows the offending screenshot
in action. Once your scanning has been done, if Firefox is found
on your computer it provides the user with a "high"
threat level and advising removal due to of lack of security
updates." CT Several users have noted that the screenshot is likely fake.
I just ran a "Deep Scan" with MS Anti-Spyware on a machine with Firefox 1.0 installed. I got 0 results for spyware.
Aside from the fact anyone with a sane mind would be able to work out it was a fake, here are a few details that might help you:
1) "FireFox is an alternative browser" - you'd never, ever, find Microsoft saying that now. They'd say "FireFox is an internet browser".
2) "May perform operations differently from the default browser" - similarly, you could have Firefox as the default browser. Microsoft would never say these on anything they produce, because it would be seen as insinuating Internet Explorer was the only "official" net browser for Windows.
But hey, when did anything like logical reasoning ever stop Slashdot editors?
It's a joke. Read the forum in linked to in the summary. Why is this on Slashdot w/out the foot icon?
Hmm..seems kind of fishy to me.
So I fired up VMWare where I have a legit install of XP Pro. I downloaded the latest copy of Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program and updated to the latest signatures.
Here are my results.
I'll admit it, I don't like Microsoft. I've even been modded down into the basement for my anti-Microsoft comments in the past. But even I think this sort of stuff does not belong on Slashdot.
Beat 'em with the truth, not lies.
Ruby on Rails Screencast
Slashdot has just jumped the shark with this pathetic, sad posting.
The most important part of any scam:
No matter how outrageous your claim, if you make it believeable, people will fall for it.
Nicely done gentlemen, nicely done indeed.
Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
...but what about VNC? Doesn't Microsoft have VNC-server-like functionality built in to XP? Where is that in their list?
FUD
DarkMantle I been bored, so I started a blog.
"CT Several users have noted that the screenshot is likely fake."
should read
"CT The article notes that the screenshot is fake."
With the postings of duplicate stories, lack of editing of submissions for spelling and grammar, and the not actually READING of the submitted material (the original poster of the image joked about it being a fake two hours after the image was posted), has anyone considered that CmdrTaco might just be a functioning illiterate? I mean, seriously. Why would anyone do this kind of stuff to their own website, one which has such a community effect?
If you just don't care anymore Taco, then turn the keys over to someone who does. Someone who doesn't mind putting effort into a quality product.
"CT: Several users have noted that the screenshot is likely fake." Likely? I'd love to see what evidence is needed before it's conclusively determined it's fake.
This is the kind of thing that makes me wish we had mod points to mod articles down to "-1 Troll".
Maybe if we can mod articles, we won't see dups and things like this anymore.
Time and again I find myself reading Slashdot posts from the open-source community which are c0nstantly trying to find ways to bash M$ in order to "show people the light"... The fact of the matter is, BS like this only hurts the community's credibility. If you ever hope to counter M$ arguments against open-source's TCO then you have to stop with this shit and actually devel a better product. Right now, the sad truth is, M$ is simply unrivaled even by *nix in the workstation and corporate/business markets. The software for *nix systems simply isn't there or hasn't evolved enough to make it a financially wise decision for many to make the switch. Sure, open-source has made huge inroads in the server market, and with the Mozilla Foundation - but your baseless bashing serves no purpose other than to discredit the community as a whole.
It will only, truly be a shark jumping when Michael dups the post within 24 hours and puts the posting death penalty on a few responders for noticing.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Or I can tell them all! It's actually not! I checked! I took a hit for the rest of us! HIS DEVIOUS PLAN HAS FAILED!!!!
Nicely done? This doesn't even take any skill. It's not hard to doctor an image consisting of solid background colors and system default fonts. Another example.
This was not an impressive scam by any measure. Just goes to show how dumb people are.
/. has turned into a rumor site lately.
What gives?
*** For a better tommorow, change your life today ***
And, in the words of the guy who posted the image:
What the hell does it say for slashdot that this nonsense made it to their "news" pages? Just what kind of far out shit has CmdrTaco been smoking lately? Doesn't he even bother to check these things out before he posts them? Or even to read the frickin thread? Too funny.
You've got to love that, even after stuff like this in the very thread they linked to, the closest thing to a retraction the editors can come up with is "several have pointed out that it is likely fake."
My god, I don't think I've ever seen so many nasty vitriolic comments on Slashdot before. Not even directed against traditional flamewar enemies like Real, RIAA or MS itself.
It's called a "mistake", and they happen to everyone. Lucky for us readers, ours don't happen in front of 4 quadrillion page-views per day.
So okay, all you me-too'ers, chill with the anti-CmdrTaco rants and cheap shots about how it'll be dupe-posted tomorrow. Har har. You're fucking hilarious. Whoo. I'm all tired out from laughing at your cleverness.
Meanwhile, not a single criticism of whatever dumbass with too much time on his or her hands it was that Photoshopped this up in the first place! Allow me to be the first. "Dumbass!"
To whoever said this proved that Slashdot jumped the shark, I'm worried it may be true - only not of the editors; of the readers and commenters.
Cool funny t-shirts for geeks, gamers and everyone else
I lasted about a day, and then I thought "oh hell, I've been reading Slashdot for years, I can't stop so I'll just read it once a day or something."
Now this story makes me realize that Slashdot has simply evolved and I've taken too long to catch up. This isn't a new site anymore, it's a comedy site. It's pure comedy to watch the bumbling idiots who run this site post same-day dupes, fake stories, last year's news today, etc. etc.
So while I used to read slashdot as a news site and get exasperated at it's terrible execution as such, now I read it as a comedy show and laugh my ass off. It's like reading the class clown's blog.
Nick
Before blasting slashdot, I think slashdot has handled this better simply by nature than most other news sites.
I've seen links to this image at least half a dozen times already. Only on slashdot have I seen the uproar in comments that it's a fake. Only on slashdot have people bothered researching the info behind the photograph to see what happened. Hell, only on slashdot was a link given to the original thread so we could find this out for ourselves. Everywhere else just had a bunch of drooling fools looking over the image and laughing at how desperate MS looks, while here we find the true story because of the strength of comments and the comment moderation system.
Slashdot is doing better than regular news sources that regularly print misinformation, one sided stories and complete fabrications with no recourse for comments by readers who do know better.
RST
I have used the Microsoft Anti-Spyware program with Firefox installed and it doesnt do that to me. Clearly a clever fake
I've been using Firefox and AntiSpyware on 3 boxes for some time and nothing like that happened.