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Spyware Critics Respond to iDownload/iSearch
Paul Laudanski writes "Slashdot ran an article earlier on 'iDownload Tries to Silence Spyware Critics'. Since then, the spyware critics have responded to iDownload: CastleCops, NetRN, and Sunbelt Software. InternetWeek and BroadbandReports have picked up this story as well. Brian Livingston interviewed iDownload's CEO Arlo Gilbert, who claims the letters were a success: "The majority of sites we've contacted have taken down or properly classified iSearch" and "When asked to name some of the sites that had complied, Gilbert answered, "I'm not going to share that information. It would be shooting a gift horse in the mouth."" General overview by Kye-U and Zhen-Xjell."
Thats exactly my point.
I run a slew of different operating systems, which include Windows and Linux. I know what programs I run, and when. If i suspect a program to be... naughty, I create another account and run it in there.
No matter what OS you run, you can limit permissions and run questionable apps mostly safely. Like I reiterate, it s a fault of the user for not watching what he does on the machine.
You surf porn sites and run "programs" to download porn, you're gonna get infected. You download illegally copied works, youre gonna get infected. You open absolutely every attachment, even if it says "happy98.exe", you're gonna get infected.
Postal Mail:
iDownload.com
1180 Avenue of the Americas
14th Floor
New York, NY 10036
For toll free billing support or if you know your party's extension dial: 1-800-844-5919
AND the leech lawyers
http://www.ssjmlaw.com
4330 South Mopac, Suite 150
Austin, Texas 78735
(Travis & Williamson Cos.)
Telephone: 512-347-1604
Dallas: 214-800-2898
Fax: 512-347-1676
Tell em what you think, IANAL but I think free speech applies to private phone calls.
If in doubt, don't do it. But I am going to tell them what I think.
Im unsure of the state of your system, but this gives me a hint.
--It only showed one every couple hours so I was blaming the ad on AIM / webpages getting things past firefox.
Not knowing the types of things you do on your machine, Im guessing your infection vector is AIM's ads. Since they use IE's engine to display (check for yourself.. they do) you end up opening yourself to the hacks and cracks of IE. Still, IE has no priviledge escalation bug to worry about, so as long as you run as a user and not an admin, you should be safe as long as you take your data and copy it into another profile.
My suggestion would to be to pitch AIM and get GAIM. Multi-protocol, and now AoL-Time Warner is acting nicer to 3'rd party clients.
Still, you also need to consider watching out for rogue WMA's, WMV's and other Microsoft Media garbage. You can insert all sorts of executable code within them, including running programs from a URL directly (yes, that bad). I observed a friend watch a WMV porn vid from a BT download. Was it.. every 2 minutes, it would respawn all the programs, 5 pop-unders and 2 "install-for-free-pr0n".
Here is a frightening account of iSearch's damage to someone's computer: click here. "Spyware" is too innocuous a term for this. It's not a spy: it is a file assassin.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
http://www.ahbl.org/notices/isearch.php
It's a second-level link from here. I'm putting the link in this post because some people may not see it and it's definitely worth reading like all good horror stories are.
Does anybody else remember how Diebold Election Systems had to pay over six figures to a group of ISPs/webhosts who they sent fraudulent cease'n'desists to in order to shut down public debate?
0 04 /10/11/online-policy-group-v-diebold-decision/
e bo ld/
http://blog.jimmywales.com/index.php/archives/2
http://www.eff.org/legal/ISP_liability/OPG_v_Di
This strikes me as being VERY similar to both the Diebold case and various "SLAPP suits" (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). It's all about fraudulently using the courts or threats of same to halt public discussion and debate.
The courts DO NOT like that shit at all.