spyware

[Gregg Lengling]

Microsoft has a new free beta Spyware/Adware program on the link below.  I was using Adaware and ran it on all 3 computers before trying the Microsoft product.  The Microsoft AntiSpyware found tons of stuff the other program missed.  I've got it loaded on all 3 machines and it's set up to run daily plus do automatic updates and also it has an active client that tries to catch any incoming Spy or Ad Wares.



http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

As usual I have no interest in Microsoft (except for my shares of stock), and am not endorsing this product.  YMMV!
 :Smash:

[Talos4]

I've been using it for a couple of weeks now,

It seems to do a pretty good job.

However I've found after experimenting that if you currently use Adaware you should keep it and also run it.

I run the microsoft in the background and run adaware about once a week.

The adaware will catch a few things that the microsoft program doesn't.

I'm waiting for microsofts new anti virus to come out and try that.

[MathWiz579]

Thanks for the link, I hadn't heard that the Beta version was out yet.  Software looks pretty good (meaning it found stuff that my combo of AdAware and SpyBot didn't find), my only fear is that MS is sending my using habits back to their people without me knowing about it.  MS can be quite invasive in the information it gathers from computers.

[Gregg Lengling]

Actually no they aren't sending info back unless you check the box to report spyware that the program found.  I ran a log on it the first 2 times I used using a firewall monitor and they only things it did was go out and look for updates and reported the spyware found that I had on my machine and there was no other activity.

[Bebop]

I wish someone would make spyware for the Mac. So, I would know what I'm missing.  

[MathWiz579]

Gregg,

Good to know.  I just never trust Microsoft as a general rule.

[Bebop]

Soon or later.

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/60130

[tazman]

I'll have to give it a try and compare it to what I use now, which is Spybot.  I agree It's hard to trust a company that tries to monopolize everything in the computer industry, and their the ones responsible for 95% of the security problems we have on the internet today.  If any of you have not tried Spybot, give it a shot.  It does a very through job and it also fixes registry entries that have been modified by adware and spyware programs.

[AndrewP]

:OnAir: This software is crap. Do not install it. It is already hijacked. Read info at eweek.com. Spy Sweeper from webroot.com is a very good program.

Andrew

[smack]

I'll have to give it a try and compare it to what I use now, which is Spybot.  I agree It's hard to trust a company that tries to monopolize everything in the computer industry, and their the ones responsible for 95% of the security problems we have on the internet today.  If any of you have not tried Spybot, give it a shot.  It does a very through job and it also fixes registry entries that have been modified by adware and spyware programs.

How can you blame microsoft for 95% of the security problems or any for that matter?

Thats like blaming a car manufacturer for car thefts because they don't make good enough door locks.  MS makes a IE to surf the internet.  It's the hackers that try to breach the security through open ports and stuff.  Plus there is always a Mac if you are unhappy with MS and the security holes that hackers have found in their product.


You can try Firefox as well.

smack

[jkane]

I would blame a car maker if they patented the paint color on their current model.  And then refused to share a manual on how to rebuild the engine.  When they then made the lock out of plastic knowing all it took was a hard shake to break it open and said that's just the way it should be since it's all secret how it works anyhow, I would consider them a cause of the problem.

Who doesn't know Micky$oft is the real evil empire?   :rolleyes:

[tazman]

Since getting flamed on this thread I wasn't going to reply here with another post.  I guess In using smack's analogy, and I'm not criticizing him for the point he made.  He is partly correct, but missed the point I was making.  In reply to that, I can only say that if car manufacturers put locks on cars that can be picked with popsicle sticks, then yes I hold them to blame.  Don't get me wrong MS has given the consumer a tremendous amount of flexibility as to what he or she is able to do with a computer and made it fairly easy to do.  But sad to say when it comes to the core operating system, it does have inherent underlying security flaws.  It's just not LINUX or UNIX for that mater.  This will be the only response I will make in reply.  Have a nice evening.

[Bebop]

How can you blame microsoft for 95% of the security problems or any for that matter?

Thats like blaming a car manufacturer for car thefts because they don't make good enough door locks.  MS makes a IE to surf the internet.  It's the hackers that try to breach the security through open ports and stuff.  Plus there is always a Mac if you are unhappy with MS and the security holes that hackers have found in their product.


You can try Firefox as well.

smack

How can you not blame MS? It's like making a touch sensitive lighter that any one year old can light up. If the MS OS is a car, there will be recalls every-week.

Firefox can only solved small percent of the problem.

[Gregg Lengling]

Okay guys lets just cool down.  I put the link up here because I thought someone might benefit from the software like I did.  I don't think we can blame everything on Microsoft.  Yes there are problems with their operating systems but I think actually the majority of the problem is due to the proliferation of their systems.  When 95% of the public is using one product, it is sure to be the defacto system that spammers and hackers will work on to find weaknesses.  It doesn't help the Hacker Mentality or Ego to attack a program/system that only a few persons are using.  So let's put the petty bickering to bed.

If you find that Microsoft's Anti-Spyware is useful than go ahead and use it, if you don't then let the sleeping dog lie.
 :hug:

[Doug Mohr]

I remember a time around the windows 3.1 days when almost all the hacker attacks were towards UNIX since they were the main systems connected to the Internet. There were port exploits, root compromises, etc.

Hackers will try and exploit whatever the most accessible and most popular system is. Right now that is windows, in a year or two, it may not be.

Doug