Spyware - Scumbags
I usually look after system security in our house. While Frankie is an IT technician at work, she really doesn’t want to bother at home. So usually it is my job to keep software up to date and make sure that anti-virus definitions are current. And, importantly, spyware protection.
We have two firewalls - a hardware one in the router and a software one on each PC. We also run a range of spyware protection programs. It says something about today’s Internet that to be sure of keeping this poison from infecting our machines, I have to run no less than four programs. Ad-Aware, Webroot SpySweeper, Microsoft Anti-Spyware, SpyBot Search & Destroy and Spyware Blaster.
A month or so ago, a hard drive failure meant that Frankie had to carry out a complete system re-install. I took my eye off the ball and forgot to put all the spyware stuff on her machine. Yesterday evening she complained about pop-ups. I was puzzled, she shouldn’t be getting pop-ups. Then I checked. Oops, I’d forgotten to install the protection. So I did. Ad-Aware picked up 105 spyware files and registry entries including browser hijackers, malaware, data miners and tracking cookies. Then I ran the MS program which picked up another 5. SpySweeper picked up a further 5 and SpyBot another 3. Jesus H Christ! That’s after 3 weeks or so browsing on an intermittent basis. I’m still cleaning up at the moment.
These people are scum. They are no different from the house burglar who raids your home. Both enter without permission and both steal from you. Spyware isn’t normally a problem to me because I am so guarded, but let that guard slip and the bastards come in under the radar.
Did I mention how much I hate the bastards?
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Comment by Red Baron
# March 18, 2005,
I have to say mate this is one thing that makes a huge diff. being on the Mac. We are not immune to such things but equally hardly ever suffer from it. As long as you are careful you’re ok on the Mac.
M$ Windows - Can’t take a joke shouldn’t have joined! Heh heh heh!Visit me @ http://redbaron.blog-city.com
[Longrider replies] Mozilla Firefox is also a defence. I’ve hidden all of the IE icons on her desktop and set Firefox as the default browser. You can defend yourself using Windows, it’s just annoying that we have to. Macs and Pocket PCs are fairly immune at the moment, but, I guess, give it time…
Comment by A visitor
# March 19, 2005,
Bastards, bastards, bastards! While we’re on the subject of this kind of thing, my additional pet peeve at the moment are spam bloggers - I loathe and despise them!
Me
PS - Thanks for listing my blog :-)))Queenie
[Longrider replies] Fortunately, I’ve not suffered comment SPAM. I guess it’s just a matter of time, though…
Comment by A visitor
# April 3, 2005,
I hate these bastards too!! But it is true what you say about having to protect your PC just as you would your home. What is amazing is how many people still don’t do it.
And, speaking of pocketPCs…(just for the hell of it) recently I drove around one of the area neighborhoods with my ppc wireless turned on and couldn’t believe how many open networks I found! Yikes!Janine
Comment by A visitor
# April 4, 2005,
My colleague managed to download some spyware onto our shared work machine. It took me 3 hours to remove it and it’s still not perfect.Patrick Crozier [quaif@tandrag.com]