Just recently I checked my computer for spyware and found...

 

 

116 spybots!!! (and a partridge in a pear tree)

 

Seriously, though, where do they come from? I hardly ever download anything. And, my stupid firewall claims it kills them. How can they get access to my internet without alerting it?

Id say mostly cookies.

The firewall just stops programs entering your computer. It cannot really stop cookies as otherwise, you will need to log on everytime you enter a site!

Are cookies considered spyware?

There are various hitlists of undesirable cookies, usually called data miners.

 

Cap'n, a lot of spyware gets installed with programs like Bonzai Buddy, Gator, Kazaa, the new DivX installation etc.

 

Things like browser hijackers normally are loaded to your browser via malicious javascript in dodgy web sites.

Are cookies considered spyware?

 

No but they can contain spyware, or allow spyware to enter the computer.

No but they can contain spyware, or allow spyware to enter the computer.

Not true. A cookie is just a plain text file that cannot run as an executable entity.

Not true. A cookie is just a plain text file that cannot run as an executable entity.

I bow before the lord of cookies....

There are various hitlists of undesirable cookies' date=' usually called data miners.

 

Cap'n, a lot of spyware gets installed with programs like Bonzai Buddy, Gator, Kazaa, the new DivX installation etc.

 

Things like browser hijackers normally are loaded to your browser via malicious javascript in dodgy web sites.[/quote']

I saw a list of the programs, and I had only downloaded one out of all of them. But that doesn't account for the whole 116.

My computer keeps finding some kind of spyware also. It seems to only change the homepage of my IE. When we get rid of it, IE works fine, but then it always comes back in a few hours.

if you ever see GAIN, kill it. by kill, i mean torture; take the source code for everything in it and tear it to shreds, then save it to a 3.5" floppy disk and put it on your network as a warning to all spyware. always remember this: GAIN->loss

My computer keeps finding some kind of spyware also. It seems to only change the homepage of my IE. When we get rid of it, IE works fine, but then it always comes back in a few hours.

 

that would be called a Browser Hi-Jacker

My computer keeps finding some kind of spyware also. It seems to only change the homepage of my IE. When we get rid of it, IE works fine, but then it always comes back in a few hours.

 

that sounds like coolWWW. here is a tool to get rid of it

 

http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Not true. A cookie is just a plain text file that cannot run as an executable entity.

True, but often cookies are an integral part of spyware and server side data collection scripts.

 

There has been a HUGE increase in the amount of spyware over the past couple of months. There are two tools which I find very useful for removing this stuff.

 

Adaware and Hijackthis. Adaware is a user friendly hunt, warn and delete application. Hijackthis gives you a snapshot of the registry components that may be causing problems allowing you to decide what to delete (be careful though because it lists both good and bad components so deleting everything it lists WILL kill your OS).

I have a small but adequate ninja balanced ontop of my LAN card. I find this an effective method.

True, but often cookies are an integral part of spyware and server side data collection scripts.

But they can't actively do anything on their own, nor do they contain software, which is what Tesseract was saying.

I have a small but adequate ninja balanced ontop of my LAN card. I find this an effective method.

 

where can i get one of those?

Good question!

I find that my local Bonsai Ninja superstore has a good range of various firewall/virus/spyware Ninjas to suit my needs. I believe the new Wireless Firewall Ninja is out next week.

I dont take any steps to protect my computer , my antivirus isnt even on.Nor is my firewall.It seems you people take to many steps to protect urselves.

I dont take any steps to protect my computer , my antivirus isnt even on.Nor is my firewall.It seems you people take to many steps to protect urselves.

Yeah, good luck with that

Yeah, good luck with that

 

I dont have very many problems.(more like none)

I just keep careful

Yeah whatever.

Yeah whatever.

 

Srioulsy I havent had a virus problem since January, I just dont get them.

Apart from in January.