Re: VIRUS HELP????

From: Chuck (none_at_example.net)
Date: 06/04/04 

Date: 4 Jun 2004 16:50:05 -0500

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 13:45:18 -0700, Purl Gurl <purlgurl@purlgurl.net> wrote:

>These types of problems have become so sophisticated and so serious,
>we have reached a point of the easiest cure being formatting your
>drives and installing your operating system, fresh.
>
>Are there laws related to writing malware and the such, making
>this activity a criminal offense?
>
>You write of paranoia in your signature. I don't trust spyware
>removal programs, malware removal programs, because they could
>very well be malware!
>
>* adjusts her tinfoil hat *
>
>Yes, tinfoil, not aluminum foil. However, I am working on
>fashioning a hat using copper shim stock foil.

PG,

Your paranoia is not unreasonable. There is much bad *** sold as anticrapware
these days. How to know what to trust?

I read the various security forums - AUMHA, Broadband/DSLReports,
Net-Integration, SpywareInfo, TomCoyote, WildersSecurity, and many others.
There are many very helpful and serious folks in there. I look at what tools
they trust and use. AdAware, CoolWebShredder, HijackThis, and Spybot S&D are
truested and used by all (as well as free). If any of those even remotely
contained spyware, none of those folks would use it. Unless they all are secret
spyware agents (and that's TOO paranoid even for me).

You HAVE to trust some people and products. You absolutely can't fight it all
by yourself.

You're right, nanae is a very devious and rabid bunch. But there are some very
serious folks there too. The problem with spam fighting is that spammers are
worse than guerillas - you can't fight them politely.

Spammers are very tricky. And now, with the economy in the crapper, a lot of
techies are being hired by spammers. And spammers, with the techies assisting
them, are using more technologically innovative ways to spread their crap.

The days of laughing at the spammers is long gone.

Combining spam, spyware, and viruses makes the current crop of exploits (there's
not really a good descriptive name for it all) aka crapware VERY hard to
identify and fight. The folks at nanae have been at it for so long, that many
of them are becoming frustrated, and that makes them nasty sometimes.

Black lists (aka blocklists) are a very nasty and bad publicity way of fighting
the spam problem. They cause much "collateral" damage. Many folks are hurt by
the atomic bomb approach.

If there is an afterlife, and hell, I'd bet spammers will be at the lowest level
there. Slimy mfkrs.

I try to live my life so I won't go there. Spending eternity with Ralsky,
Richter, Scelson, Spamford, et al would be truly unbearable.

Yesterday, I found a forum where Scott Richter (one of the current demons of
spam) actually was posting in a serious discussion. Butter wouldn't melt in his
mouth. I told him to FOAD. :)

Check out this forum. Add comments:
http://www.aunty-spam.com/?postid=54

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.