Re: I have just visited a hacked site... visit another!

Canna,

You might want to also consider downloading and installing Windows Defender.
In comparison to Spybot, which is typically considered a "post-incident"
utility, Windows Defender performs "real-time" monitoring. This is a free
utility from Microsoft and can be downloaded here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=435BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&displaylang=en

Hope this helps!

-Ben


"Canna W" wrote:

wildwasser - I am sitting here with popping eyes and open mouth, hee hee....

Given my ineptitude at all things practical - especially related to the
computer - I am not going to test out your little experiment.

It has worked though, in persuading me to change from Norton.

I had a brief word yesterday too with someone who works at a computer fix-it
place and he said he wouldn't let a computer leave the premises without the
Antivir freeware on board.

Your description was not wasted at all though, it served to bring home to me
the excellence of Anti Vir.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble. It is much appreciated.







"wildwasser@xxxxxxxxx" wrote:

**READ THE FOLLOWING POST AT YOUR OWN RISK**

(apologies for this long post for people who don't like to scroll)

first, Canna, i think you have somehow been mislead... i'll explain it
again, and in a little more detail for you. the avira antivirus program
(the free version at least) works as an active scanner, the "Antivir
Guard" part of the program runs in the background as a service which
will scan file activity of reading and or writing to files
(constantly), which importantly means that when something is downloaded
from the internet... it is scanned. this includes all content,
everywhere (except root kits, but that's another story, somewhere else
on the far side of the galaxy). This scanning is a normal feature of
all antivirus programs, there's nothing special or new about this from
Avira, Norton antivirus programs do this also. What is important is how
the scanner "scans" and what it looks for, and how it interacts with
something dangerous or infected when it finds it. The "Antivir Guard"
will detect viruses and other dangerous exploits (known and unknown)
that certain Norton products have been proven not to detect... hence
the little test. just click here to read an independent test, and see
how well Avira does against Norton...
http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse_2006_05.php

Now... Canna, you seem to be a person willing to try something out, so
let me try a small experiment with your Norton product... what i'm
going to suggest that you do is test your system by visiting a website
known as a source of "trouble".

**WARNING** if you click on the link below your computer WILL recieve
an unwanted exploit that can (if left undetected by Norton) "possibly"
compromise your system.

**THE GOOD NEWS!!** this little exploit can and will be removed by
antivirus programs like Avira antivirus.

**WARNING** please do not follow these instuctions if the computer you
are using is from your workplace, or contains private/confidential data
that must not be made public. Make full backups of your system (using
Ghost... lol it's a Norton product, but VERY GOOD) so that you can
recover if something goes very very wrong (which shouldn't)

**WARNING** Do not follow these instructions without any kind of
antivirus software installed and activated (running). and do not
complain to me if something goes wrong, complain to Norton, they say
your computer is safe with their software.

Please carry out the following 10 steps AT YOUR OWN RISK:
1.download the Avira Classic install package from their website.
2. don't do anything to your norton AV, just leave it running as
normal.
3. visit this address
http://www.google.com/interstitial?url=http://www.cracks.am/ **READ
WARNINGS** and click on the link to continue to "www.cracks.am"
4. if your norton antivirus software did not detect the little exploit
that you just recieved then you have a little problem sitting somewhere
in your browser cache, please continue with the following steps to
remove it now...

5. disconnect from the internet immediately and deactivate Norton
antivirus.
6. install the above mentioned Avira antivirus software that you
"pre-downloaded", and let it scan your entire system from head to toe
(and remove said unwanted exploit).
7. reboot
8. check that the Avira "Antivir Guard" is activated, and "monitor file
activity" is set to "Read/Write" "All files", "Extended Threat
Categories" set to "All", all Heuristic settings "On" and "High"
9. visit the same address to the "trouble page" above

**WARNING** you should only visit this "cracks" website if you want to
really test out what you get for your money from Norton, i gaurantee
that something will happen which possibly could go unnoticed from
certain Norton products that you may or may not be using.
**WARNING** do not continue further into the website, just open the
link provided and then see the reaction from your antivirus program
**WARNING/LEGAL DISCLAIMER** i do not recommend that anybody (that's
including myself) should use such a site, it is dangerous, and what the
website offers to download "for free" is probably illegal in almost
every country in the developed world (except russia and a couple of
smaller eastern european countries who don't care).

if i get banned from google groups for adding a link to such a
"dangerous" site... then so be it, at least you can learn something
about what your choices are, you have a choice... exercise it. i have
used this example because it's the only way to test your system, noone
has a "Test Trojan" website available (because it's probably illegal)

if your Norton product can detect what happens when you click on that
link, then be happy, live long and prosper...

: c)

if not, then maybe you should read a little more of what people advice
you in the first place, please reread the original post, i seriously
removed hundreds of exploits, trojans and other nasty things that "paid
for" Norton didn't even bat an eyelid at!


.