Re: spyware-spykiller
From: richcal (anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 07/02/04
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Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 01:37:49 -0700
install lavasoft ad-aware 6.0 and it should help. Its a
free download. you can get it at download.com website and
many more.
>-----Original Message-----
>Ben wrote:
>> I am having the same problem that I am reading about
from other
>> people. When I open IE it opens to an about:blank page
and then I
>> have pop ups that tell me that I have spyware and
adware on my
>> computer. These are the only kinds of pop ups that I
get and I have
>> tried everything it seems like. I have norton2004 and
I have run a
>> full scan and cleaned up everything and then I payed
for a spyware
>> and adware remover software from spykiller.com.
Nothing is working.
>> It still opens up the about:blank page in IE and has
spyware pop ups.
>> But all the scans arent finding anything. What do I do
now? PLEASE
>> HELP ME!
>
>If you don't wish to follow all of the advice
immediately, just want to
>get rid of your current dilemma, then you are welcome to
scroll down to
>the section titled "SPYWARE/ADWARE/POPUPS", where your
problem as
>stated should be resolved by the applications and
suggestions found in
>that section. If this helps solve your problem then I
again HIGHLY
>suggest you follow the rest of the advice below (matter
of fact, I
>suggest it either way.)
>
>Suggestions on what you can do to secure/clean your PC.
I'm going to try
>and be general, I will assume a "Windows" operating
system is what is
>being secured here.
>
>
>SPYWARE/ADWARE/POPUPS
>---------------------
>
>There are annoyances out there you can get without
>trying. Your normal web surfing, maybe a wrong click on
a web page, maybe
>just a momentary lack of judgment by installing some
software packages
>without doing the research.. And all of a sudden your
screen starts filling
>up with advertisements or your Internet seems much
slower or your home page
>won't stay what you set it and goes someplace unfamiliar
to you. This is
>spyware. There are a whole SLEW of software packages
out there to get rid
>of this crud and help prevent reinfection. Some of the
products already
>mentioned might even have branched out into this arena.
However, there are
>a few applications that seem to be the best at what they
do, which is
>eradicating and immunizing your system from this crap.
Strangely, the best
>products I have found in this category ARE generally
free. That is a trend
>I like. I make donations to some of them, they deserve
it!
>
>Two side-notes: Never think one of these can do the
whole job.
>Try the first 5 before coming back and saying "That did
not work!"
>Also, you can always visit:
> http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
>For more updated information.
>
> Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)
> http://www.safer-networking.net/
>
> Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)
> http://www.lavasoft.de
>
> CWSShredder (Free!)
> http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
>
> Hijack This! (Free)
> http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/
> ( Tutorial:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html )
>
> SpywareBlaster (Free!)
> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/
>
> IE-SPYAD (Free!)
> http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm
>
> ToolbarCop (Free!)
> http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/toolbarcop.htm
>
> Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)
> http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/index.html
>
> Browser Security Tests
> http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/
>
> The Cleaner (49.95 and up)
> http://www.moosoft.com/
>
>That will clean up your machine of the spyware, given
that you download and
>install several of them, update them regularly and scan
with them when you
>update. Some (like SpywareBlaster and SpyBot Search and
Destroy) have
>immunization features that will help you prevent your PC
from being
>infected. Use these features!
>
>Unfortunately, although that will lessen your popups on
the Internet/while
>you are online, it won't eliminate them. I have looked
at a lot of options,
>seen a lot of them used in production with people who
seem to attract popups
>like a plague, and I only have one suggestion that end
up serving double
>duty (search engine and popup stopper in one):
>
> The Google Toolbar (Free!)
> http://toolbar.google.com/
>
>Yeah - it adds a bar to your Internet Explorer - but its
a useful one. You
>can search from there anytime with one of the best
search engines on the
>planet (IMO.) And the fact it stops most popups - wow -
BONUS! If you
>don't like that suggestion, then I am just going to say
you go to
>www.google.com and search for other options.
>
>One more suggestion, although I will suggest this in a
way later, is to
>disable your Windows Messenger service. This service is
not used frequently
>(if at all) by the normal home user and in cooperation
with a good firewall,
>is generally unnecessary. Microsoft has instructions on
how to do this for
>Windows XP here:
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/commun
icate/stopspam.asp
>
>
>UPDATES and PATCHES
>-------------------
>
>This one is the most obvious. There is no perfect
product and any company
>worth their salt will try to meet/exceed the needs of
their customers and
>fix any problems they find along the way. I am not
going to say Microsoft
>is the best company in the world about this but they do
have an option
>available for you to use to keep your machine updated
and patched from
>the problems and vulnerabilities (as well as product
improvements in some
>cases) - and it's free to you.
>
> Windows Update
> http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
>
>Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get
the critical ones as
>you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you
see when selecting the
>updates and if you have trouble over the next few days,
go into your control
>panel (Add/Remove Programs), match up the latest numbers
you downloaded
>recently (since you started noticing an issue) and
uninstall them. If there
>was more than one (usually is), install them back one by
one - with a few
>hours of use in between, to see if the problem returns.
Yes - the process
>is not perfect (updating) and can cause trouble like I
mentioned - but as
>you can see, the solution isn't that bad - and is MUCH
better than the
>alternatives. (SASSER/BLASTER were SO preventable with
just this step!)
>
>Windows is not the only product you likely have on your
PC. The
>manufacturers of the other products usually have updates
as well. New
>versions of almost everything come out all the time -
some are free, some
>are pay - some you can only download if you are
registered - but it is best
>to check. Just go to their web pages and look under
their support and
>download sections.
>
>You also have hardware on your machine that requires
drivers to interface
>with the operating system. You have a video card that
allows you to see on
>your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your
PCs sound output and
>so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the
latest downloadable
>drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always
(IMO) get the
>manufacturers hardware driver over any Microsoft
offers. On the Windows
>Update site I mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting
their hardware
>drivers - no matter how tempting.
>
>Have I mentioned that Microsoft has some stuff to help
secure your computer
>available to the end-user for free? This seems as good
of a time as any.
>They have a CD you can order (it's free) that contain
all of the Windows
>patches through October 2003 and some trial products as
well that they
>released in February 2004. Yeah - it's a little behind
now, but it's better
>than nothing (and used in coordination with the
information in this post,
>well worth the purchase price..)
>
> Order the Windows Security Update CD
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp
>
>They also have a bunch of suggestions, some similar to
these, on how to
>better protect your Windows system:
>
> Protect your PC
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
>
>
>FIREWALL
>--------
>
>Let's say you are up-to-date on the OS (operating
system) and you have
>Windows XP.. You should at least turn on the built in
firewall. That will
>do a lot to "hide" you from the random bad things flying
around the
>Internet. Things like Sasser/Blaster enjoy just sitting
out there in
>Cyberspace looking for an unprotected Windows Operating
System and jumping
>on it, doing great damage in the process and then using
that Unprotected OS
>to continue its dirty work of infecting others. If you
have the Windows XP
>ICF turned on - default configuration - then they cannot
see you! Think of
>it as Internet Stealth Mode at this point. It has other
advantages, like
>actually locking the doors you didn't even (likely) know
you had. Doing
>this is simple, the instructions you need to use your
built in Windows XP
>firewall can be found here:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=320855
>
>If you read through that and look through the pages that
are linked from it
>at the bottom of that page - I think you should have a
firm grasp on the
>basics of the Windows XP Firewall as it is today. One
thing to note RIGHT
>NOW - if you have AOL, you cannot use this nice firewall
that came with
>your system. Thank AOL, not Microsoft. You HAVE to
configure another
>one.. So we continue with our session on Firewalls...
>
>But let's say you DON'T have Windows XP - you have some
other OS like
>Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT, 2000. Well, you don't
have the nifty built in
>firewall. My suggestion - upgrade. My next suggestion -
look through your
>options. There are lots of free and pay firewalls out
there for home users.
>Yes - you will have to decide on your own which to get.
Yes, you will have
>to learn (oh no!) to use these firewalls and configure
them so they don't
>interfere with what you want to do while continuing to
provide the security
>you desire. It's just like anything else you want to
protect - you have to
>do something to protect it. Here are some suggested
applications. A lot of
>people tout "ZoneAlarm" as being the best alternative to
just using the
>Windows XP ICF, but truthfully - any of these
alternatives are much better
>than the Windows XP ICF at what they do - because that
is ALL they do.
>
> ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
>http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/zn
alm/freeDownload.jsp
>
> Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
> http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
>
> Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
> http://www.agnitum.com/download/
>
> Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and up)
> http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
>
> Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
>
> BlackICE PC Protection ($39.95 and up)
> http://blackice.iss.net/
>
> Tiny Personal Firewall (~$49.00 and up)
> http://www.tinysoftware.com/
>
>That list is not complete, but they are good firewall
options, every one of
>them. Visit the web pages, read up, ask around if you
like - make a
>decision and go with some firewall, any firewall. Also,
maintain it.
>Sometimes new holes are discovered in even the best of
these products and
>patches are released from the company to remedy this
problem. However, if
>you don't get the patches (check the manufacturer web
page on occasion),
>then you may never know you have the problem and/or are
being used through
>this weakness. Also, don't stack these things. Running
more than one
>firewall will not make you safer - it would likely (in
fact) negate some
>protection you gleamed from one or the other firewalls
you ran together.
>
>
>ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
>------------------
>
>That's not all. That's one facet of a secure PC, but
firewalls don't do
>everything. I saw one person posting on a newsgroup
that "they had
>never had a virus and they never run any anti-virus
software." Yep - I used
>to believe that way too - viruses were something
everyone else seemed to
>get, were they just stupid? And for the average joe-
user who is careful,
>uses their one-three family computers carefully, never
opening unknown
>attachments, always visiting the same family safe web
sites, never
>installing anything that did not come with their
computer - maybe, just
>maybe they will never witness a virus. I, however, am a
Network Systems
>Administrator. I see that AntiVirus software is an
absolute necessity given
>how most people see their computer as a toy/tool and not
something
>they should have to maintain and upkeep. After all,
they were invented to
>make life easier, right - not add another task to your
day. You
>can be as careful as you want - will the next person be
as careful? Will
>someone send you unknowingly the email that erases all
the pictures of your
>child/childhood? Possibly - why take the chance?
ALWAYS RUN ANTIVIRUS
>SOFTWARE and KEEP IT UP TO DATE! Antivirus software
comes in so many
>flavors, it's like walking into a Jelly Belly store -
which one tastes like
>what?! Well, here are a few choices for you. Some of
these are free (isn't
>that nice?) and some are not. Is one better than the
other - MAYBE.
>
> Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$11 and up)
> http://www.symantec.com/
>
> Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$49.95 and up)
> http://www.kaspersky.com/products.html
>
> Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
> http://www.pandasoftware.com/
> (Free Online Scanner:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)
>
> AVG 6.0 Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
> http://www.grisoft.com/
>
> McAfee VirusScan (~$11 and up)
> http://www.mcafee.com/
>
> AntiVir (Free and up)
> http://www.free-av.com/
>
> avast! 4 (Free and up)
> http://www.avast.com/
>
> Trend Micro (~$49.95 and up)
> http://www.trendmicro.com/
> (Free Online Scanner:
>
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)
>
> RAV AntiVirus Online Virus Scan (Free!)
> http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/
>
>Did I mention you have to not only install this
software, but also keep it
>updated? You do. Some of them (most) have automatic
services to help you
>do this - I mean, it's not your job to keep up with the
half-dozen or more
>new threats that come out daily, is it? Be sure to keep
whichever one you
>choose up to date!
>
>
>SPAM EMAIL/JUNK MAIL
>--------------------
>
>This one can get annoying, just like the rest. You get
50 emails in one
>sitting and 2 of them you wanted. NICE! (Not.) What
can you do? Well,
>although there are services out there to help you, some
email
>servers/services that actually do lower your spam with
features built into
>their servers - I still like the methods that let you be
the end-decision
>maker on what is spam and what isn't. If these things
worked perfectly, we
>wouldn't need people and then there would be no spam
anyway - vicious
>circle, eh? Anyway - I have two products to suggest to
you, look at them
>and see if either of them suite your needs. Again, if
they don't, Google is
>free and available for your perusal.
>
> SpamBayes (Free!)
> http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/
>
> Spamihilator (Free!)
> http://www.spamihilator.com/
>
>As I said, those are not your only options, but are
reliable ones I have
>seen function for hundreds+ people.
>
>
>DISABLE (Set to Manual) UNUSED SERVICE/STARTUP APPS
>---------------------------------------------------
>
>I might get arguments on putting this one here, but it's
my spill. There are
>lots of services on your PC that are probably turned on
by default you don't
>use. Why have them on? Check out these web pages to
see what all of the
>services you might find on your computer are and set
them according to your
>personal needs. Be CAREFUL what you set to manual, and
take heed and write
>down as you change things! Also, don't expect a large
performance increase
>or anything - especially on todays 2+ GHz machines,
however - I look at each
>service you set to manual as one less service you have
to worry about
>someone exploiting. A year ago, I would have thought
the Windows Messenger
>service to be pretty safe, now I recommend (with
addition of a firewall)
>that most home users disable it! Yeah - this is another
one you have to
>work for, but your computer may speed up and/or be more
secure because you
>took the time. And if you document what you do as you
do it, next time, it
>goes MUCH faster! (or if you have to go back and re-
enable things..)
>
> Task List Programs
>
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
>
> Black Viper's Service List and Opinions (XP)
> http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
>
> Processes in Windows NT/2000/XP
> http://www.reger24.de/prozesse/
>
>There are also applications that AREN'T services that
startup when you start
>up the computer/logon. One of the better description on
how to handle these
>I have found here:
>
> Startups
> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
>
>
>That's it. A small booklet on how to keep your computer
secure, clean of
>scum and more user friendly. I am SURE I missed
something, almost as I am
>sure you won't read all of it (anyone for that matter.)
However, I also
>know that someone who followed all of the advice above
would also have less
>problems with their PC, less problems with viruses, less
problems with spam,
>fewer problems with spyware and better performance than
someone who didn't.
>
>Hope it helps.
>
>--
><- Shenan ->
>--
>The information is provided "as is", with no guarantees
of
>completeness, accuracy or timeliness, and without
warranties of any
>kind, express or implied. In other words, read up
before you take any
>advice - you are the one ultimately responsible for your
actions.
>
>
>.
>
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- Previous message: Kaylene aka Taurarian: "Re: run on start menu"
- Maybe in reply to: Ben: "spyware-spykiller"
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