Saturday, June 12, 2004
Spyhunter antispyware program, from "Spywareinfo.com"
If you browse the internet with Internet Explorer and have no pop-up blocker, you probably have seen a few ads for a program called Spyhunter. Depending on your level of experience with the internet, you probably were either disgusted or frightened by it (nevermind that it was a pop-up ad, which is disgusting enough on its own).
The ads try to mislead the surfer into believing spyware has been discovered on their PC. They pop up in what appears to be a DOS or CMD window and look like something Windows itself might produce. The ad states that "Spy Software may be installed in your computer" and shows a list of locations where some common malware are found. At the bottom, it shows an image of a button next to "Click OK to remove items".
If the surfer clicks the ad, they are presented with a page that looks very similar to an Internet Explorer error page which declares "Severe Virus Alert!" and a pitch to download the "free" Spyhunter program. In fact, Spyhunter is NOT a free program. It will scan for free but it has to be purchased before it will remove anything.
You may have found the Spyhunter site through another means. If you have done a Google search for Spybot or Ad-aware, you might have found advertisements that lead to Spyhunter instead of the real Spybot or Ad-aware. Most of the Spyhunter pages that show up in Google results are loaded with keywords related to these legitimate antispyware programs. Thankfully, Google appears finally to have stopped accepting Google advertisements that trigger on the word "Spybot".
Understandably, many people consider Spyhunter to be nothing but a scam. Those of us in the antispyware community consider it to be garbage, little different from Spywiper or SpywareNuker. Check any antispyware message board and search for Spyhunter and you'll see what I mean.
The company behind Spyhunter, EnigmaSoftware Group, has sent a cease and desist letter to at least one site because of negative comments about their software. Netrn.net, home of the Spyware Warrior blog, was the recipient of the letter. The operator of the site fired back, on the advice of an attorney, with a demand for examples of every single statement to which EnigmaSoftware objected, its internet address and proof that the statement was incorrect. To my knowledge there has been no response.
The Spyware Warrior blog also has an extensive list of so-called antispyware programs, see below, that are as bad as anything a legitimate antispyware program would remove. These are programs that either install spyware themselves or are just plain garbage. Looking over the list, I see nothing there that shouldn't be there in my opinion. And yes, Spyhunter is on that list.
On a final note, it's worth pointing out that Spyhunter now is detected and removed by Lavasoft Ad-aware.
The list of so-called spyware from the Spyware Warrior:
Updated list of fake spyware removers
The following programs are not recommended because they install spyware themselves, just aren't any good at fixing spyware, or somewhere in between.
AdProtector
AdwareHunter (adwarehunter.com/browser-page.com)
AdWareRemoverGold (adwareremovergold.com)
BPS Spyware & Adware Remover (bulletproofsoft.com) -- AdAware knockoff,
InternetAntiSpy (internetantispy.com)
NoAdware (noadware.net/netpalnow.com)
Online PC-Fix SpyFerret
PurityScan (purityscan.com/puritysweep.com)
Real AdWareRemoverGold (adwareremovergold.com/sg08.biz)
Spybouncer (spybouncer.com)
SpyAssault (spyassault.com)
SpyBan (spyban.net) -- noadware clone
SpyBlast (spyblast.com/advertising.com)
Spyblocs/eBlocs.com (eblocs.com)
SpyDeleter (spydeleter.com/209.50.251.182)
SpyEliminator (securetactics.com) -- dead?
SpyFerret (onlinepcfix.com) -- also Lop Uninstaller, Xupiter Uninstaller
SpyGone (spygone.com) -- SpyBot S&D ripoff
SpyHunter (enigmasoftwaregroup.com\spywareremove.com\spybot-spyware.comSpyKiller (spy-killer.com/maxionsoftware.com/spykiller.com/spykillerdownload.com/
SpyKillerPro (spykillerpro.com)
Spyware Annihilator (solidlabs.com)
SpywareBeGone (spywarebegone.com\freespywarescan.org)
SpywareCleaner (»www.checkforspyware.com/ - »www.spw2a.com/sc/)
SpywareCrusher (spywarecrusher.com)
SpywareInfoooo.com
SpywareKilla (spywarekilla.com)
SpywareNuker (spywarenuker.com/trekblue.com/trekdata.com/spyware-killer.com/
SpywareRemover (spy-ware-remover.com/spywareremover.com)
SpywareThis (spywarethis.com)
SpywareZapper (spywarezapper.com) -- looks like it may be TZ Spyware Adware Remover
SpyWiper (mailwiper.com)
ssppyy pro (ssppyy.com)
TZ Spyware Adware Remover (trackzapper.com)
VBouncer/AdDestroyer (spywarelabs.com/virtualbouncer.com)
Warnet (warnet.com)
XoftSpy (download-spybot.com/paretologic.com/downloadspybot.com/no-spybot.com) - this may be a SpyHunter clone
ZeroSpyware (zerospyware.com/zeroads.com)
Suspect
Spyware X Terminator
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
Friday, June 11, 2004
Don't want to miss calls while using your dialup ISP..
. Earthlink offers a call forwarding service called Internet Call Waiting for $3.95-6.95 per month with a 30-day free trial. Incoming calls are automatically forwarded to a different number when you're online. You'll get a pop-up notification when calls come in with the option to pick up or take a message. Earthlink uses CallWave. If you don't use Earthlink you can also subscribe to CallWave directly. A competitor, BuzMe offers a similar service that I like a lot.
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
what's "install in place"
"install in place," which simply means re-installing Windows on top of the existing install. It won't harm anything and should replace any damaged or missing system files.
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
Sunday, June 06, 2004
FIRST Private Spaceship Sets Historic Launch in Calif. later this month!!!
SEATTLE (Reuters) - The world's first privately funded rocket plane plans to shoot beyond the uppermost layers of Earth's atmosphere later this month in a bid to demonstrate the viability of commercial space flight, organizers of the project said on Wednesday.
The SpaceShipOne project, backed by Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft Corp., and led by aviation expert Burt Rutan, plans to send a rocket plane 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, into the air and back down again in California's Mojave Desert.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=5327451
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
TECH NEWS FOR TECHS - New Prescott Pentium 4 processors on tap from Intel
By Tom Krazit, IDG News Service
Intel Corp. is planning to introduce over the coming months eight new Pentium 4 processors utilizing a new packaging technique, including its first workstation processors with 64-bit extensions technology, according to a document posted on Intel's Web site.
The forthcoming chips were revealed within a Product Change Notification (PCN) document posted to Intel's Web site that contained details about power management and security enhancements planned for the Pentium 4. Hardware enthusiast Web side XbitLabs.com first reported on the document.
Intel regularly distributes PCNs to hardware developers and customers to inform them of upcoming changes to existing products or plans to discontinue older products.
Five of the eight new chips will launch alongside the Grantsdale and Alderwood chip sets on June 21, an Intel spokesman confirmed. Grantsdale and Alderwood are new chipsets that come with support for the PCI Express interconnect technology and DDR2 (double data rate) memory.
Those five Pentium 4 chips will be introduced at clock speeds ranging from 2.8GHz to 3.6GHz. They will be labeled with Intel's new processor numbering system, starting with a 520 label for the 2.8GHz chip and scaling up to a 560 label for the 3.6GHz chip, according to the PCN.
Later in the third quarter, Intel will introduce the first Pentium 4-brand processors with 64-bit extensions to the x86 instruction set, according to the PCN. This technology allows both 32-bit and 64-bit applications to run simultaneously on a system with a 64-bit operating system.
Three Pentium 4 processors with the extensions technology will debut at clock speeds of 3.6GHz, 3.4GHz, and 3.2GHz, according to the PCN. At launch, Intel plans to market these chips only for single-processor servers and workstations, not for desktop PCs, the Intel spokesman said. Even before the launch of the three chips, Intel is expected to introduce its 64-bit extensions technology on its Xeon DP processor for dual-processor servers.
All of the eight new Pentium 4 processors and the two new chip sets will use a different pin packaging technique known as LGA775, according to the PCN. This means Intel will use the Land Grid Array packaging technique with 775 pins on each processor.
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
A similar worm, Korgo, is "aggressively stealing" credit card numbers and passwords. Both Sasser and Korgo take advantage of a Windows security flaw
Worm eyes up credit card details
Windows users are being warned about a virus that is "aggressively stealing" credit card numbers and passwords.
The Korgo virus debuted on 22 May and since then has been steadily racking up victims.
Although the virus is not widespread, security firms are issuing warnings because it is proving so effective at stealing confidential data.
Those infected by Korgo are being urged to change passwords and credit cards if they have been used online recently.
The rest of the story
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
959 new viruses released on the Internet last month, the most since December 2001.
New Viruses Hit 30-Month High
By TechWeb News
The number of new viruses released on the Internet in May hit a 2-1/2-year high last month, an anti-virus vendor says.
Five new viruses released in May made Sophos' Top 10 for the month. Included are Sasser, Netsky-Z, Sober-G, Bagle-AA, and Lovgate-V, the company said Wednesday. Sasser led the pack in the number of infected machines reported.
Sophos found a total of 959 new viruses on the Internet in May, the highest number since December 2001. That number includes new viruses that were variants of older ones.
Also, security vendor Symantec Corp. on Wednesday upgraded the Korgo.F virus to a level 3 from a level 2, because of an increase in submissions, the company said.
"W32.Korgo.F includes backdoor functionality that could leave systems open to unauthorized access," Alfred Huger, senior director at Symantec Security Response, said in a statement. "This backdoor functionality could result in a loss of confidential data and may also compromise security settings."
Korgo.F attempts to propagate by exploiting a Windows XP and 2000 vulnerability reported by Microsoft on April 13.
MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".
