Spyware Query

[gswiebeREMOVE_THIS]

I use the following - my os is XP/SP2.

SpywareBlaster
Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta1
Ad-Aware SE Personnal

Microsofts offering is updated & run daily. I update & run Ad-Aware
weekly. After using the MS program for about a month it has NEVER
found anything yet when I run Ad-Aware it always comes up with 5 to 25
hits. It would seem that SpywareBlaster & AntiSpyware Beta1 are doing
nothing for me or Ad-Aware is coming up with false positives. What do
you think?

Thanks

Glenn

 

[P.]

I use the following - my os is XP/SP2.

SpywareBlaster
Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta1
Ad-Aware SE Personnal

Microsofts offering is updated & run daily. I update & run Ad-Aware
weekly. After using the MS program for about a month it has NEVER
found anything yet when I run Ad-Aware it always comes up with 5 to 25
hits. It would seem that SpywareBlaster & AntiSpyware Beta1 are doing
nothing for me or Ad-Aware is coming up with false positives. What do
you think?

5-25 hits of what ?
Adaware grabs cookies, highlights the MRU list so it'll always find
something.

Does the M$ thing take long ? I tried it once and I dislike hugely any
program which decides to tray itself so I removed it. I also have doubts
about what it may or may not see in the future....

P.

 

[Mark Warner]

I use the following - my os is XP/SP2.

SpywareBlaster
Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta1
Ad-Aware SE Personnal

Microsofts offering is updated & run daily. I update & run Ad-Aware
weekly. After using the MS program for about a month it has NEVER
found anything yet when I run Ad-Aware it always comes up with 5 to 25
hits. It would seem that SpywareBlaster & AntiSpyware Beta1 are doing
nothing for me or Ad-Aware is coming up with false positives. What do
you think?

Ad-aware flags tracking cookies and MRUs, while M$AS does not. That
probably explains the discrepancy.

Ad-Aware and M$AS are going to have a lot of overlap, but I'd keep them
both and run both regularly. If/when you ever *do* get hit, one tool
might spot it while the other one might not.

And whatever you do, keep SpywareBlaster. That program is *preventing*
infections; that's one reason M$AS is coming up clean.

 

[LPV]

Ad-aware flags tracking cookies and MRUs, while M$AS does not. That
probably explains the discrepancy.

Ad-Aware and M$AS are going to have a lot of overlap, but I'd keep them
both and run both regularly. If/when you ever *do* get hit, one tool
might spot it while the other one might not.

And whatever you do, keep SpywareBlaster. That program is *preventing*
infections; that's one reason M$AS is coming up clean.

Sound advice, Mark. I'd just add that it couldn't hurt to add Spybot Search
& Destroy to the arsenal.

Loren

 

[Mark Warner]

Sound advice, Mark. I'd just add that it couldn't hurt to add Spybot
Search & Destroy to the arsenal.

Of course. I use all three myself. What I was most concerned about was
it sounded like the OP was considering doing away with SpywareBlaster
and M$AS and going it alone with Ad-Aware. That would be a very bad
move, imo.

 

[LPV]

Of course. I use all three myself. What I was most concerned about was
it sounded like the OP was considering doing away with SpywareBlaster
and M$AS and going it alone with Ad-Aware. That would be a very bad
move, imo.

Sorry for my mis-interpretation of what you were saying, Mark. It won't
happen again until next time <g>.

Loren

 

[Chatterley]

I use the following - my os is XP/SP2.

SpywareBlaster
Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta1
Ad-Aware SE Personnal

Microsofts offering is updated & run daily. I update & run Ad-Aware
weekly. After using the MS program for about a month it has NEVER
found anything yet when I run Ad-Aware it always comes up with 5 to 25
hits. It would seem that SpywareBlaster & AntiSpyware Beta1 are doing
nothing for me or Ad-Aware is coming up with false positives. What do
you think?

Thanks

Glenn

Check whether Ad-Aware is just reporting Negligible Objects.
It always reports MRUs (Most Recently Used) which are just a record of
the files that have been opened most recently in Word, Paint, WMP, Publisher
etc etc
These are areas that spyware might exploit, not actual spies.

You can chose to ignore these being reported.
Select them individually, or right-click Select All.
Then right-click and Add to Ignore list.
You can also scan and chose to ignore non-critical objects.

 

[jmatt]

highlights the MRU list

Open AdAware > Start, put a X on > Search for negligible risk
entries

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[gswiebeREMOVE_THIS]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments, much appreciated. Someone
suggested:

Open AdAware > Start, put a X on > Search for negligible risk
entries

I did this and ran Ad-Aware SE, there were no hits. As others
suggested, it was not really spyware that that it was showing.

Glenn

 

[Aaron]

Sorry for my mis-interpretation of what you were saying, Mark. It won't
happen again until next time <g>.

Loren

I still use spywareblaster for fun, but given that firefox is my primary
browser, the utility of spywareblaster is pretty low. Blocking cookies
for firefox isn't such an important function I think. While the use of
firefox almost 100% + Tight IE settings in the rare occasion where I use
IE makes ActiveX protection moot.

I'm told some other apps (mediaplayers espically) use ActiveX controls
though.

There's another freeware Antispyware that might be worth considering.
Spywaredoctor. It's not on the rogue list. Based on reviews I'm reading
it seems to have improved quite a bit.

http://www.download.com/1200-2018-5139934.html

It scans and removes threats, but you have to pay for the real time
guard. Kind of like Adware freeware versus pay versions.