hacked

[Kyle]

I've read through the posts, a few are configuration
problems, but some folks have hacked versions of the
program, re-download it from MS, save it to the desktop,
scan it with your anti virus and Spyware programs if able,
prior to installing it. Uninstall the bad one, using the
Uninstaller in "Add Remove", not the one in the program,
never use the one in the program itself , if you suspect
it is compramised.
Understand some Hackware worm programs will alter it or
damage the install, (If threatened) if it is still messed
up, I suggest you get a online scan from Norton, or
McAfee, or Panda. A good program to get is
called "Stinger" from NetWork Associates, or the innards
of McAfee Antivirus site. Stinger has a little bundle of
the current threats, and can dig them out if found.
Bottom line in the Real World, the bad guys are as good or
better than the good guys, common sense is the only
defense that is best, using every club you can find. Micro
Soft is not perfect at keeping out the bad guys, no one
is.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I don't think so, myself, Kyle. There are a great many installation issues
with this program, but I don't think they are any evidence of hacked builds
being downloaded.

Yes, there is a single trojan out there (i.e. a program you must click on
and run to install on your system) which actively disables Microsoft
Antispyware. This trojan is extremely rare--0-2 sites, 0-49 machines
(versus well over 3 million downloads for Microsoft Antispyware.)--so I
doubt that any user with this trojan in place has ever posted to these
boards.

It is an excellent reminder, though to be sure to get Microsoft code
directly from Microsoft's download sites. These are very carefully
protected against the kinds of issues that Kyle mentions.

 

[Michael L]

I whole-heartedly agree. About a century-and-a-half ago
when I was in my ripe old high-school days I was the most
anti-microsoft person you could ever meet, thinking that
poor coding and an non-open source approach was Evil. Then
I took my first Business course as a general education
requirement for Computer Engineering and Science.

needless to say I have crossed over and became very
interested in Microsoft products because you can still be
part of the 'elite' and still have the ability to use new
hardware without spending a week writing your own drivers.

However, my digressions delay my point. Having doubts about
new ideas that come by the way of Microsoft is always in my
nature, but this antispyware initiative is a step in the
right direction. But! common sense and a general air of
caution whilst surfing through your internet game, porn, or
p2p software sites downloading every little knick-nack in
sight is still the best defense.

In addition to my normal 7:00am-4:00pm (flex time) work
hours I also do freelance networking for friends of friends
.. Now, spyware removal and windows performance tweaking is
not my problem, or job. I network existing and new
computers I build or purchase for use in small to medium
businesses. However, when you are trying to get a computer
working on the new network and removing any evidence of the
horrific abortion that was their networking solution
before I was hired and it takes 15 minutes for Internet
Explorer to bring up google.com on a 3.4Ghz P4 w/ XP Pro
then it is sometimes a neccesity. Being paid by the hour
for this stuff above and beyond my work salary is a good
thing, and I always welcome more money. But when I don't
get to see my wife for 3 days because I was stuck removing
porn bots and GAIN and every other peice of scumware just
to do a simple internet sharing tcp/ip network for 20
computers just irritates me to no end. I hide a gammet of
anti-virus and spyware tools on the SD data card in my
digital camera that I bring everywhere just because this is
getting out of control.

I'm also trying to fit in some part-time graduate work and
I need to disinfect the school's lab computers just to do
my work.

If microsoft keeps antispyware free it will beat out Spybot
S&D. It should also be included in a Windows XP Service Pack.

But all the protection in the world for your OS is nothing
compared to actually taking a nanopsecond to stop and think
about accepting that ActiveX control.

 

[Bob Dietz]

But all the protection in the world for your OS is nothing
compared to actually taking a nanopsecond to stop and think
about accepting that ActiveX control.

For all but XP SP2, you'll never even be prompted unless you've changed
IE's default settings.