Have a data miner -- fastclick

[Gary Labowitz]

We have a young lady visiting from France. She has been using my computer. I
just noticed there is a process running a web site media19.fastclick.net.
Checking on fastclick tells me it is a data mining cookie used for target
ads. I am tempted to just leave it until she goes (Sunday) back to France
and then clean up.
Does anyone know if this is dangerous software? SpyHunder seems to think it
can track data entered, like account numbers and SSN. I'm hoping those were
encrypted since I just set up on-line payment with one of my credit cards
and, yes, I had to enter my SSN.
Any info on fastclick would be appreciated.
Gary

 

[Bill Sanderson]

If, when you were working online to the credit card company, you were in a
secure session--https--with the little lock icon--I believe you are fine.

If you go here:

https://www.fastclick.com/v4/safe_optout.go

they will even offer you an optout cookie. I believe this is safe.

This is commercial adware, and you should remove the activex control related
to it, which I suspect Microsoft Antispyware would offer to do if you do a
scan--but I don't believe it is stealing personal information directly.

In general, data entered via encrypted links, which the HTTPS session is, is
secure, except when you have a keylogger in place on your system. Microsoft
Antispyware tries very hard to catch all keyloggers.

 

[Alan]

The wording data miner is misleading.

From
http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid11_gci21
1901,00.html, "Data mining is sorting through data to
identify patterns and establish relationships." What
these types of cookies try to do is find out a users
patterns and target ads specifically for that user based
upon previous web use.

In no way can they find out what data you are entering
onto a web page. The only programs that can do that are
keyloggers. I think this might be a scare tactic on the
part of the company that made the software to induce
people to buy even more products. This is dispicable if
that's what they are up to. If you are using a trial
version of the software, take everything the program
tells you about what things are and what they can do, as
they might be trying to get you to buy the full version
of the software. I can't stand it when companies have to
resort to this absolutely vile advertising scheme to make
money.

Alan

 

[Gary Labowitz]

The wording data miner is misleading.

From
http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid11_gci21
1901,00.html, "Data mining is sorting through data to
identify patterns and establish relationships." What
these types of cookies try to do is find out a users
patterns and target ads specifically for that user based
upon previous web use.

In no way can they find out what data you are entering
onto a web page. The only programs that can do that are
keyloggers. I think this might be a scare tactic on the
part of the company that made the software to induce
people to buy even more products. This is dispicable if
that's what they are up to. If you are using a trial
version of the software, take everything the program
tells you about what things are and what they can do, as
they might be trying to get you to buy the full version
of the software. I can't stand it when companies have to
resort to this absolutely vile advertising scheme to make
money.

Here's the scoop according to SpywareRemove (ENGM on the Nasdac):
Spyware has the ability to install more software in your machine without
your consent. What you are doing on your computer is being watched right
now. There are companies that know you are looking at this page. They know
what you typed to your family, friends and co-workers. They know what you
are emailing to people. They watch your IMs. Hackers are watching to capture
your credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information.

This is in an image, BTW, so you can't cut and paste it. But I type fast!!!

Anyway, they offer a free download. Does anyone know if SpyHunter is worth
trying?
Gary

 

[Bill Sanderson]

http://netrn.net/spywareblog/archives/2004/08/16/spyhunter-revisited/


--

 

[Alan]

This is likely a scare tactic to get you to buy the
program. I watched The Screen Savers, when it was still
on TV, and they showed some of the things that designers
do to make it appear that what you are doing is being
watched, when it isn't. Martin Sargent, one of the
people on the show said he apent money to "fix" a problem
that the pop-up showed them, and Kevin Rose, who did the
segment, said that there was no problem and even showed
how it was done.

For the most part, hackers don't target personal
computers, as they have little to gain by hacking into a
PC without much interesting data to find, and many PCs
use slower Internet connections than most hackers use
themselves. If I wanted to get someone's credit card
numbers, etc. I wouldn't hack into someone's PC, as I
would want to get a lot of these account numbers, and I'd
proably try to hack a company that processes the credit
card transactions, as was done a few months back.

In order for someone to know what you typed in, they
would either have to have a keylogger on your system, or
have hacked your system. For a comapny to do this, it
would be stupid. Anyone involved would go to jail, as
the FBI, the FCC, and even the Secret Service would track
these types of attacks, and trace them back to these
companies. Plus, what do they have to gain, a few
dollars, that's about it!

The only people that know what you are emailing is your
ISP, as they are the only ones that can legally track
your emails. As before, they would need to have a
keylogger on your system or have hacked your system, and
the above paragraph still holds true.

This is advertising at it's sleaziest! Don't believe a
word they have to say! If I were you, I'd email them and
tell them that they are a bunch of slimballs, and that
you don't want to have them send you anymore emails about
their products!

Alan