INFECTED COOKIES

[boatmoter]

why is it no one has done anything about cookies infected with spyware?? I
even get them from my online banking site.., half of the sites we go to will
not let you on unless cookies is enabled including bank sites,I get 25 to 30
cookies infected with spyware around every 20 minutes of surfing the net. how
is it that this is legal.. I run my spyware program with the settings to
remove infected cookies only,and not scan any other files,which never are
infected.

 

[Dave M]

boatmoter;

Cookies are text files not programs so they cannot be infected. However,
they can be threats to your privacy, if they are tracking cookies. By the
time your scanner detects those cookies they've already done their work.
Microsoft and other browser developers have actually done something about
eliminating third party tracking cookies:
http://privacy.getnetwise.org/browsing/tools/ie6/block3

You don't indicate what "spyware" program your using but here's what Spybot
has to say about cookies:
http://www.spybot.info/en/faq/37.html

Scanning only for cookies and not for any serious threats is the exact
opposite of what most security professionals would recommend. Perhaps
you're just a safe surfer, but are you sure your anti-spyware program is
working correctly since you never get additional threat detections? Maybe
you should test it using a non-malignant threat like Eicar...

 

[Engel]

I've a couple of thoughts:

Dave M has some good thoughts, Boatmoter. In addition to Eicar, you can try
SpyCar for an anti-spyware test, Here:
<http://www.spycar.org/Welcome to Spycar.html>

Top right corner < http://eicar.org>
Please read the instructions

Another thing you can do, expend some quality time reading here:
<http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/search.aspx?=&qu=cookies>


I hope this post is helpful.

Let us know how it works ºut.
- -- ---

 

[Matty]

Not meaning to hijack but I got interested in your Spycar post.

Spycar.org - interesting site but how do you get it to start? Every link
(except the one for TowTruck) on that page ended up with "IE cannot download
.....from...IE was not able to open this Internet site. The requeste site is
either unavailable or cannot be found. Please try again later."

That dialog box is accompanied by either WinDefender or my Nod32 popping up
to remove the danger. No pop-ups from Spybot (have both SDHelper and
Teatimer enable) and Comodo Firewall.

I should be happy that my PC seems to be secure but I wanted to be able to
do the TowTruck part.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Looks like your system is passing the test 100%.

If you want to see what would happen, consider turning off active scanning
in Nod32, Defender, or both, and trying one of the tests.