recommend anti spyware

[richard]

I am currently using Ad-Aware but have heard that other anti-spyware
programs can pick up problems that Ad-Aware might miss.

What do you think of Spybot S&D? Or is there something even better?

 

[Kevin]

Spybot Search and Destroy is very good. I use it, as well as Ad-Aware and
Pest Patrol, in combination with my AVG Anti-Virus and Zone Alarm Pro
firewall.

 

[johnf]

Ad-Aware desn't detect Spyware, just Adware. Follow Kevin's advice.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

They are frequently the same thing, unless you are referring to spyware in
the sense of a trojan - in which case no ad/spy program is going to help.
For that type of "spyware", you need an updated antivirus program, and often
times a bit of system editing skills.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I am currently using Ad-Aware but have heard that other anti-spyware
programs can pick up problems that Ad-Aware might miss.

What do you think of Spybot S&D? Or is there something even better?

To deal with issues caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
"spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or KaZaA,
and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without understanding
the consequences) installed, two products that are quite effective (at
finding and removing this type of scumware) are Ad-Aware from
www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
www.safer-networking.org/. Both have free versions. It's even possible
to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system against most
future intrusions. I use both and generally perform manual scans every
week or so to clean out cookies, etc.

Additionally, manual removal instructions for the most common
varieties of scumware are available here:

PC Hell Spyware and Adware Removal Help
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml

More information and assistance is available at these sites:

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

The Parasite Fight
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[richard]

Spybot Search and Destroy is very good. I use it, as well as Ad-Aware and
Pest Patrol, in combination with my AVG Anti-Virus and Zone Alarm Pro
firewall.

Thanks for the advice. Here's a question: I installed and ran Spybot
several times and it got rid of several problems, but one set of
problems (in red) returns each time--five registry files listed under
DSO Exploit. I can't read the entire entries but each begins with a User
key, software, Microsoft Windows.....

Any idea about this or where I could go to find out?
Thanks

 

[Raymond J. Johnson Jr.]

Thanks for the advice. Here's a question: I installed and ran Spybot
several times and it got rid of several problems, but one set of
problems (in red) returns each time--five registry files listed under
DSO Exploit. I can't read the entire entries but each begins with a User
key, software, Microsoft Windows.....

Any idea about this or where I could go to find out?
Thanks

The DSO exploit thing is a known bug in SS&D. Go here to download the
fix: http://tinyurl.com/683qm

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I am currently using Ad-Aware but have heard that other
anti-spyware
programs can pick up problems that Ad-Aware might miss.

What do you think of Spybot S&D? Or is there something even
better?

The combination of the two is good. You might also consider
adding Spyware Blaster and Spyware Guard.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Ad-Aware desn't detect Spyware, just Adware. Follow Kevin's
advice.

Most people use the terms "spware" and "adware" interchangeably,
as synonyms. Both Ad-Aware and SS&D detect and eliminate malware
of this category.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Thanks for the advice. Here's a question: I installed and ran Spybot
several times and it got rid of several problems, but one set of
problems (in red) returns each time--five registry files listed under
DSO Exploit. I can't read the entire entries but each begins with a User
key, software, Microsoft Windows.....

The DSO exploit was patched long ago by IE Cumulative Update
MS02-015, in March of 2002. If you've installed this specific patch,
or any subsequent IE Cumulative Updates, IE Service Pack 1, or WinXP
SP2, you're safe. It would appear that the latest version of SpyBot
S&D is only checking for Internet zone settings in the registry that
could be used as work-around protection, and not for the presence of
any corrective patches. Hopefully, the makers of SpyBot will soon fix
this bug.

MS02-015 March 28, 2002 Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;319182

If you like, you can test your system for this particular
vulnerability at this web site:
http://www.grey.com/security/advisories/gm001-ie/

The makers of SpyBot S&D have acknowledged the problem and will
fix it on their next update:
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=paragraphs&detail=currentfaqs

In the meantime, in SpyBot S&D, click Mode > Advanced > Settings >
Ignore Products > Security > DSO Exploit, to turn off the false alarm.

Some people have reported that the SpyBot Detection rules dated 30
Aug 04, or newer, when used with SpyBot S&D 1.3.1TX, will fix this
problem. However, I've had inconsistent results with that particular
detection update; sometimes it reads clean, then later it will once
again find the DSO problem, and then it will read clean again, all on
the same machine, with no other changes made.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[André Gulliksen]

The DSO exploit was patched long ago by IE Cumulative Update
MS02-015, in March of 2002. If you've installed this specific patch, [snip]
Some people have reported that the SpyBot Detection rules dated 30
Aug 04, or newer, when used with SpyBot S&D 1.3.1TX, will fix this
problem. However, I've had inconsistent results with that particular
detection update; sometimes it reads clean, then later it will once
again find the DSO problem, and then it will read clean again, all on
the same machine, with no other changes made.

I don't think I have ever once made a run with Spybot on an XP system and
_not_ seen the DSO exploit "detected". My latest run was made yesterday with
updated signatures on the computer belonging to an old lady who had some
malware installed on her computer.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

Ad-Aware desn't detect Spyware, just Adware.

Wrong.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
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