UPDATED: September 28, 2004
Okay, I can see that there are a lot of people who don't know what their computer is doing behind their backs. So let me tell you what the deal is and what programs are a must:
Disclaimer: Never install anything or run something unless you know what you're doing / what it is.
First off: Ad Aware of course, http://www.lavasoftusa.com
This will scan and protect your computer from malascious spyware by safely removing it. This program is free, and it is a must. Make sure that you constantly check for updates as new spyware is created daily and the fine people at LavasoftUSA release updates.
Also: Spybot Search & Destroy, http://www.safer-networking.org/
This program does essentially what AdAware does, but is a bit more advanced and includes different features.
Potential question: Which should I download, AdAware or Spybot S&D?
Answer: Ultimately, the choice is yours. I personally feel that both programs compliment each other. AdAware will find items that Spybot wont, and vice versa. They both are powerful tools and can help, and there really isn't much harm in having both.
If you're still having problems...: Check out HijackThis (alternatively, you can Google it if that link is down.) It's a system editor, from the creator of CWShredder. In essence, it's like MSConfig or RegEdit, but it's more adept to search for browser parasites and spyware. It gives you a list of everything from your browser that is either good or bad and let's you choose what you want to keep or get rid of. It also makes backups of everything it changes, and can create a text logfile for analysis by others.
Someone in another forum said it best: "In the hands of an expert, it's an amazing tool. In the hands of a novice, it's less than useful, it's dangerous. So unless you're very, very sure of yourself, never make any changes in HijackThis without consulting others first." Heed that advice.
Sometimes if you have problems, you can run HijackThis and post your log into the post so that people can analyze it and tell you what is good and what is bad if you can't figure it out.
Second: Zone Alarm, http://www.zonelabs.com or Kerio Personal Firewall, http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_home.html
This program protects your computer from unwanted access. For instance, let's say you have zone alarm running, and the gator program you did not know was installed on your computer wants to send information while you are on the internet. What happens is, Zone Alarm will alert you that the program is trying access the internet and you can stop it.
Essentially, Zone Alarm let's you choose what programs can / cannot have access to the internet, thereby stopping spyware from fulfilling its purpose. I reccommend Zone Alarm Pro if you wish to purchase it - It's well worth every penny, and the Pro version let's you block third party cookies, blocks pop-up ads, skyscraper ads, and more.
Zone Alarm is free, while Zone Alarm Pro has a free 30 day trial. This program is a must.
If you are running Windows XP, install Service Pack 2 and enable the built-in firewall. This is a very functional firewall and should do most of the things that ZoneAlarm does (with a few exceptions).
Third: Mail Washer, http://www.mailwasher.net/
What this program does is it connects to your mailbox (even hotmail) and it lets you mark the mail that is spam. It then sends out a message to each of the spammers telling them that they have reached an invalid mail box. This will usually have the spammers remove you from their list and thus save you the issue of having spam mail (or at least reduce that problem.) It's a bit of work at first marking each spam mail, but it can reduce your spam by as much as 80% (I'm saying that from experience). This program is free.
Fourth: Window Washer, http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/windowwasher/index.php
This program will clean your computer of any and all files you have downloaded while browsing the net. Let's say you went to a whole lot of sites where you get hundreds of cookies put on your system. (Cookies are also a form of spyware in many cases.) Well let's say you don't want to keep those cookies, but you do want to keep certain others. Window Washer will let you choose what cookies you want to keep, and it will delete the rest of the cookies from then on. So you can browse the net, log into the New York Times online without any problems after deleting all the other cookies, and feel safe. Window Washer will also clean out your Temporary Internet Files and History, as well as the index.dat file. Now you might be thinking that you can clean out these files manually through IE alone. What you might not know is that the index.dat file in IE cannot be deleted, wiped, or edited under a windows environment. (Index.dat file stores codes of every website you visit.) Window Washer bypasses this lock and safely cleans the file restoring it to the original status that it was. A great part of this program is that it will clean up lots of disk space, and do more than I even mentioned above. This program has a free 30 day trial. (Worth it just for the trial.)
Others have suggested: Tracks Eraser Pro. I have not personally tried this software, but it appears to do the same thing as Window Washer (possibly different, better, or worse).
Now regarding the Kazaa issue. NOTE: Kazaa is no good. Don't install it. Unless you can get your hands on a version of Kazaa Lite from the past (which is being quickly phased out), then use that. Otherwise, find other P2P networks for your legal file sharing purposes. Disregard the following text regarding Kazaa:Kazaa does require the ads and spyware to run. That's why you should never install Kazaa to begin with. Only install Kazaa Lite, or WinMX. WinMX has no spyware and works fine. Kazaa Lite is the exact same thing as Kazaa - it uses the same servers and everything. The only difference is, it doesn't have any of the spyware. You can find Kazaa Lite at http://www.kazaalite.nl/ or at http://doa2.host.sk/ .
Seeing that those links are now dead, and that Kazaa Lite has been killed by those who run Kazaa, it is now difficult to find this program on the internet. However if you search thoroughly you may find the install file. Luckily for you folks out there, hbdragon88 has posted a link for everyone that has all the old versions: Kazaa Lite (All Versions)
For Windows XP SP2 Users
If you are running Windows XP and have SP2 installed:
Right click My Computer and go to Properties.
On the Advanced tab click on the Settings button in the Preformance area.
You should have a new third tab: Data Execution Prevention.
I recommend choosing the "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except thos I select:" option.
What is DEP you ask?
Hardware DEP
The hardware version, is only available on a small number of systems. The idea is that hardware and software work together to protect critical parts of the kernel memory space (stack, heap, etc) so that when a buffer overrun occurs (this does not prevent overruns) the portion of memory that could otherwise be executed is non-executable (this is way over simplified). The idea is to minimize the impact of malicious code.
All the "Palladium" stuff people have been railing about....this is the first part of it.
Software DEP
Third party tools have been around do to this on Windows Systems for some time (StackDefender, Overflow Guard, etc). The idea is that you add software items to the kernel that have various ways of monitoring the memory space to try to prevent overrun execution. This is weaker than hardware DEP but does offer some good protections.
So that is the basics, by default the software DEP in SP2 is on for Windows and its services. You can optionaly turn on DEP for all software (which I recommend), and then exempt any programs you need that happen to fail due to it. The cool thing is when an app fails you will get information about the app and the vendor may already have a fix. The error looks a lot like a dr watson error that you have all probably seen but has a DEP title bar.
This isn't really a trick - it's more of a must-do option if you care about security.
Question: What exactly is spyware, how do I get it, and why do I need to worry?
Answer: Spyware is exactly what the name sounds like. It's software that helps companies spy on you. You see, companies like the Gator Corporation and Doubleclick.net are trying to find out what trends you have on the internet, and what your personal information is. Why would they want that? Well they don't want it - companies want it. So they gather this information through (unfortunately) legal means and then they sell it to companies who then send out advertisements to your email accounts. If they gather enough information they will mail it to you, call your house (telemarketing), and so on. Spyware can cause your computer to go slower, as well as mess with the settings and cause you to have many problems.
Spyware is capable of much more than I have just listed above, so don't take my word on that alone. Be safe when you browse the internet. Here's a few safety tips I think might help some out (they have been listed by a few users in the forum, thanks
)
1. Have a spammail account. I have one, it works perfect. I have a hotmail account that I use to register for any website I want to join, ie: New York Times, CNN, etc.
Only give out your real email to friends, business partners, etc.
2. Before you install anything, read the fine print. There are normally (by law) user agreements for any program you install on your computer. When installing the Divx 5.0 Pro player and codec, you might notice how it tells you that it is going to install the GAIN Network's software (Gator Corporation.) Always know what your'e putting on your computer before you install anything.
3. Browse the net safely. When you visit websites, don't be fooled by silly advertisements. Don't look at porn - those sites are the worst sites when it comes to pop ups and sending unwanted cookies.
____________
How do I know all this stuff? Am I pulling things out of my butt? Am I some sort of certified spyware / internet safety guy?
No. I'm no expert at this. I have done a few papers on hacking and internet privacy and spyware and so I have researched this topic quite thoroughly. There is much more to be said about cookies and spyware, but I think the basics should suffice.
Feel free to post some questions. I don't guarantee I'll know the answer to it, but I will try and help my best.
Okay, I can see that there are a lot of people who don't know what their computer is doing behind their backs. So let me tell you what the deal is and what programs are a must:
Disclaimer: Never install anything or run something unless you know what you're doing / what it is.
First off: Ad Aware of course, http://www.lavasoftusa.com
This will scan and protect your computer from malascious spyware by safely removing it. This program is free, and it is a must. Make sure that you constantly check for updates as new spyware is created daily and the fine people at LavasoftUSA release updates.
Also: Spybot Search & Destroy, http://www.safer-networking.org/
This program does essentially what AdAware does, but is a bit more advanced and includes different features.
Potential question: Which should I download, AdAware or Spybot S&D?
Answer: Ultimately, the choice is yours. I personally feel that both programs compliment each other. AdAware will find items that Spybot wont, and vice versa. They both are powerful tools and can help, and there really isn't much harm in having both.
If you're still having problems...: Check out HijackThis (alternatively, you can Google it if that link is down.) It's a system editor, from the creator of CWShredder. In essence, it's like MSConfig or RegEdit, but it's more adept to search for browser parasites and spyware. It gives you a list of everything from your browser that is either good or bad and let's you choose what you want to keep or get rid of. It also makes backups of everything it changes, and can create a text logfile for analysis by others.
Someone in another forum said it best: "In the hands of an expert, it's an amazing tool. In the hands of a novice, it's less than useful, it's dangerous. So unless you're very, very sure of yourself, never make any changes in HijackThis without consulting others first." Heed that advice.
Sometimes if you have problems, you can run HijackThis and post your log into the post so that people can analyze it and tell you what is good and what is bad if you can't figure it out.
Second: Zone Alarm, http://www.zonelabs.com or Kerio Personal Firewall, http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_home.html
This program protects your computer from unwanted access. For instance, let's say you have zone alarm running, and the gator program you did not know was installed on your computer wants to send information while you are on the internet. What happens is, Zone Alarm will alert you that the program is trying access the internet and you can stop it.
Essentially, Zone Alarm let's you choose what programs can / cannot have access to the internet, thereby stopping spyware from fulfilling its purpose. I reccommend Zone Alarm Pro if you wish to purchase it - It's well worth every penny, and the Pro version let's you block third party cookies, blocks pop-up ads, skyscraper ads, and more.
Zone Alarm is free, while Zone Alarm Pro has a free 30 day trial. This program is a must.
If you are running Windows XP, install Service Pack 2 and enable the built-in firewall. This is a very functional firewall and should do most of the things that ZoneAlarm does (with a few exceptions).
Third: Mail Washer, http://www.mailwasher.net/
What this program does is it connects to your mailbox (even hotmail) and it lets you mark the mail that is spam. It then sends out a message to each of the spammers telling them that they have reached an invalid mail box. This will usually have the spammers remove you from their list and thus save you the issue of having spam mail (or at least reduce that problem.) It's a bit of work at first marking each spam mail, but it can reduce your spam by as much as 80% (I'm saying that from experience). This program is free.
Fourth: Window Washer, http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/windowwasher/index.php
This program will clean your computer of any and all files you have downloaded while browsing the net. Let's say you went to a whole lot of sites where you get hundreds of cookies put on your system. (Cookies are also a form of spyware in many cases.) Well let's say you don't want to keep those cookies, but you do want to keep certain others. Window Washer will let you choose what cookies you want to keep, and it will delete the rest of the cookies from then on. So you can browse the net, log into the New York Times online without any problems after deleting all the other cookies, and feel safe. Window Washer will also clean out your Temporary Internet Files and History, as well as the index.dat file. Now you might be thinking that you can clean out these files manually through IE alone. What you might not know is that the index.dat file in IE cannot be deleted, wiped, or edited under a windows environment. (Index.dat file stores codes of every website you visit.) Window Washer bypasses this lock and safely cleans the file restoring it to the original status that it was. A great part of this program is that it will clean up lots of disk space, and do more than I even mentioned above. This program has a free 30 day trial. (Worth it just for the trial.)
Others have suggested: Tracks Eraser Pro. I have not personally tried this software, but it appears to do the same thing as Window Washer (possibly different, better, or worse).
Now regarding the Kazaa issue. NOTE: Kazaa is no good. Don't install it. Unless you can get your hands on a version of Kazaa Lite from the past (which is being quickly phased out), then use that. Otherwise, find other P2P networks for your legal file sharing purposes. Disregard the following text regarding Kazaa:
Seeing that those links are now dead, and that Kazaa Lite has been killed by those who run Kazaa, it is now difficult to find this program on the internet. However if you search thoroughly you may find the install file. Luckily for you folks out there, hbdragon88 has posted a link for everyone that has all the old versions: Kazaa Lite (All Versions)
For Windows XP SP2 Users
If you are running Windows XP and have SP2 installed:
Right click My Computer and go to Properties.
On the Advanced tab click on the Settings button in the Preformance area.
You should have a new third tab: Data Execution Prevention.
I recommend choosing the "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except thos I select:" option.
What is DEP you ask?
Hardware DEP
The hardware version, is only available on a small number of systems. The idea is that hardware and software work together to protect critical parts of the kernel memory space (stack, heap, etc) so that when a buffer overrun occurs (this does not prevent overruns) the portion of memory that could otherwise be executed is non-executable (this is way over simplified). The idea is to minimize the impact of malicious code.
All the "Palladium" stuff people have been railing about....this is the first part of it.
Software DEP
Third party tools have been around do to this on Windows Systems for some time (StackDefender, Overflow Guard, etc). The idea is that you add software items to the kernel that have various ways of monitoring the memory space to try to prevent overrun execution. This is weaker than hardware DEP but does offer some good protections.
So that is the basics, by default the software DEP in SP2 is on for Windows and its services. You can optionaly turn on DEP for all software (which I recommend), and then exempt any programs you need that happen to fail due to it. The cool thing is when an app fails you will get information about the app and the vendor may already have a fix. The error looks a lot like a dr watson error that you have all probably seen but has a DEP title bar.
This isn't really a trick - it's more of a must-do option if you care about security.
Question: What exactly is spyware, how do I get it, and why do I need to worry?
Answer: Spyware is exactly what the name sounds like. It's software that helps companies spy on you. You see, companies like the Gator Corporation and Doubleclick.net are trying to find out what trends you have on the internet, and what your personal information is. Why would they want that? Well they don't want it - companies want it. So they gather this information through (unfortunately) legal means and then they sell it to companies who then send out advertisements to your email accounts. If they gather enough information they will mail it to you, call your house (telemarketing), and so on. Spyware can cause your computer to go slower, as well as mess with the settings and cause you to have many problems.
Spyware is capable of much more than I have just listed above, so don't take my word on that alone. Be safe when you browse the internet. Here's a few safety tips I think might help some out (they have been listed by a few users in the forum, thanks
)1. Have a spammail account. I have one, it works perfect. I have a hotmail account that I use to register for any website I want to join, ie: New York Times, CNN, etc.
Only give out your real email to friends, business partners, etc.
2. Before you install anything, read the fine print. There are normally (by law) user agreements for any program you install on your computer. When installing the Divx 5.0 Pro player and codec, you might notice how it tells you that it is going to install the GAIN Network's software (Gator Corporation.) Always know what your'e putting on your computer before you install anything.
3. Browse the net safely. When you visit websites, don't be fooled by silly advertisements. Don't look at porn - those sites are the worst sites when it comes to pop ups and sending unwanted cookies.
____________
How do I know all this stuff? Am I pulling things out of my butt? Am I some sort of certified spyware / internet safety guy?
No. I'm no expert at this. I have done a few papers on hacking and internet privacy and spyware and so I have researched this topic quite thoroughly. There is much more to be said about cookies and spyware, but I think the basics should suffice.
Feel free to post some questions. I don't guarantee I'll know the answer to it, but I will try and help my best.
