Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 10099
Berkeley CSUA MOTD
 
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2024/12/25 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
12/25   

2003/9/6-7 [Computer/SW/Virus] UID:10099 Activity:moderate
9/5     Speaking of spyware, what's the easiest way to get rid of the many
        (30+) spywares I have on my machine?
        \_ Ad-aware has worked for me, though others have told me there are
           better programs.
        \_ reformat and nuke 'em all from orbit.  it's the only way to be sure.
        \_ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,978170,00.asp
           I recommend SpyBot
        \_ Spybot Search n destroy.  donationware
2024/12/25 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
12/25   

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2011/11/8-30 [Computer/SW/Security, Computer/SW/OS/Windows] UID:54218 Activity:nil
11/8    ObM$Sucks
        http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms11-083
        \_ How is this different from the hundreds of other M$ security
           vulnerabilities that people have been finding?
           \_ "The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an
               attacker sends a continuous flow of specially crafted UDP
	...
2011/3/31-4/20 [Health/Disease/AIDS, Health/Disease/General, Computer/SW/Virus] UID:54067 Activity:nil
3/21    what are these virus phages? Can they be repurposed?
        \_ are you <b>insane?</b> you really want to start messing with
           recombinant <ul>rna</ul> crap when we don't even understand
           the normal virus lifecycle?
	...
2009/5/7-14 [Computer/HW/Laptop, Computer/SW/Virus, Computer/SW/OS/OsX] UID:52968 Activity:nil
5/7     Help, I think something's wrong with my network setting. I'd go to
        a web site, and then it would say "cannot find address". Then I'd
        reload again, occassionally 3 times, to load the page. Is this
        due to DNS being too slow, TTL setting, or something else?
        \_ windows mac or linux ?
           \_ windows (company issued laptop, no alternative)
	...
2009/4/12-20 [Computer/SW/Virus] UID:52844 Activity:nil
4/11    Is there a spyware detector that is free and can scan networked
        drives? Neither AdAware (free edition) nor SpyBot S&D have this
        feature, and I'd prefer to not pay AdAware Pro a penny until
        there really isn't any other alternative.
        \_ How about SuperAntiSpyware?
           \_ Just tried that, no luck :( They let you add remote drives
	...
2008/12/2-6 [Computer/SW/Apps, Academia/Berkeley/CSUA/Motd] UID:52140 Activity:kinda low
12/1    Just curious -- what do you guys generally use soda for? Why do you
        log on? Personally, I use it to keep a presence on IRC and AIM/gTalk
        at all times, and mess around with some Python programming (been
        setting up Twisted and such so I can play with making an irc bot).
        --toulouse
        \_ I use it to post SHIT, er, I mean, spill my guts about the company
	...
2008/4/7-12 [Computer/Companies/Google] UID:49677 Activity:nil
4/7     Google searches spread spyware and hijack your PC to spread spam.
        http://www.csua.org/u/l8b
        \_ very poor understanding and description of the technical issues.
           Google isn't involved.  -tom
           \_ 'Google issued a statement saying it is helping affected
              websites fix the problem and is also developing new tools "to
	...
2008/3/4-7 [Computer/SW/Virus] UID:49325 Activity:kinda low
3/4     Hi, what's the best free anti-virus software for XP?  What about
        anti-spyware?  Currently I'm using Active Virus Shield and Spybot.
        Thanks.
        \_ I've used: avg, spybot s&d, adaware, trend micro's housecall.
           \_ Does Spybot S&D protect Firefox?  It soulds like the injection
              feature only supports IE.
	...
Cache (4445 bytes)
www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,978170,00.asp
According to a recent report from research firm GartnerG2, more than 20 million people have installed adware applications adware being a type of spyware that reports back on a subjects activities to serve up targeted advertising, and this covers only a portion of the spyware on the loose. Companies like DoubleClick use small files called cookies to track you online. Others, like WinWhatWhere, sell key loggers, which let others see your every keystroke. Trojan horses like Back Orifice and NetBus let hackers not only track your behavior but even take control of your PC. As Marc Heatherington found, spyware can reach your PC without your knowledge or explicit approval. This is always the case with ad cookies, yet another spyware subclass. More worrying are applications like Xupiter that install themselves on the sly. Trojans and certain key loggers weasel onto your system in much the same way. And of course, anyone with access to your machine can install a system monitor. Josh Libermanthe president of Net Sciences, a New Mexico business networking companyconstantly encounters spyware. I have never sat down at a client PC and not been able to pull spyware off of it, he says. Though he typically finds 20 to 30 spyware-related files, folders, and Registry values, one system at an Albuquerque law firm yielded over 300. In all likelihood, however, you willingly installed much of your spyware yourself when downloading another application. Most file-sharing servicesNapster-like tools for trading MP3s and other files across the Internetare bundled with spyware. Thats how file-sharing vendors make money while not charging for their products. It can learn user names, passwords, credit card numbers, addresses, and so on, to help fill in online forms. But it sends information about you, your computer, and your online behavior to Gators Web site. With ad cookies from a company like DoubleClick, you may not have lost much, but there are circumstances in which cookies can be used against you see our Reader Surveillance Report . According to Xupiters privacy policy, the company records more, including Web log information, IP addresses, browser type and versions, screen resolution, time zone, and version numbers of some software installed on your computer. Gator claims not to collect IP addresses, but it gathers what software is on the personal computer, your first name, country, and five-digit ZIP code, and more. The added danger is that these companies will pass this information on. When you first read Xupiters privacy policy, you might think the company closely guards the data it gathers. Only employees of Xupiter and its licensor will be authorized to have access to this information, it says. The threat posed by key loggers, system monitors, and Trojans is even greater. A key logger can record anything you type, including your passwords, e-mail messages, real-time chats, and credit card numbers, and can even spy via Webcams attached to your PC. This information can be stored locally or silently sent out via e-mail. State and federal antihacking statutes say that without a contract, no one is allowed to deploy this sort of software. With certain types of spyware, howeverfor example, file-sharing services like Groksteryou actually agree to a contract. Theres a long list of terms and conditions you must accept on installation; DoubleClick, for example, doesnt explicitly ask to load its ad cookies, but its partner sites privacy policies explain the process. That best way to protect against spyware is to run an application that identifies and removes it. Here, we review nine software packages that sweep away everything from cookies to adware to Trojans. Their developers have identified hundreds of spyware files, folders, and Registry keys and search for them on your hardware, offering to remove them when they turn up. Even if you locate spyware on your own, manually deleting it is difficult. Some spyware includes tricklers, which reinstall files as you delete them. An antispyware program is more likely to be able to eliminate the offenders. Like virus developers, Internet spymasters race to stay ahead of removal productssuccessfully, it seems, for the moment. Not one product we tested here measured up to even the basic standard that antivirus apps must meet. And since many are free or offer free scanners, we recommend you at least scan your system to find out whats really on your PC.