My Spyware Program Creates New Problem ?

[DavidTHR]

attn: Computer People --

I just ran for the first time a new spyware detection program, and it found 8 spyware programs (now blocked).

I have a new problem after running the spyware program: I now have these obnoxious ads popup out of the blue right in the middle of my screen. On the bottom of these ads it says "not sponsored by the website you are visiting."

I have my regular AOL popup blocker on, so how do I stop this new type of popup ads?

Thanks.

 

[sithjedi333]

which program did you install?

not all antispyware programs are legit. some simply install more spyware.

try the following, they are all free. i use all of them
cwshredder
ad-aware
spybot search & destroy
grisoft avg
spywareblaster
zonealarm

hope that helps.

 

[gregw]

What spyware program are you running? There are a few "Trojan" programs out there that advertise themselves as spyware, but are actually released by the spammers out there.. The good spyware programs I know are: Ad Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy and Zone Alarm.

 

[DavidTHR]

This is a legit program: AOL Spyware program (downloaded directly from AOL).

 

[AW]

I am using Spybot and it is working extremely well.

 

[turbodog]

[ QUOTE ]
DavidTHR said:
This is a legit program: AOL Spyware program (downloaded directly from AOL).

[/ QUOTE ]

That doesn't mean that it's not the cause of your new popups. Personally, I consider aol to be spyware.

Try ad-aware. Quick, free (for home users), and NO ads/spam/etc.

 

[3rd_shift]

A..hole On Line has had a history of being adware/spyware that people actually paid for.
You may also need Hijack This and..
Tell ya what... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
There are 2 good spyware threads I know of here that will really show you the way.
In the search link below the cpf "buttpill" and adbar, enter spyware
Good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Icebreak]

I think that program is probably Eliminator.

I would never use AOL. A few years ago it was well known for hosing up your machine and being difficult to uninstall. I don't know if it still is but I know thier customer list was sold to spammers.

Like others said, run Adaware first, then Spybot S&D and you'll probably find the problem. If that doesn't do it HijackThis will find it. If AOL's program is Aluria's Spyware Eliminator, I'd be a little surprised if it is the problem. Remember it is for spyware and adware. If a trojan, keylogger or hijacker got in you'll need the aforementioned tools.

*EDIT* Ask for help on HijackThis if you need it. It allows you to edit your registry so be careful.

 

[kenny]

I now have more than 6 separate spy/addware programs, Norton Utilities and anti virus, hijack this and I still got crap on there I can't get rid of. The pay programs are maybe marginally better at finding them, but not appreciably better at elliminating them. I've been fighting this for weeks and am chapped beyond belief! I feel your pain!

 

[cy]

kenny, you may want to look here. Anti-spyware (test guide) It's kind of a long read, but worth your time.

 

[Haesslich]

One more suggestion - use something that doesn't run on IE to browse with most of the time, especially sites which have a lot of ads on them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

ActiveX is a complete and utter security disaster, most of the time - putting firewalls and spyware-killers on your PC and then browsing afterwards with IE is rather like buying security systems for your house but then leaving the door open and unlocked when you head out for the evening. Use it when you need to, but be aware that a lot of the spyware programs you see WILL install themselves when you're using IE... but not when you're using something not ActiveX enabled. Since I began browsing with Firefox exclusively I've only had to worry about cookies, if that - no CometCursor, no CoolWebSearch, no VX2.

I try to use IE as little as possible, and that's helped my computer immensely. Also, stick with the few big names - Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D, maybe Spysweeper. Virtual Bouncer and several of the other ones that are pay for use are worse than most of them - one of them saw the Windows driver catalog as spyware, according to the PCWorld review. :P

 

[DavidTHR]

Thanks for the info.

I downloaded Ad-Aware -- and the pop-us are gone (for now).

 

[Al_Havemann]

If your getting a lot of pop-ups, their coming from an advertising site. The problem with pop-up killers is that they only stop the pop-up from displaying, you still really get the ad and their using your bandwidth without permission, slowing everything else down as a result.

In an effort to control advertising and spyware, I spent considerable time assembling a HOSTS file from various sources. Many are my own observations, gathered over time and others came from the WEB. At this time, I think this is about the most comprehensive list of advertising and spyware sites assembled; there are more than 18,000 sites in the list.

When a Hosts file is present on a local machine and an application (browser, etc) attempts a site connect, it makes a system call for DNS lookup. If a site Domain Name is in the Hosts file then the IP address listed in the Hosts file is the address used and there is no access to an external DNS server. If the address happens to be 127.0.0.1 (loopback) then the pop-up, adware, or re-direct fails. This is better than just blocking the information since it doesn't use any of your precious bandwidth, just takes a look at the local machine, finds nothing and gives up.

Blocking url’s in the hosts file is better than a pop-up blocker since it uses no bandwidth at all, but it's not a cure-all, you'll probably have to fiddle about some (add or delete) to fine tune the file. As it stands, it will block most of the major advertising sites out there, but it's a sure thing that there will be some entries that may block something you need and you'll find some addresses I missed.

For the most of our users at our office, this file works fine, add a pop-up blocker and run SpyBot from time to time and it should keep things pretty much in control. Just be aware that if something you expect doesn't display, the Hosts file may contain an entry that needs to be modified or removed. It's for certain that there will be plenty more that need to be added as time goes by.

If anyone is interested, I can send the host file and an excel spreadsheet version of it that I use for maintenance alone with some installation instructions. Just PM me a request with your email address.

Al

 

[asdalton]

I spent several hours over the Thanksgiving weekend removing spyware from my aunt's computer. The operating system had become so slow that it was nearly unusable, and I almost had to wipe their hard drive and reinstall everything. A major contributor to this problem was one of my younger male cousins, whose lack of knowledge of Internet security is matched only by his penchant for porn sites. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

Fortunately, I was able to download and run Ad-Aware. I found and removed a stunning 1,270 items--including several memory-resident processes and several hundred registry items. I ran Spybot S&D afterwards and found a handful more.

 

[3rd_shift]

Mozilla firefox browser seems to have stopped all incoming spyware on mine so far.
Very smooth sailing since I got it and started using it.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

[ QUOTE ]

If your getting a lot of pop-ups, their coming from an advertising site. The problem with pop-up killers is that they only stop the pop-up from displaying, you still really get the ad and their using your bandwidth without permission, slowing everything else down as a result...

[/ QUOTE ]

I use a privacy service that provides a proxy that filters out ads, pop-ups and many other types of malicious code. The mail package, proxies, webspace, and many other features cost only $5.95 a month.

If your computer is 'mission critical' to you or you resent being ripped off of the hours and hours spent futzing around trying to clean up these messes, $5.95 a month is pretty reasonable.

PM me for a link if you're interested.