Spyware it's getting worse

[The PIT]

This stuff is getting worse and even better most spyware removal tools and virus companies are getting left behind.

Had one laptop that took two days to clean up. First sympton soon as you connect it too the internet Sex Explorer pops up.

Install Ad-Aware, Spybot, hijackthis and Giant Anti Spy. Update Mcafee. Copy service pack 2 across onto hard drive.

Disconnect from the internet and run all the programmes making sure system restore is off.

Clean all the crap off and install sp2.

Reboot and check all the services. Zesoft which seems to be some peer too peer software/spyware disable that and remove zeta.exe.

Reboot again and connect to the internet Sex Explorer pops up.

Disconnect and rerun all the spyware tools again. Remove a little more crap Bargin buddy which has re-appeared.

Reboot the machine and the services have been disabled!!!!

Turn them back on scan again machine clean. Hold winmplayer is a nasty.

Open a dos window 16 bit system error.

Discover autoexec.nt has been deleted.

This spyware doesn't want you hunting it down does it. Copy a new version across. Dos Window and delete winplayers.exe.

Empty recycle bin and restart all the services disabled again.

Re-enable them and scan machine again. Everything is so called clean.

Download mwav.exe from Kaspersky. Let it run it doesn't clean but it tells you some more nasties.

Bargin buddy is still there so I kill the few remaining executables and dll's.

Reboot connect to the internet no more sex explorer and everything seems okay.

Reboot the machine and try it several times nice and clean.

In the meantime another laptop comes in. A friend annopunces it clean I switch it on and sex explorer pops up. Kill the first suspects striaght away after restoring autoexec.nt .

Disabling all services and the Dos window is a new one.

[schmosef]

I had a lot of success with Adware Away. I recommend adding it to your arsenal.

[The PIT]

I've got loads already. CWShredder, Kill2me and about eight others. It's getting daft . Is this free????

[schmosef]

It was when I used it. Haven't needed it in a few months. I expect it still is.

[Helevitia]

After reading this thread, I realized I hadn't run Ad-aware in a while so I just ran it. It had been 41 days. It only found 5 things. I give the credit to switching to Firefox.

[DirtFarmer]

Agreed. Spyware is getting out of control. Curious kids and their curious clicking . We are getting to the point where we can't recommend cleaning up, usually by the time they hit our shop they have been scanned with adaware and spybot and AV software and still have nasties. It takes too much time to research each and every different cleanup procedure so we threw in the towel. Back up data. Format/Reinstall OS/configure drivers/ Updates,install and configure internet connection, install configure AV, restore data and have customer reinstall apps/printer drivers etc. At least there is a somewhat common procedure and a flat rate $140 (2hrs labor with data transfer), $105 without. We still can't keep up. And then there's the neverending calls after cause they're missing a friggin icon off the desktop.

[DirtFarmer]

Originally posted by Helevitia
After reading this thread, I realized I hadn't run Ad-aware in a while so I just ran it. It had been 41 days. It only found 5 things. I give the credit to switching to Firefox.

and maybe you should give yourself some credit for paying attention to what you click on.

[schmosef]

Originally posted by DirtFarmer
And then there's the neverending calls after cause they're missing a friggin icon off the desktop.

I hate that! "Where's my solitaire?"

[Jon P. Inghram]

Helped a friend get his system back up after a combined HW failure and malware infestation. Scary part was, Ad-Aware found quite a few mal-ware's using alternate data streams... nasty stuff!

[Helevitia]

Originally posted by DirtFarmer
and maybe you should give yourself some credit for paying attention to what you click on.

Well, I'm sure that is part of it, but with IE, I probably would have had at least 50+ items.

[Technoid]

Spyware is worse than viruses nowdays

cleaning out an virus infected machine is usually fairly simple compared to a spyware infested one

[Dr Mordrid]

Things got so out of control here most of our internet connected systems were running so slow that just browing the internet was getting painful.

Ran all the usual stuff 'til I was blue in the face and still couldn't get rid of it all. I was at the point of going back to zero on all of 'em by overwriting with my Ghost backup sets, but the idea of redoing all my email ets was depressing.

I just gave up and bought STOPzilla for all my systems. Does a great job, even if it does cost a yearly subscription fee, and I didn't have to reinstall a lick. It also watces for spyware etc. in realtime, so doing regular scans isn't necessary.

How good a job did it do? The first time it reported over 600 items

http://www.stopzilla.com

Dr. Mordrid

[The PIT]

Originally posted by Technoid
Spyware is worse than viruses nowdays

Is there really any differance. Really they should all be classed as Viri.

Common factors.

Peer to Peer and Browsing porn sites.

or just

Peer to Peer.

At work we should block peer to peer period. That should reduce some of the rubbish.

[schmosef]

Originally posted by Helevitia
Well, I'm sure that is part of it, but with IE, I probably would have had at least 50+ items.

I was wondering how long it would take for the ubiquitous IE bash.

I use IE 90+% of the time and I haven't done a spyware check on this computer in months. Maybe not since I first built it.

Your post intrigued me so I just ran spybot to see what it would find. 3 cookies. That’s all.

[The PIT]

To be honest with firefox I found it boring doing spyware checks. It finds nothing 99% of time including cookies possibly becuase the spyware tools ain't looking there.

Sitting behind a SPI firewall also made a huge differance and the software firewall cleans up the rest.

Basically it's a case of clean hex where a condom round porno sites is needed and also not sticking your digital finger up the women with the nice .exe.