• How do I update my Ad-Aware Defs?
• How do I scan for Spyware?
• Where can I get Ad-Aware?
• Is Ad-Aware really outdated?
• C|Net review of Ad-Aware 6
• URGENT UPDATE Build 162

(back)This will give you Step By Step Instructions. The buttons you need to press are outlined in Red.

First, open Ad-Aware. Click Check for Updates now.


Then Click Connect.


Press OK if it says new file available.


You are done when it says Webupdate Complete.


And also from any screen, you can click on "Open WebUpdate" icon (globe with magnifying glass).

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by corster
last modified: 2003-02-10 21:17:27

(back)The buttons you need to press are outlined in Red.

First Launch Ad-Aware. Click Start.


A new window will appear. Click Next.


Ad-Aware will now Scan.


The Scan will finish. Click Next.


Check the Spyware you want to remove. DO NOT REMOVE ALEXA AS IT IS PART OF INTERNET EXPLORER. Click Next.


Confirm your selection. Click OK.


You have now Scanned and Cleaned your system with Ad-Aware.

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by corster

(back)You can get it here.

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by corster
last modified: 2003-08-27 20:38:07

(back)No. The Free version of Ad-Aware 6 has been released.

Get it Here

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by corster
last modified: 2003-08-27 20:38:23

(back)Unless you live at the short end of a 2400 baud modem, by now you know about adware. And you probably also know about Ad-aware, one of the first applications built to scan your system for adware and spyware and remove it. Ad-aware's good reputation is well-justified, but the latest version shows more concentration on the aesthetics and less on functionality. After a four-month period of no reference list update, Ad-aware re-emerged at version 6.0 with a sharp new interface and split into Standard (free), Plus, and Professional versions. While the interface is greatly improved, our tests revealed only mediocre functionality.
The sky-blue interface features five buttons. The first two, Status and Scan, lead to the core function of the application. These buttons initiate a scan of your files for adware components. After scanning is complete, the program presents a summary of results, followed by detailed results, where you select exactly which components will be removed. Ad-aware quarantines the files it removes, a nice feature which lets you restore those you didn't really want to get rid of. The third button, Ad-watch, is nonfunctional in the Standard version. The fourth button, Plug-ins, shows you what plug-ins are installed (we found none available at the time of this review). The fifth leads to the help files.

During our testing, Ad-aware missed three major and two minor adware components extant on our test machine; but of the components it did find, it couldn't remove many of them because the files were in use, unlike its competitor, Spybot, which can launch before all drivers are loaded. The adware detection problem could be solved by an updated reference list, as long as the Ad-aware team remains focused on updating it. We also found its scanning to be slower than Spybot. We were pleased to see an auto-update feature, lacking from previous versions. Overall, Ad-aware's hiatus was nothing more than a trip to the beauty salon.

Quoted from here

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by corster

(back)From Spyware Info's Weekly Newsletter on Feb. 22

Here we go again....

I find myself once again forced to warn everyone that using Lavasoft's Ad-aware spyware remover might be dangerous. The last time I sent out a warning against using Ad-aware, it was because Lavasoft had abandoned the existing version (5.83) of their product to work on the new version, and was not going to update it to deal with one of its targets that had mutated dangerously.

Well here we are two months later and the new Ad-aware 6 is still having more or less the same problem as the old. This time the problem effects not one, but three different targets, NewDotNet, CommonName Toolbar, and Webhancer. These three programs install themselves as Layered Service Providers and alter winsock settings. To put it simply, removing any of these three programs improperly means you can kiss your connection to the internet goodbye. The original release of Ad-aware 6 does indeed remove all three of these programs improperly and does break internet access in the process. Lavasoft has released a new build which hopefully fixes this.

If you are running Ad-aware 5.x, remove it. It is obsolete. If you are running Ad-aware 6, check that you have build 162 and not build 160. You can see which build you have by clicking the information button along the upper right of the main screen (screenshot). The new build 162 reportedly fixes this problem as far as NewDotNet is concerned, however I don't know if it corrects the problems related to Webhancer or CommonName. If you need to update your version, you can download it from Lavasoft's download page at »www.lavasoft.de/support/download/

At this point, I would urge everyone to not remove these three programs with any version of Ad-aware until this is sorted out. If you have Webhancer or CommonName, Spybot removes them perfectly. »security.kolla.de/.

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by corster

• Does Spybot Automaticlly Save Backups?
• How do I update Spybot S&D?
• How do I scan my system with Spybot?

(back)Yes it does.

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by corster

(back)The buttons you need to press are outlined in Red.

First, Launch Spybot. On the left click Online. Click Search for Updates.


Check all the Updates. Press Download Updates. The updates will download.


Spybot will restart. You have now updated.

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by corster

(back) The buttons you need to press are outlined in RED
Update your Spybot First! Click here for Instructions.

First, Launch Spybot. Click Check for problems.


Spybot will search. Check the things you want to remove and click Fix Selected Problems.


You have cleaned your system.

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by corster

• What Is Spyware?
• Where can I research Spyware?
• How can I tell if a process is spyware or legitimate?
• Can I submit to this FAQ?

(back)Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer without the user's knowledge which gathers information about that user for later retrieval by whomever controls the spyware.

Spyware can be broken down into two different categories, surveillance spyware and advertising spyware.

Surveillance software includes key loggers, screen capture devices, and trojans. These would be used by corporations, private detectives, law enforcement, intelligence agencies, suspicious spouses, etc.

Advertising spyware is software that is installed alongside other software or via activex controls on the internet, often without the user's knowledge, or without full disclosure that it will be used for gathering personal information and/or showing the user ads. advertising spyware logs information about the user, possibly including passwords, email addresses, web browsing history, online buying habits, the computer's hardware and software configuration, the name, age, sex, etc of the user.

As with spam, advertising spyware uses the CPU, RAM, and resources of the user's computer, making the user pay for the costs associated with operating it. It then makes use of the user's bandwidth to connect to the internet and upload whatever personal information it has gathered, and to download advertisements which it will present to the user, either by way of pop up windows, or with the ad banners of ad-supported software. All of this can be considered theft in the cases of advertising spyware that installs without disclosure.

Quoted with permission from »www.spywareinfo.com/articles/spyware/
Written by Mike Healan

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by corster
last modified: 2002-12-05 19:50:05

(back)A Very good site is http://www.spywareinfo.com/. They have lots of very useful information that can help you,
http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm.
That site has a great index of Spyware.
http://www.simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html also has some interesting info.
http://www.tom-cat.com/tomcat.html is another resource worth looking at.

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by corster
last modified: 2002-12-06 17:07:45

(back)One excellent source of information on "startup" processes is PacMan's Portal's Startups page and Paul's famous Startups Applications List. You might want to use a program called Process Explorer
to look for processes on your computer.

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by corster
last modified: 2002-12-16 11:20:30

(back)Please do!

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by corster

• Is there any way I can check if software has spyware?
• Who are the main purveyors of spyware?
• What are some P2P applications without Spyware?
• Does BBR Have Pop-Up Ads?
• Is it possible to Install RealOne without spyware?

(back)Yes. Go to SpyWareGuide
and enter the name of the software and you can check if it has spyware BEFORE you install it.

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by corster
last modified: 2004-05-09 10:27:00

(back) The biggest culprits in spreading spyware are the popular peer-to-peer programs available today. Bearshare, Kazaa, Imesh, Limewire - all of these products install multiple advertising spyware applications. It's gotten so bad that I now assume all p2p programs bundle spyware unless I've tested them personally.

Quoted with permission from »www.spywareinfo.com/articles/spyware/
Writen by Mike Healan

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by corster

(back)KaZaA Lite
Shareaza
WinMX
eMule

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by corster
last modified: 2003-08-27 20:39:02

(back)NO.
You most likely have a program that includes GAIN. Run Spybot Search & Destroy to get rid of it.
Get It Here

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by corster

(back)Start by installing RealOne (the latest version), and once that's done, go into the options and set all the privacy-related options so they work in your favour. I won't explain these in detail here, because they should be pretty obvious.

Next, set the startup option for "My Library" instead of "web" so the player won't needlessly check the Real website on start. You can find this in the options dialog.

Then do a spyware check using AdAware 6 or Spybot Search and destroy to remove any spyware. Gator may be installed somewhere along the line. Do a search for Gator in the c:\program files\common files directory, as things tend to hide in here and it's a directory most people don't think to look in.

To stop the annoying helper app, go to the c:\program files\common files\real\update_ob and delete the realsched.exe, rnathchk.exe, and realevent.exe files.

Finally, if you want to be extra drastic, stop RealOne from phoning home by creating an entry in the hosts file to point real.com to 127.0.0.1 - I have NOT done this and it seems to work fine without any spying issues.

Now you should be able to use RealOne without any annoyances. It seems to have worked for me over the past few months.

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by MacGyver edited by corster
last modified: 2003-03-25 22:21:14

• I think I have spyware on my system. How Can I Get Rid of It?
• Spybot vs. Ad-Aware

(back)You can download a program called Spybot Search & Destroy here. It is a good search program. It has a major database of what to search for.

You can also download a program called Ad-aware here. Ad-Aware is the pionner of Spyware/Adware cleaning software but lost publicity after they did not update for 6 Months.

Thanks to eastonhockey for portions of this F.A.Q. entry.

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by corster
last modified: 2003-08-27 20:36:53

(back)Both are good programs.

Click here to see a poll from the Security Forum

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by corster
last modified: 2003-02-07 11:01:35

• Is there a way that I can stop spyware from getting on my system?
• Does My Anti-Virus Program Protect Me From Spyware?

(back)Yes. There are a few ways.

One program is called Spyware Guard.
You can download Spyware Guard Here

One program is called Spyware Blaster.
You can download Spyware Blaster Here

There is a program called BHODemon. It can help guard against harmful ActiveX Controls. You can get it here.

Also you can prompt for ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer.
Go to Tools
Internet Options
Security
Slide it to medium.

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by corster
last modified: 2003-03-02 22:14:43

(back)Most antivirus programs do not protect against Adware and Spyware, However some do, one example is Norton Antivirus 2004.

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by corster
last modified: 2003-08-27 20:37:51