Broadband Tech > Security > Security > Hosts file in Spybot

Hosts file in Spybot

To answer the last part of your question, one way to gauge how up to date a hosts file is would be to verfy the hosts via DNS. I use a program called CIP for this purpose to filter out defunct hosts.

CIP is nolonger available as standalone freeware but you may be able to find a copy of the free version.
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"My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober." - G.K.Chesterton

reply to R2
I have the CIP program, but using it on the Spybot Hosts file would defeat the purpose of the Hosts file in this case. CIP will resolve all the unwanted site URL's to their correct IP address thereby allowing those same sites that the Hosts file is intended to block.

said by Exidor:

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I have the CIP program, but using it on the Spybot Hosts file would defeat the purpose of the Hosts file in this case. CIP will resolve all the unwanted site URL's to their correct IP address thereby allowing those same sites that the Hosts file is intended to block.

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reply to R2
Well needless to say , after using CIP you have to replace the real IPs with the localhost address. I can do that in under 10 seconds using UltraEdit. The whole idea is that after several CIP runs any host that still has an address of 127.0.0.1 is either dead or down and can be removed. I usually move dead hosts into a separate file and verify them again a few days later in case some of them were down the first time around.
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"My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober." - G.K.Chesterton

reply to LowWaterMark
I believe that Steve tries to do that with his Hosts file updates.

Does anyone have Spybot and can they post the Hosts file? Or at least tell us if it is just one of Steve's files? Thanks.

reply to R2
Spybots hosts file is named hosts.sbs and is located in Spybots Includes folder.

reply to R2
BTW I haven't downloaded to be sure it but this may be the old freeware version of CIP.

»www.webattack.com/get/cipfree.shtml

reply to hpguru
Excellent. Now, if someone can compare that file to Steve Martin's.

reply to hpguru
Sorry, I misunderstood the intent of using CIP in this instance.
I will try that myself.
Thanks.

reply to R2
One last note about using CIP - I don't recommend running it often on large hosts files as it will stress your ISPs dns server(s) and may look like an attack from their perspective.
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"My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober." - G.K.Chesterton

reply to jaykaykay

said by jaykaykay:

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Excellent. Now, if someone can compare that file to Steve Martin's.

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reply to R2

Perhaps spybot's hosts file is more focused on sites that are known to be in spyware business and not necessarily sites that are simply used to serve ads?
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You can catch the Devil, but you can't hold him long.

reply to R2
Well, it will be interesting to see what you people find out regarding dead entries in Spybot's Hosts file because: 1. It looked impressive in one regard. I did a match between it and my current Hosts file (a combo of SMartin's and an older Hpguru file) and the Spybot file had 3,306 entries that I didn't already have in mine. However, 2. I started spot checking entries - 30 of them from throughout the file, and found 23 of them were not valid. Not a great percentage so far.
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Use the most powerful combo Firewall/AV/AT package available - "Common Sense" - It can be upgraded daily!

reply to R2
hmmm Intresting one problem is that their are so many different sources of HOSTS file and each has some extra or different enteries, what would be really nice if Spybot or someone else would collect them and stick all the valid enteries into a hosts file and then update it.

said by Khaine:

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...what would be really nice if Spybot or someone else would collect them and stick all the valid enteries into a hosts file and then update it.

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said by hpguru:

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That is exactly what we have been doing at Arne's Proxo Board for several months.

»asp.flaaten.dk/proxo/hosts.txt

I'll be doing a validated update within the next week.

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said by Khaine:

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(waay back at the Atguard User Forum )

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reply to hpguru
hpguru - I would be interested in finding out if Martin's list is generally valid. Steve is a member here and I remember him saying that he does try to validate the sites every so often. Obviously, keeping the list 100% up to date with over 13,000 entries would practically be a full time job...

However, it would be nice to see someone post a 'validity index' report on the various Hosts files. Something like:

Martins 90% valid
Spybots 85% valid
Hpguru 100% valid