Sentinel
Premium
join:2001-02-07
Florida
|  MS Anti-Spyware setting?
I use hpguru's hosts file and everytime I run MS Anti Spyware it tells me that my hosts file has changed. It changed because I updated it.
Is there a way to tell MS Anti Spyware that the hosts file is OK and set it to accept the current hosts file but if it changes from this point forward to let me know?
I see there is an "ignore" feature but that only tells it to ignore for this time only. I would like to tell it to ignore from now on unless the hosts file changes. |
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pandora
Premium
join:2001-06-01
Outland
 ·ooma
·Future Nine Corpor..
 ·Comcast
| I'm not sure that would be a good idea. If something comes along which maliciously changes your hosts file, you could regret not having the anti-spyware catch it.
--
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." |
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klcgator55
@mindspring.co
| reply to Sentinel
I use Bluetack hosts file and my Microsoft AntiSpyware hangs when it is in the latter part of scanning the files. Always about the same spot. So I have to disable the hosts file to make the scan finish. I realize this is not the same problem, but it relates to MS AntiSpyware and the hosts file. |
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Sentinel
Premium
join:2001-02-07
Florida
3 edits | reply to pandora
You are misunderstanding what I am asking for. I do not want the anti spyware program to stop examining any changes to the hosts file. The problem is it catches the same change over and over again. It never updates and realizes that the new hosts file is ok.
Example: MD5 hash in Kerio PF. If the MD5 hash of a given program changes KPF lets you know that it has changed. However it also asks you if you want to accept the new hash as the new default hash to be compared to from now on. So if you update a program it would of course fail that comparison. You would then tell KPF that the new MD5 is "ok" and it would make note of it. Now if that MD5 changed again it would notify you again. If this time you didn't update the program then you would be suspicious.
MS Anti Spyware doesn't do that. I updated my hosts file once and every time MSAS runs it keeps telling me that my hosts file changed. I know my hosts file changed. I changed it. Why doesn't it give me the option to update its record of the hosts file as the new hosts file that is OK and only compare from now on?
The way it is now it tells me that my hosts file changed and I ignore it because that is the same change that was done a month ago. That is bad because if something bad did change my hosts file I would be ignoring it. It needs to tell you if your hosts file changed since the last time the program ran. |
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jmorlan
Hmm... That's funny.
Premium
join:2001-02-05
Pacifica, CA | I think you may have something configured wrong. I change my hosts file periodically. MSAS picks up the change which I allow. After that it doesn't pick up the change any more. |
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Sentinel
Premium
join:2001-02-07
Florida
| Ok, how do you "allow" it? Perhaps that is what I am missing because all I see is "ignore". There is no "allow" and every time I run it it comes back even though I have not updated my hosts file. There is a "ignore always" or something like that but that sounds like it will never gain check my hosts file and I don't want it to do that. |
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jmorlan
Hmm... That's funny.
Premium
join:2001-02-05
Pacifica, CA
 ·Pacific Bell - SBC
| The choices are "allow" or "block." There is checkmark by default in the "Remember this action" box. I just allow the change leaving the box checked. Then it doesn't bother me until next time I change my hosts file |
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Sentinel
Premium
join:2001-02-07
Florida
| Ahh. OK. Perhaps that is the problem because I don't have it running resident all the time. I only use it to scan my machine from time to time. When I do a scan it says the hosts file has changed and it only gives me the options of ignore, permanently ignore or repair so I have to choose ignore and it ignores it but it will say it again next time I run a scan. |
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