eburger68
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-28
3 edits | Informal Adware Risk Survey Hi All:
I've put together a list of 12 items that are typically detected by many anti-spyware programs. I'm curious as to how you, the users of such anti-spyware programs, perceive the potential risks or threat potentials inherent in these detections.
WhenU Save!
Download Accelerator Plus
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
Weatherbug
180search Assistant
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
New.net
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
GAIN OfferCompanion
Hotbar
What I'd like those interested to do is respond to this post. In your response rank the above 12 programs in terms of the severity of the threat to users' privacy and security, with 1 being the most severe and 12 being the least severe, thusly:
1. Program 1 (most severe)
2.
(...)
11.
12. Program 12 (least severe)
I encourage you to copy the list of items from this post (above) and sort/rank them as you deem appropriate. Also, you're welcome to consult online sources, if you wish (this is not a quiz or exam of any sort). Finally, feel free to add notes or explanations to justify your rankings.
Please note that the original list (above) is sorted in no particular order.
In case you're wondering, I'm conducting this informal survey more for my own edification -- to learn how real users actually perceive the potential risks of a range of threat detections.
Best,
Eric L. Howes | |
|
 
CajunTek
Insane Cajun
Premium,MVM
join:2003-08-08
Arlington, TX
 ·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | Re: Informal Adware Risk Survey ABetterInternet (Aurora)
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
180search Assistant
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
New.net
Hotbar
WhenU Save!
GAIN OfferCompanion
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
Note Eric:
These
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
180search Assistant
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
New.net
Hotbar
Could go in just about any order IMHO.. They are all crap and all have some difficulty to remove..
--
Lost in Texas | |
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Biscuit_AB
join:2005-07-17
Calgary, AB
| ABetterInternet (Aurora)
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
180search Assistant
Hotbar
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
New.net
WhenU Save!
GAIN OfferCompanion
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
Just a couple of changes from Merlyn's list. I think one thing that is extremely important in considering risk of various spyware/adware pieces is the relative prevalence of the installers out in the wild. In which case, seems anything by DR is top-of-the-list. | |
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ctrip
Islam is a Religion of Peace
Premium
join:2002-07-16
New Cumberland, PA
 ·EarthLink
| said by eburger68  : I'm curious as to how you, the users of such anti-spyware prorgrams, perceive the potential risks or threat potentials inherent in these detections. Being fairly uninformed about spyware, I never heard of many of the items in your list. I purposely made no effort to learn about any of them prior to making my list. So what you are going to get from me is a list of my (typical oblivious computer user) impressions. I don't think it will be very useful to you but figured I'd throw my 2 cents in just in case you were looking for the general population's impressions, rather than any real information.
1. (most severe)
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
2-11 (don't really know)
WhenU Save!
Download Accelerator Plus
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
180search Assistant
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
New.net
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
GAIN OfferCompanion
Hotbar
12. (least severe)
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
Weatherbug
I placed CoolWebSearch in the most severe category because I seem to remember that there was a specialized piece of software needed it to remove it from computers because a lot of regular anti-crapware software couldn't remove it. This could be wrong but its what I think I remember.
The majority, I placed in my I don't know category (in no particular order) because I have either heard of them (like New.net, Hotbar, and WhenU Save!) and couldn't remember if they were truly bad or were like the things getting downgraded in MSAS and maybe not really so bad. Or I hadn't heard of them at all.
I put Weatherbug in my least severe category because I used it in the past and while it had advertisements...I remember knowing that going in and figured that was the trade off in using the free piece of software. In other words, it was my own choice to install it, knowing about the ads ahead of time.
Finally, I always delete tracking cookies when they show up in my Ad-Aware scans but never really thought that they were harmful.
--
Spread Internet Explorer! - The browser you can trust to not have those annoying Firefox twits pushing it! | |
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fatdcuk
Premium
join:2005-02-20
England
| 1)ABetterInternet (Aurora)
2)CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
3)IBIS Websearch/Wintools
4)New.net
5)SearchMiracle/Elitebar
6)180search Assistant
7)WhenU Save!
8)Hotbar
9)GAIN OfferCompanion
10)Download Accelerator Plus
11)Weatherbug
12)Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
HTH:) | |
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winxp_fin
Premium
join:2003-09-05
Finland
| 1.ABetterInternet (Aurora)
2.CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
3.IBIS Websearch/Wintools
4.SearchMiracle/Elitebar
5.180search Assistant
6.WhenU Save!
7.New.net
8.GAIN OfferCompanion
9.Hotbar
10.Weatherbug
11.Download Accelerator Plus
12.Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
  | |
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mem357
join:2002-05-01
Pizzaland
| I think CoolWebSearch is the worst, most insidious
spyware pest of all. I confess I don't know much about
ABetterInternet or most of the others, but I don't think
they could match CWS for total spyware maliciousness.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, Eric, and thanks for
all you do in the fight against these costly pests. | |
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MapleLeaf
Premium
join:2001-09-04
Burnaby, BC
| 1-2. (Pure Evil)
ABetterInternet (Aurora) and CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
3.
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
4.
180search Assistant and WhenU Save!
5-10.
The rest, except for 11 and 12:
Weatherbug and Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
--
Remember, I'm pulling for you - we are all in this together... | |
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mens rea
Premium
join:2002-01-31
Canada
·Shaw
| CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
New.net
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
180search Assistant
Hotbar
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
WhenU Save!
GAIN OfferCompanion
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
New.net and CoolWebSearch, at least in my limited experience in delousing family and friends computers, (outside of the doubleclick cookie) have been the most prevalent. Depending on which version of New.net inflicts itself upon the user ie whether it appears in the add/remove programs list or not, seems to be reflective of the difficulty of removal. | |
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RobertLudlum
join:2005-01-20
656456
| Like most others here who are relatively security conscious but not involved directly as HJT log helpers, I have not kept up with the exact details of what they all do, but almost all the names are familar. The only one I haven't heard of is IBIS Websearch/Wintools.
As such my impressions is exactly the same as "Your Kung-fu is Not strong". Eg 1. CWS 11. Webbug 12. Tracking cookies 2-10 All others (are they all toolbars except for Newnet?).
I see quite a few people ranked Aurora No 1, I wonder why.
Very common ? | |
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 | 
CalamityJane
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-08-27
Eustis, FL
1 edit | Re: Informal Adware Risk Survey said by RobertLudlum :I see quite a few people ranked Aurora No 1, I wonder why. Very common ? Interesting question! I am a HijackThis expert so I can't answer Eric's survey with an unslighted opinion. But as to your question about Aurora....I can. It is quite common, but more than that, it is the most hated I have seen from all of the victims I have helped. One of my first sightings of Aurora intrigued me to help the young man posting at another forum because the username he had signed up with was: IWishDeathUponDirectRevenue (Direct Revenue aka abetterinternet) Now who could not resist a piqued curiosity on what single malware could cause that much hate? (It was Aurora)
Edit: To clarify DirectRevnue aka abetterinternet
--
It takes a disaster to make a woman out of a female
Gladiator Security Forum
Proud Member of ASAP (Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals) | |
|
jmorlan
Hmm... That's funny.
Premium
join:2001-02-05
Pacifica, CA
·Pacific Bell - SBC
| 1. CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
2. ABetterInternet (Aurora)
3. SearchMiracle/Elitebar *
4. IBIS Websearch/Wintools *
5. 180search Assistant
6. GAIN OfferCompanion
7. Hotbar
8. New.net
9. WhenU Save!
10. Download Accelerator Plus
11. Weatherbug
12. Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
* NOTE: Items marked by a * are just guesses. I have very little personal knowledge of those programs.
I am comfortable with the first two as severe threats and the bottom two as relatively benign. The rest of the pack in the middle could be rearranged, but I ranked the ones near the bottom that I thought could be most easily removed by the end user. | |
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DiscipleMike
join:2003-01-12
Ellijay, GA
| 1. (most severe)
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
2-12 (I don't really have an order preference for these)
WhenU Save!
Download Accelerator Plus
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
180search Assistant
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
New.net
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
GAIN OfferCompanion
Hotbar
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
Weatherbug
--
Mike... For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:18 | |
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Shriyash
Sungazer
Premium
join:2005-02-23
PuNe, InDiA
| Re: Informal Adware Risk Survey said by DiscipleMike :1. (most severe)CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant) 2-12 (I don't really have an order preference for these)WhenU Save! Download Accelerator Plus ABetterInternet (Aurora) 180search Assistant SearchMiracle/Elitebar New.net IBIS Websearch/Wintools GAIN OfferCompanion Hotbar Tracking cookie (Doubleclick) Weatherbug Ditto  | |
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JAE2
@Dial1.Los
| CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
180search Assistant
Hotbar
GAIN OfferCompanion
Download Accelerator Plus
New.net
WhenU Save!
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick) | |
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Doctor Four
My other vehicle is a TARDIS
Premium
join:2000-09-05
Dallas, TX
 ·AT&T U-Verse
2 edits | 1)ABetterInternet (Aurora)
2)CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
3)IBIS Websearch/Wintools
4)180search Assistant
5)SearchMiracle/Elitebar
6)New.Net
7)Hotbar
8)WhenU Save!
9)GAIN OfferCompanion
10)Download Accelerator Plus
11)Weatherbug
12)Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
The first 4 are especially bad, and IMO, Direct Revenue's
crap has now surpassed CoolWebSearch as being the
nastiest adware on the planet.
--
"Kayura or Badamon, whichever you are, you should know that I will never give up this battle. By the will of the Ancient, I shall succeed!" - Shuten (Anubis) from the Ronin Warriors.
To RIAA/MPAA - You can sue but you can't catch everyone! | |
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PA Bear1
Premium
join:2004-06-06
Elverson, PA
| Not putting a lot of thought/research on this:
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
180search Assistant
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
WhenU Save!
GAIN OfferCompanion
New.net
Hotbar
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
--
Robear Dyer, MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE) & Security, Aumha Forums VSOP & Moderator | |
|
Grinler
join:2004-03-31
New York, NY
1 edit | Jane, lets post our answers anyways I would love to see other hijackthis helpers opinions on this.
ABetterInternet (Aurora) (Major PITA)
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant) (This, IMHO, is one of the first hijackers to have viral characteristics with its use of ADS files on legit windows files. Since then we have seen a few more)
New.net (Only higher than searchmiracle/elitebar because of the potential damage a bad uninstall can cause)
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
WhenU Save!
GAIN OfferCompanion
180search Assistant
Hotbar
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
--
Lawrence
BleepingComputer.com | |
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CalamityJane
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-08-27
Eustis, FL
1 edit | Re: Informal Adware Risk Survey said by Grinler :Jane, lets post our answers anyways I would love to see other hijackthis helpers opinions on this. Hi Lawrence! Good to see you here
Ok...twist my arm 
Eric wants to know how we rate them for potential risk and threat. In addition to privacy threats (some of these collect more personally identifiable information than others - so on that alone the list would look different) but I would also have to consider changes to the system, how it installs (stealth or not), annoyance factor to the user (Aurora rates high on that alone), potential to download additional software/malware to a system and difficulty of removal. So this is a tough question. But CWS Homesearch assistant absolutely has to be on the top of my list as pure evil. Aurora, Elitebar and Wintools/Huntbar are kind of all about the same level and mostly evil. Newdotnet as you noted is dangerous because of it's potential to damage the LSP stack in removal (causing loss of internet connectivity)- we've seen a LOT of that. 180, GAIN, & WhenU I lump those together in the next level. Hotbar and Download Accelerator Plus further down the list. The cookie is next to last and Weatherbug is, I think, completely innocent as the newer version doesn't have the trickler and people really enjoy and use the program. I see that about as harmless as AIM
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
New.net
180search Assistant
GAIN OfferCompanion
WhenU Save
Hotbar
Download Accelerator Plus
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
Weatherbug
Edit to add: CWS evil also changes security settings on a system...I could go on and on about that one! - But that alone makes it's intention malicious
--
It takes a disaster to make a woman out of a female
Gladiator Security Forum
Proud Member of ASAP (Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals) | |
|
MoonGoon
@proxad.net
| 1. IBIS Websearch/Wintools
Ever try to kill Wintoolsa? Nasty.
2. New.net
Seen it make XP boot in 125 minutes.
3. CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
So many CWS spyware - so little time.
4. SearchMiracle/Elitebar
A frequent IE hijacker.
5. ABetterInternet (Aurora)
Sounds like a dialer.. evil concept.
6. WhenU Save!
No idea on its potentcy. Very common.
7. 180search Assistant
Same here. Just very common.
8. GAIN OfferCompanion
Anything by Gator is bad.
9. Hotbar
If it hijacks IE, it's bad.
10. Download Accelerator Plus
Just don't do it.
11. Weatherbug
Glad it's being seen as spyware.
12. Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
Don't care about cookies. | |
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Curiosity
join:2001-10-01
Dawson Creek, BC | I am not familiar with all of those things, but CoolWebSearch would be the worst, with the toolbars probably next, and the tracking cookies the least problematic. | |
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| 
ilago
Premium
join:2005-06-28
Australia
·Internode
| Re: Informal Adware Risk Survey 1. ABetterInternet (Aurora)
2. CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
3. 180search Assistant
4. SearchMiracle/Elitebar
5. IBIS Websearch/Wintools
6. GAIN OfferCompanion
7. New.net
8. WhenU Save!
9. Download Accelerator Plus
10. Hotbar
11. Weatherbug
12. Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
I'm a Malware remover on a couple of other forums so I have based my list on that experience, rather than personal experience. I have chosen to install several of these products to work with removal methods.
They are all gross abuse of personal property - your computer. Coowebsearch and Aurora are, to me, in the same class as housebreakers. They have no redeeming features.
However, if you have installed sponsored software then you have a resonsibility to remove the software that was only available through the sponsorship - Messenger Plus! 3, for example, has a sponsor infection, lop.com, that is not in the list above. That is the price of the free software. | |
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Mike_Healan
@bellsouth.ne
 from:
CalamityJane
| ABetterInternet (Aurora)
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
180search Assistant
Hotbar
GAIN OfferCompanion
WhenU Save!
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
New.net
I put them in that order based on how annoying they are, how difficult it is to remove and how often they pop up ads or simply crash the machine. If you had included Virtual Bouncer, I would have put that at the top just for being so annoying. | |
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wng_z3r0
join:2005-06-27
Grand Forks, ND
| ABetterInternet (Aurora)
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
Hotbar
180search Assistant
WhenU Save!
GAIN OfferCompanion
New.net
Weatherbug
Download Accelerator Plus
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
reasons:
1. Nail is a pain in the but to remove, and it causes havoc on computer.
2. wintools. This is kinda tied with CWS, but wintools is so freaking unstable, and the OS suffers greatly from the program
3. Note above comments
4. Elitebar is also a pain to remove. It acts like a rootkit in the sense that it loads itself in the memory so it can't be deleted, and then reincarnates itself.
5. This is kinda a tie with elitebar, but it is slightly easier to remove.
6-8 These are middle of the road crapware. They are pretty much a tie IMO
9 new.net hijacks the LSP chain, making it sometimes dangerous to remove by the uninformed.
10. WB displays popups, and I dont trust the creators
11. DAP is completely harmless, except for a few popups
12. A cookie is... a big yawn IMHO. easy to take care of, and not dangerous
wng | |
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AMD1-1
@65.170.x.x
| Re: Informal Adware Risk Survey all of these items are direct intrusions on a personal computer.
aren't you the one screwing around on the ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES support website that tried to remove something from a compromised computer and you replied that you did not need supervision?
i think you are.
you sure get around. | |
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suzi
Premium
join:2004-05-01
| I'd rate these three at the top of the list, just about tied based on personal experience, having downloaded them for testing, and due to difficulty in removal & pervasiveness with what I've seen in HijackThis logs on SWW. I've never before seen such anger, as CalamityJane noted, toward any spyware/adware as people have expressed about Aurora. There are over 100 angry comments on my blog about Aurora including people posting death wishes and thoughts of violence against DirectRevenue. I've seen some anger toward CWS, but nothing like I've seen toward DirectRevenue (Abetterinternet). SearchMiracle/Elitebar has a nasty habit of hiding and being invisible to detection with usual methods. I've had the second group, too, and though they are extremely annoying, they are not that difficult to get rid of.
ABetterInternet (Aurora)
CoolWebSearch (HomeSearchAssistant)
SearchMiracle/Elitebar
Then, in this order:
IBIS Websearch/Wintools
180search Assistant
New.net
GAIN OfferCompanion
Hotbar
WhenU Save!
Very low risk, about even:
Download Accelerator Plus
Weatherbug
Tracking cookie (Doubleclick)
--
aka Suzi, Spyware Warrior
Microsoft MVP Windows Security 2005 | |
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