| What I Told the FTC about Spyware... Hi All:
We've talked about the upcoming workshop on spyware being hosted by the FTC:
»Tired of being hijacked? TELL the FTC!
»Telling the FTC About Spyware: A Few Tips...
»Lop.com Goes to the FTC
I've finally submitted my comments on the problem of spyware. You can download these comments and supporting documents in PDF format. That PDF document contains three documents: my comments themselves as well as two supporting documents:
Comments to the FTC (w/ supporting documents)
»www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/elh-comments.pdf (1863 kb)
Since one of the docs is rather large, I've also split them up for those who might want to view them one-by-one:
Comments to the FTC
»www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/ftc-comments.pdf (53 kb)
Junkware: A New Name for Spyware
»www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/junkware.pdf (29 kb)
The Anatomy of a Drive-by-Download
»www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/dbd-anatomy.pdf (1782 kb)
The FTC is still taking comments from the public on this topic, and I would encourage folks to take a bit of time and tell the FTC about a problem that we deal with here every day. See the link on this page for submitting comments:
»www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spyware/index.htm
Of course, I'm always happy to answers questions about, comments on, or criticisms of the documents that I submitted to the FTC.
Best,
Eric L. Howes |
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 hpguruCurb Your DogmaPremium
join:2002-04-12 | This is excellent!  |
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| reply to eburger68
Impressive work, Eric. |
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CrankyKris
join:2003-09-23
Hot Springs National Park, AR | reply to eburger68
I read every word. Great stuff! I hope the FTC is as impressed as I am with your documents. Thanks for taking the time to write all that for them (and us).
CrankyKris out. |
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TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ | reply to eburger68
Truly amazing. We can only hope the FTC can grasp the importance of the issue. Hopefully, some of them have experienced it first hand. Nothing more inspirational than first hand knowledge. And when those types feel it, they react with a bit more urgency. GREAT JOB!!!
I have posted a link for this thread, so all on my little MSN security site can read, and also in another MSN community I have as well.
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Remember............You can NEVER be OVERPROTECTED!! |
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 jeisenbergNew Year's Eve
join:2001-07-06
Windsor, ON | reply to eburger68
That was some novel you wrote, but very informative. Hopefully, the FTC will be sending some heavy-weights to these hearings, and not just some flunky meant to appease the public. |
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 John2gQui Tacet ConsentitPremium
join:2001-08-10
England | reply to eburger68
Thank you, Eric.
I hope others follow your lead. |
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 jig
join:2001-01-05
Hacienda Heights, CA | reply to eburger68
your web site is very nice. |
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1 edit | reply to eburger68
Eric, that is one very important, and great piece! I hope that the complete lack of Vendor response in »Vendor Views On Upcoming FTC AntiNastie Hearing , was not indicative of such non-response to the FTC workshop. Thank you very much for your perseverance and all of your work! |
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pslossPremium
join:2002-02-24
Alpharetta, GA | reply to eburger68
Thanks for sharing these documents, Eric. They are outstanding references.
Philip Sloss
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Feedback? e-mail: stuff@lupwa.org |
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 markwp2001SpreadheadPremium
join:2002-05-25
Long Beach, MS | reply to eburger68
Eric, just read the "Comments to the FTC", and would like to say "well done." You did a great job presenting your case.
As I finished your comments, I realized that I was familiar with almost everything you presented. And then I realized that I knew these things because I have been here on this forum daily for two years, earning my "Dslreports Diploma." Your points about average users not being able to manage the spyware problem are spot on.
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Widespread Panic - when only the best will do ... |
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| reply to eburger68
Excellent response. I've used your IE Spyad lists for quite a while now on my and my relative's and friend's PC's.
Great work!
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63-17 |
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Bob142
join:2001-03-28
Benicia, CA | reply to eburger68
Great job Eric,
Bob |
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| reply to Bobby_Peru
Bobby:
You wrote:
said by Bobby_Peru:
I hope that the complete lack of Vendor response in »Vendor Views On Upcoming FTC AntiNastie Hearing , was not indicative of such non-response to the FTC workshop.
I do know that a number of vendors will be going to the workshop, so the anti-spyware folks will be represented. I would hope, though, that more choose to submit comments.
Thanks to the rest of you who read my comments and responded here. I don't expect that this workshop will in and of itself lead to strong action, but we just may be able to get people in Washington to sit up and take notice of a problem that's affecting far too many innocent users.
Best,
Eric L. Howes |
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BPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | Thank you Eric!
Obligatory link to the rather flattering DSLR front page news story at »The Coming Spyware Storm
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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 Lorne8Premium
join:2002-02-10
Fort Worth, TX | reply to eburger68
Dude, you rock. I'm holding my lighter up in the air.  |
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 HawkPremium
join:2003-08-25
La Quinta, CA | reply to eburger68
excellent reading! thanks for the file split as well |
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1 edit | reply to eburger68
It's nice to know someone like you exists in this day and age. Thanks a million, and I hope the FTC finally sees how wicked Co. like gator and others are. |
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 Doctor FourMy other vehicle is a TARDISPremium
join:2000-09-05
Dallas, TX | reply to eburger68
I read that Mike Healan of SpywareInfo is going to be at
the hearing, and he is going to push for laws that put the
makers of homepage hijacking spyware where they belong -
in jail:
said by SpywareInfo Spyware Weekly, March 17, 2004:
I want the people who create and distribute these trojans to go to jail. I want the companies that advertise on their sites to be fined. I want the web hosts who allow their customers to operate this way to be closed down. I intend to see to it that the people behind coolwebsearch.com, lop.com, xupiter.com and others like them are classified as the criminals they are. This is my new crusade; and I'm not giving up until it happens.
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"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. |
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 richtigMusic Is EmotionPremium
join:2003-02-19
Australia | reply to eburger68
This is extremely well done, Eric. Thank you for the enormous amount of time you must have spent on this.
I note something for comment. You say, at one point,
"Junkware" is often distinguished from other (more traditional) forms of malicious software such
as viruses, trojans, and worms by the fact that, in most cases, the user clicks through a EULA
(end user license agreement) at some point -- by contrast, no virus will ever ask you to agree to a
EULA.
My question is, why not? Another level of deception could easily be added here, with viruses and worms being included with the junkware. Indeed this might not be ostensibly intentional - the junkware may be infected, and the purveyor might try to claim that they were unaware of the infection.
Perhaps this is hypothetical, but I suspect this is happening already. My apologies, if you covered this elsewhere in you document and I missed it or, indeed, I am just right off beam here.
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The world's most expensive watch can't tell the time at the North Pole! |
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