Spyware!

flowerchild17 · Feb 7, 2005

Hey guys and gals, I've not been in this forum before but I really need some help. My computer is infected with spyware (had 98 infections when I ran a free online scan...) and I really want to get rid of it becuase its really fucking up my computer... Is there anyway I could get rid of it for free? I'm flat broke and dont have the money for the software.. Is there anything I could find online? I really need to take care of this becuase the thought of not having a computer right nwo freaks me about becuase I'd miss everyone I talk to, and plus I do actually do papers and reports and stuff and I've been been banned from both local libraries... hehe... But please, if anyone can help me at all! Thanks guys...

Juggalo4ever · Feb 7, 2005

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE...045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

NEMISIS · Feb 7, 2005

Free software

Spybot search and destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Virus
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php

soulrebel51 · Feb 7, 2005

I use ad-aware, it's free and works great.... if you download and use Firefox, you will get no spyware.

NEMISIS · Feb 8, 2005

I agree, Firefox is a wise option, I use it too.

boringtree · Feb 8, 2005

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

go get

Zer0_II · Feb 9, 2005

Use firefox as your primary browser instead of internet explorer.

Download Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy. Run both of those as often as you need to. They usually catch what the other one misses. You should notice a considerable amount of difference in the amount of spyware that you are being infected with once you start using firefox instead of internet explorer. Firefox doesn't use ActiveX controls which is what most sites use to install spyware on your system without your knowledge. Internet Explorer by default has ActiveX enabled which is why you get so much spyware when you are using it.

andcrs2 · Feb 9, 2005

flowerchild17 said:

Hey guys and gals, I've not been in this forum before but I really need some help. My computer is infected with spyware (had 98 infections when I ran a free online scan...) and I really want to get rid of it becuase its really fucking up my computer... Is there anyway I could get rid of it for free? I'm flat broke and dont have the money for the software.. Is there anything I could find online? I really need to take care of this becuase the thought of not having a computer right nwo freaks me about becuase I'd miss everyone I talk to, and plus I do actually do papers and reports and stuff and I've been been banned from both local libraries... hehe... But please, if anyone can help me at all! Thanks guys...
Click to expand...

Many free online scans are bogus - they return too many false positives.

Follow the recs in this Thread.
I'll attempt to post a Thread from another Forum with additional info......

LickHERish · Feb 9, 2005

In addition to AdAware and Spybot S&D, I suggest you also get SpyBlaster which actually blocks many spywares from reinfecting your machine. I use all three and they work a charm together.

andcrs2 · Feb 9, 2005

MoreBandwidthPls said:

Isn't the Internet a wonderful place, all those files and information to look up at your fingertips?

Unfortunately, there are some less than honest and untrustworthy people out there, looking to exploit and damage wherever they can.

Whenever you are connected to the Internet, you expose your computer to possible compromise. Industry studies show that an unprotected computer that is connected to the Internet will become infected with some kind of nasty on average within a few minutes.

Wise people take precautions.

For safe computing, you should have the following three classes of protection running whenever you are connected to the Internet to keep nasties at bay:

Anti-virus software

Anti-spyware software

A firewall

It is essential that you keep all three classes running all the time, but only one of each class should be running, otherwise they will trip over and interfere with each other. If you find that one program is not performing to your satisfaction, uninstall it before loading another one from that class.

Anti-Virus: Here is a list of pointers to some of the more popular anti-virus products:
avast! Home - free edition: http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html
Panda ActiveScan - online edition: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/
eTrust Secure Content Manager - Evaluation version: http://www3.ca.com/Solutions/Collateral.asp?CID=53589
McAfee FreeScan - Evaluation version: http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?cid=9435
McAfee AVERT Stinger (kills specific viruses and trojans): http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger
AVG 7.0 Anti-Virus System - Trial Version: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_trial.php
NOD32 - Trial Version: http://www.nod32.com/scriptless/download/trial.htm
Symantec Norton Internet Security - Trialware: http://nct.digitalriver.com/0001/
Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security - Trial download: http://www.trendmicro.com/download/product.asp?productid=32&show=pcprod
Kaspersky Labs - trial version: http://www.kaspersky.com/trials
F-Prot Antivirus - trial version: http://www.f-prot.com/download/home_user/download_fpwin.html
It is important that you keep your anti-virus software up to date, as many new viruses come out each day.

Anti-Spyware: Some of the more popular anti-spyware software:
CoolWebShredder - free version: http://209.133.47.12/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe Run this first, as some nastyware will disable the other anti-spyware products listed below as soon as you install them
Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition - free version: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
Spybot - Search & Destroy - free version: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
Spy Sweeper - free version: http://www.spysweeper.com/spyware-remover-download.html
SpywareBlaster - free version: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
HijackThis! - free version: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/hijackthis.zip Powerful - good for scanning - use fix with caution
Pest Patrol is not recommended for beginners as it has a lot of false positives, including Bearshare itself.

Be aware that not all programs are the same - some are better at detecting and removing certain nasties. You may wish to un-install one and install another as part of the process of finding one that works most aggressively for you. There have been reports of some anti-spyware giving false positives for perfectly good files. Some advertised anti-spyware products are actually spyware droppers, so stick to this list - they have a good reputation.

As always, make sure you get the latest version, and keep it up-to-date.

Firewalls: Some of the more popular firewalls:
Sygate Personal Firewall - free verson: http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm
Kerio Personal Firewall - evaluation version: http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_download.html
Tiny Personal Firewall - trial version: http://www.tinysoftware.com/home/tiny2?la=EN
Outpost Firewall PRO - trial version: http://www.agnitum.com/download/outpostpro.html
Zonealarm: We don't recommend installation of Zonealarm at this stage as it has problems with Bearshare
Microsoft Internet Connection Firewall - included in Windows XP and later.
Some modems & routers have an internal firewall, and this is preferrable to a software firewall - it will need configuration for Bearshare however.

Note that with XP SP2, when you un-install a third-party firewall, the Microsoft Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is re-enabled, and will also need to be configured for Bearshare.

Please refer to the Firewall FAQ for instructions on configuring the firewall for Bearshare. You have to do this for Bearshare to be able to connect through the firewall.

The site where you download the program from usually contains extensive information on installation, use and problem resolution. It pays to have a good read of the instructions as all these tools can be powerful and dangerous in the hands of an ignorant user.

Keeping those nasty critters at bay is an ongoing challenge, and the protection you install needs to be kept up to date to ward off the latest exploits. Some people update their programs on an hourly basis, others weekly - how often probably depends on your bandwidth and how much you can afford to lose if something goes badly wrong. A lot of these programs can be configured to check for updates automatically - it is usually spelt out in the manual or help section.

Keep in mind that Microsoft releases patches and fixes for Windows on a regular basis, and often they are to close security loopholes. It pays to visit the Microsoft Updates site on a regular basis, at least monthly, to check and install the latest fixes.

If you are having further difficulties, please ask. There are many experienced people ready to jump in and offer advice.
Click to expand...

andcrs said:

I have used the following combinations on 98/98se/w2k systems w/o conflicts.

Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus - FREE version:
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5 (Also v6.x/7.0)

Symantec Norton 2001/2002/2003 Anti-Virus

Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition - free version:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

Spybot Search & Destroy/TeaTimer - v1.3 free version:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/ (Be sure to use the 'Immunize' feature.)

SpywareBlaster - v3.2 free version:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html (Be sure to use the 'Enable protection' feature.)

Spy Sweeper - free version:
http://www.spysweeper.com/spyware-remover-download.html
(Many false positives including portions of Bearshare itself.)
(Also v3.0.0.113)

Kerio Personal Firewall - evaluation version: http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_download.html
(Also v4.1.1)

As stated above, maintain the latest version/definitions daily/before scanning.
Click to expand...

.

bud08 · Mar 3, 2005

I've been using the free beta version Microsoft's antispyware and haven't had any problems with it - http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

was wondering of anyone had any problems with it. I know it always a gamble installing a new microsoft product on your system.

of course I've been doing most of my browsing through firefox

Log in or Sign up

Spyware!

flowerchild17 I practice safe sax.

Juggalo4ever KingoftheChubbyGirls

NEMISIS GONE

soulrebel51 i's a folkie.

NEMISIS GONE

boringtree Custom User Title

Zer0_II Member

andcrs2 Senior Member

LickHERish Senior Member

andcrs2 Senior Member

bud08 Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Spyware!

flowerchild17 I practice safe sax.

Juggalo4ever KingoftheChubbyGirls

NEMISIS GONE

soulrebel51 i's a folkie.

NEMISIS GONE

boringtree Custom User Title

Zer0_II Member

andcrs2 Senior Member

LickHERish Senior Member

andcrs2 Senior Member

bud08 Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches