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Spyware

Spyware is defined as software that is used to obtain information through your Internet connection, usually without your knowledge, which is then used for many purposes, most common being advertisement purposes. Spyware is usually bundled with “shareware” or sometimes called “freeware”. These are programs which you download from the Internet to use on your PC and do not pay for. Generally speaking Spyware is not destructive like Viruses, however it can slow the performance of your PC and Internet connection, especially if you have several different pieces of spyware. This is turn could lead you to believe your PC is getting slow and you need a new one. No one likes to waste money that way!

How to avoid and remove spyware

1. Do not download any free programs from unknown sites. Sites such as Microsoft, Macromedia, WinZip, Adobe and Real Networks, to name a few, would be exceptions to this rule as would other, but not all, big name sites. You really have to use your best judgment here.
2. Do not visit adult oriented sites. Many are loaded with spyware and viruses.
3. Change Internet Explorer to prompt you for cookies. Cookies are files that websites put onto your PC. Cookies are needed for any sites which you log into (like DodgeForum.com) or sites like Hotmail, Yahoo and banking sites. Cookies are also needed at sites where you purchase items online, such as our Sponsors (https://dodgeforum.com/sponsors/) here at DodgeForum.com. In addition some sites, like realty sites, which has a database of homes requires a cookie to allow you to search their database. Instructions for changing your PC to prompt for cookies will be outlined below.
4. Load Microsoft’s anti-spyware program. Be advised, this is a beta program, meaning it is not a fully tested program. Microsoft is still working on the final product, which is likely to be bundled in the next version of Windows which will be called Windows Vista. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
5. Turn on Popup Blocker within Internet Explorer. Within Internet Explorer go to Tools, Popup Blocker and click on Turn On Popup Blocker. If you see Turn Off Popup Blocker then it already is on. If you do not have the Popup Blocker option you need to upgrade your Internet Explorer and Windows, go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
6. If you suspect you have spyware you can download Adware, a program that scans and removes known spyware. It can be downloaded at http://www.lavasoft.com Please note, if you perform a full system scan and select all items it finds it will remove your current cookies. As mentioned before cookies are used at sites which you log in to. If you have your password(s) “saved” which you use to log into sites, such as DodgeForum.com, then please be aware that removing the cookies removes your saved password! Make sure you know your user name and passwords before doing this. With this program you can selectively remove items once the scan is finished just in case you decided to not remove your cookies but still want to remove the other items it finds.

How to change Internet Explorer to prompt for cookies
- Open Internet Explorer
- Go to the tools pull down menu, then click on Internet Options
- Go to the privacy tab
- Click on the advanced button
- Put a check in Override automatic cookie handling
- For first and third party cookies change to prompt, click OK two times.
What you will now notice every time you go to a site which you have not been to before it will ask you if you want to accept cookies. Within this window you will see the name of the site requesting to put a cookie on your PC. Watch this very closely. For an example, you could go to hotmail.com, which will want to put a cookie on your PC for hotmail.com, so you click allow and put a check in the always allow hotmail.com. Then right after you will get another popup asking about a site you never heard of before, this is because hotmail.com has ads on their site, and those ads wants to put a cookie on your PC (very bad), do not let them.
If you should block a site form allowing a cookie and you select the box to apply this to all future requests for cookies from this site, then realize it was a mistake, do not worry you can fix it!
-In Internet Explorer go to the tools pull down menu
-Go to the security tab
-Click on the sites button, in here are all the sites you have allowed and blocked. Find the mistake and remove it, then click OK. The next time you return to the site you will then be allowed to accept the cookie. If you are having a hard time finding the site in the list you could remove all the sites, but you will start over with the prompting of allowing or not allowing cookies.

 

I use AVG 8.5 Free Edition which works fine for both security and spyware. And I also use Ad-Aware Free Anniversary Edition for quick spyware removal, when I'm in a hurry, or just delete the cookies from within Internet options. And by the way, you can delete your cookies and still save your history and or your passwords. If you decide to use Ad-Aware, make sure it is Lavasoft, and no other copy cat with the same name, there are several. These are pretty good programs and you can't beat the price, they are FREE!

 

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I'm going to be blunt.

AVG sucks, plain and simple. I cannot count on my hands and toes how many people's computers I've fixed because they used AVG and thought that "worked fine". The problem is, you think you're fine, when actually you may have a dozen pieces of spyware in the background of your system, and you just don't know it. There is a reason techies call it AVeraGe.

Spyware is different than viruses of old. It doesn't want you to know it is there, therefore, its job is to have as little impact as possible on your system. You usually don't know AVG has actually failed until your computer starts slowing down from dozens of pieces of viruses/spyware, and by then it may be to late, your only recourse may be a complete hard drive reformat and system restore. Or, even worse, you don't know until someone is taking money from your bank account or using your credit card.

The most recent cases of viruses I have had involved customers who had used AVG. One had 177 pieces of spyware/viruses, so deeply embedded that the computer had to be restored. They had attached themselves to important system files, and after cleaning, the PC would not allow users to log in. The second case was only 13 viruses/spyware, but Kaspersky was able to kill them all and the computer was fine after that.

I have used many different antivirus programs over the years, and like anything in the computer industry, they change places constantly. Norton used to be good, then for several years, they were slow and had low detection rates. Now they are on their way back up, may even retake the crown within the next couple years or so. Trend Micro rose to the top quickly with PC-cillin, and dropped just as quickly within the past few years.

The best AV software out there right now is either Kaspersky or BitDefender. Bit Defender is cheaper, but I have had problems installing it on certain systems.

Basically, from lots of research and discussing with fellow techies, this is what I've concluded:

Good/Decent AV Programs:
-Kaspersky
-BitDefender
-Webroot
-Norton 2009
-ESET (Nod32)

If you run something older than Windows XP, your best bet will be Nod32, made by ESET.

AV Programs to Avoid:
-AVG
-Avira
-Panda
-F-Secure
-Trend Micro (PC-cillin)
-McAfee
-Iolo
-Norton 2008 (or older)
-Microsoft (Live OneCare)

Microsoft will also be releasing a free antivirus program here within the next year or sooner. Since their paid antivirus software failed miserably (they have discontinued Live OneCare), I highly doubt their free stuff will be any better. However, we shall see.

If you've never heard of the name, and its not in this list, it probably belongs in the "AV Programs to Avoid" list. All antivirus companies claim they are the best, and show you biased rankings showing how they are the best. The trick is to find and compare several different independent labs tests of the various antivirus programs.

Another trick some try to pull is what I call a "surface test". CNET is normally a good review site for most things, for example, but one thing they don't test is longevity. They ranked Norton number 1, for example, for several years because it was supposedly easy to run and very user friendly. What they didn't test, and what lots of people ended up discovering, is that Norton used to be really slow and had very low detection rates.

If you think I missed a really common one, PM me and I will add it.

Additional tools (any or all) that are good to run along side your AV program, if possible:
-Ad-Aware Free
-A-Squared Free
-Windows Defender (built into Vista and Windows 7)

If you run Spybot Search and Destroy, I recommend extreme caution. It sometimes finds important history files that are not spyware or viruses, and deletes them anyway, sometimes making your computer behave strangely or even damaging system files.

If you are using a Mac, otherwise known as a Macintosh or Apple computer, you do not currently need to worry about viruses, and therefore do not need antivirus software, unless you are downloading pirated Mac software.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an employee of any of the above companies, neither am I being paid for this at all or reimbursed in any way. This is simply my view/opinion after many months of research and collaboration with other computer technicians around the United States.

 

And I bet you have a Mac, lol. I have 4 puters my best a dell 730 h2c gamer, and 3 xps 410's with mcafee, norton, and 2 with avg anti's. Been hard core gaming for 6 yrs and never had problems with avg or any security system. And spyware does harm your computer and it will even freeze it up, not mine, cause people like you and I are on top of all that. I've fixed 100's of PC's with all types of security systems, they are all the same. PC problems are from people who do not know what they are doing, and going to **** or bad sites with garbage can sponsors who load your PC with advertisements, and not just viruses but multitudes of cookies and spyware. You should never keep cookies, they clog up your system and slow it to a crawl. I delete them every chance I get and still have a very fast system with no problems. I can delete ALL cookies and keep my history to get to every site I have ever visited, and also keep logins and passwords, cookies have nothing to do with how how fast you get to a previous site. What they do is load compounded garbage and advertisements for your pop up blocker to work extra hard. My 730, not the fastest, but fast, 28,000 on the benchmarks clocked at 4.40 GHz's but runs all day long at 4.0, and on W7 RC Ultimate with free AVG. All security systems have their ups and downs, but AVG is free, and easy to use. It is your opinion that AVG sucks sir, plz tell me what problems you've seen with it, I'd sure like to hear what makes the others better, lol. That PC with a 177 viruses/spyware, which is it because they are two different animals? The MAIN job of a security system is to prevent harmful viruses from taking over your PC and sorting through the good and the bad cookies. You also have to set security systems up to your desire, as well as your firewall, and some people don't know how. And while Mac may be a good PC because they have their own security as well as some internet companys do, Dell has the best warranty/extended warranty service in the business, and I wouldn't own a Mac PS, My security system scans over 700,000 objects in 10 min, it would be very interesting to know how fast your security system scans. I can also get to any site within the blink of an eye and with no cookies attached, lol. It is my opinion that AVG 8.5 "is" of the best they offer, it's FREE, what other systems are out there that offer free versions for the poor?

 

I am not Jason, but I will share my personal experience with it. Remember the VUNDO worm that was flying around the net not too long ago? AVG free completely missed it. Norton on the other hand found it, and even though it couldn't remove it, it still told me it was there.
Now, AVG might be OK for the normal computer user, the one that only gets on the net to check email, and maybe browse a couple of well known sites. IT IS NOT a good setup for those of us that are constantly browsing sites from all over the world, or those of us that are doing shady downloading. Last time I checked on AVG Free, they don't offer a definitions up date at all. You get the latest and greatest when you first download it and then that's all.
Start running torrents, or connecting to other people's networks, and then tell me AVG is the best there is.

 

I use Symantec Endpoint Protection (the people who make Norton). I get it free from my employer. If it's good enough for the US Air Force, it's good enough for me!

One of the most important things is to MAKE SURE you have auto updates turned on, and still double check you have the most recent definitions. Otherwise, the best software, or the most expensive software is useless against new threats.

 

I have both a Mac and a PC. Both have their points.

You claim to be a hard core gamer, yet you buy Dell systems? A hard core gamer builds his own systems, because it is far cheaper to build a custom gaming system then it is to purchase one made by a brand name.

You may be a gamer, I do not deny you that, but you are not a hard core one. You've picked four of the worst AV programs out there, BTW.

Spyware does not harm your PC. Viruses do. If you are a PC guy, you should know this. Spyware and viruses are two different categories. Sometimes they come bundled together, but spyware alone cannot hurt your system until it gets so overloaded with it that it pushes old hard drives over the edge or damages your OS installation. It may freeze up your system if you have to many pieces of spyware on a system, but freezing and damaging are two different things.

Seriously? Cookies? Cookies are one of the least of our problems anymore man. You are still in the 90s. They are issue, but one of the less serious ones.

You don't necessarily have to get viruses from websites. Viruses find you. Unless you have security to block them, they will even download themselves in the background. Thats why the newer antivirus programs have something called live scanning, something AVG lacks.

Pop up blocker work extra hard? Give me a break dude. Unless you have an underpowered system, that has hardly any impact.

How about paid employees? How about hourly definition updates against the latest viruses? How about proven, tested results?

Two different animals? What are you talking about? This part of your post makes no sense.

They had AVG. AVG blows. They got viruses because they thought they were protected, because an amateur like you told them AVG was good enough.

Is that why Forester Group gave Dell a 51% customer satisfaction rate with their customer service (when dealing with issues)?

BTW, they gave Mac the highest of all PC manufacturers, an 80% customer satisfaction rate with customer service (when dealing with issues). Gateway, HP, and Toshiba scored higher than Dell in that same study at about 66%, 58%, and 57% respectively, IIRC.

I sell all brands of laptops all day, and I also see which ones come back the most. HP and Toshiba are our top two sellers, with Dell being a close 3rd, and we see as many Dells come in for repairs as we see HPs + Toshibas come in.

Before talking out of your butt, back it up with facts.

You are prejudiced against them, you don't even give them a chance. They are far better and far faster at anything graphics wise, especially video editing and three dimensional design. If you apply for college at well known graphics arts or publishing school, why do you think they force you to purchase a Mac?

Speed of scanning is not nearly as important as how well it scans the items. I can't believe you're bragging about how fast you can scan for viruses. That right there just screams amateur.

Look at any tests online, ANY tests. I challenge you to find an independent test that puts even the paid form of AVG ahead of Kaspersky or BitDefender, heck even Norton, in detection rates.

EDIT: BTW, BitDefender has a free version for PCs. You just have to make sure and update it yourself and scan manually. Its OK, but live scanning is the best, which neither it nor AVG offer. You need a paid AV program, period. Oh, and McAfee is currently one of the worst out there, second only to the freebies.

 

Symantec's newer stuff (Norton's newer stuff) is OK. The Air Force, BTW, doesn't look at what the best AV stuff is, they look at it as who gives them the best deal ($$$). Symantec is huge, well known, and can give them a great mass-license deal.

No offense intended to any military guys, but thats how the military works with computer hardware/software. Lowest bidder.

In this case, Symantec is decent again now, so it should work just fine for you.

 

That's supposedly how the military works with everything. "Gotta spend that tax payer dollar wisely."
I'll just say: I've been using Norton/Symantec for over 6 years now with no problem.
Air Force runs it on hundreds of thousands of computers, again, with no problem. Well, except their converting over to Vista, horrible mistake!

 

Oh, I can guarantee there have been problems. Maybe not many, but some.

Doesn't really matter what program, if Windows is involved, there are always problems when you're talking about that many machines.

Mostly depends on the users on the computers.