Does Spyware Damage Windows Networking? 52
DerBryGuy asks: "I work for an ISP in Canada. Recently we have had a rash of customers whose computers can connect via DSL, but cannot browse, or often even ping. Invariably it turns out that there is some spy ware of some sort installed on the customers machine - usually New dot Net or the other drek that comes with Kazaa. About half the time if this is removed correctly (manually or by using ad-aware) then the machine will regain http access. However the other half of the time the only option we have found is to format and reinstall the OS. So I am wondering, are other ISP's seeing this? What do they do when they get a similar complaint and they detect spyware on the machine. Is there any recourse for the customer? I mean most of these people had no idea what New dot Net was when their kid installed Kazaa, and now they are stuck with a computer store bill for reinstalling their machine."
New versions of antivirus software (Score:3, Informative)
We seen this but not with spyware. Customer calls saying they no longer can access the internet. Invariably, they have updated their antivirus software and it now includes a personal firewall. Said firewall doesn't allow ports 80, 25, or 110. We've seen this with McAfee and with a less well know brand the name of which escapes my memory at the moment.
We have seen spyware cripple the performance of a machine though.
Re:New versions of antivirus software (Score:2)
127.0.0.1 pop.nortonav.com
Re:New versions of antivirus software (Score:2)
Re:New versions of antivirus software (Score:2)
Re:New versions of antivirus software (Score:1)
Apparently you're not the only one (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Apparently you're not the only one (Score:3, Informative)
Linux WinMX client. (Score:1)
The project doen't appear to have released anything yet, but at least someone is working on a Linux WinMX project.
Re:Apparently you're not the only one (Score:2)
Maybe it doesn't have any spyware (even though I oculd have sworn it did), but WinMX did a pretty good job of pissing me off up until the latest version. I installed it and decided it wasn't for me, and when I went to hit the uninstall button there was a big X over the icon. When I clicked on it a message would pop up about uninstalling the program, then it would just exit. I had to wait until the newest version that just came out a few weeks ago was released, install that, and then procede to uninstall the program. Definitely soured me on the whole WinMX experience.
a Linux client for the WinMX network: Lopster (Score:1)
The latest CVS version of Lopster [sourceforge.net] does WPNP [infoanarchy.org] as well as OpenNap. Here are instructions [216.92.168.89] on building it and getting connected to the WinMX network.
Re:Apparently you're not the only one (Score:1)
Re:Apparently you're not the only one (Score:1)
http://www.kazaalite.com
Kazaa Lite has no spyware. Some guy got really happy with a hex editor on it.
Install Kazaa Lite not Kazaa (Score:1, Insightful)
This problem (Score:2, Troll)
Re:This problem (Score:1)
Don't take it personal. a lot of moderators are on crack!
But the post has all signs of a troll:
am probably still full of crap.
Words like fuck,gay or crap trigger the troll filter of some people. They stop reading and moderate it as troll/oftopic. (Hey this post is offtopic, but i have karma to burn)
I have experienced the same problem
you start with something that should make you an expert WITHOUT telling any specifics.
You post could have been summed up by "me too".
Re:This problem (Score:1)
Re:This problem (Score:2)
Unlss you've set up seperate users' accounts, the default user has Administrator privledges. Any installer s/he runs can do anything it wishes to the system given a little ingenuity.
Single user systems are evil. I'm the only one that ever uses the machine I'm currently running, yet it has 3 accounts... root, serious work, and a leasure account. This way, I protect myself from myself.
Macromedia Fireworks (I can'tremember which version) can't run in an unpriveledged account. I set up my GF's machine properly and then started pounding my head on the table because Macromedia was forcing her to do everything I just told her not to do. It makes me wonder what thier QA people do all day. Appearently they never tested it on a multi-user system. Oh well.
fragile windows DNS (Score:2, Informative)
Re:fragile windows DNS (Score:2)
Where did you get this info from?
Apparently you're not the only one (Score:1, Informative)
Send out an email (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, probably wouldn't work unless you were AOL or someone like that. Being a small ISP must really suck at times.
Re:Send out an email (Score:1)
Re:Send out an email (Score:1)
Uh-oh... (Score:2)
So now spyware makers/bundlers are going to justify their actions by saying that they create third-party jobs and help strengthen the economy... great.
Re:Uh-oh... (Score:1)
In a word, YES!! (Score:1)
AOL "WAN Device" breaks networking, too (Score:2, Interesting)
Is AOL installing this thing as spyware?
Re:AOL "WAN Device" breaks networking, too (Score:1)
This reminds me of another problem with Windows 9x. There is a limit to the number of TCP/IP bindings you can add before TCP/IP quits working. (I think the limit is aroud four.)
Anyway, sometimes I've seen computers that already had a NIC, a dial-up adapter, a VPN client, and a DSL modem. Then the owner installs AOL. The extra virtual device breaks one or more of his other bindings. The worst part is that Windows claims that everything is working great, but things aren't working!
Yes it does! (Score:1)
I don't even play an ISP on TV, but... (Score:2)
I first developed an awareness of this problem when discovered I started experiencing strange random slowdowns and hangs, and started killing background processes until the problem went away. This narrowed the problem to a spyware component that seems to have been trying to extract really detailed usage information from Windows Explorer. Every since then, I've been running Ad-Aware every time my system seemed to lag -- usually with positive results. The alternative is to give up downloading any Windows software ever. Which I suppose I could do, but only as a last resort.
And if spyware vendors are going to snoop on what programs you have installed (I thought my problems with the installer applet was simple feature bloat!), there's sure as hell gonna snoop on what web sites you access. And if they destroy the very thing they're trying to profit from -- well, that just makes them a kind of spammer, doesn't it?
I would recommend running Ad-Aware before you re-install the OS. It's quite good at finding those spyware components. And you can't beat the price!
So THAT's What Happened.... (Score:1)
By the way, check out Gnucleus, the open-source (and spyware-free) gnutella client.
Install Ad-aware (Score:2)
New.Net / Webhancer (Score:2, Informative)
webhancer (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Kazaa-lite (Score:1)