Ask Leo!: Spyware

Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -08:00

Spyware is a modern scourge. It's certainly on the top 5 list of topics I deal with on a regular basis. Some forms actually live up to the name - "spy" ware - software that actually spy's on you, monitoring and recording what you do. Others are worse: acting almost like viruses, hijacking your web browser, popping up ads, or just generally wreaking havoc.

It isn't going to go away any time soon, and the reality is that it requires vigilance on your part to avoid spyware.

Besides taking normal precautions, you must regularly scan for spyware.

My anti-spyware tool is reporting errors in my hosts file. What is that, and why?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:53:21 -08:00

I tried a different anti-spyware program which reported a stream of different trojans all related to my HOSTS file. This list (1677 in all) are listed on my hosts file as inserted by Spybot. The program I was testing told me to delete them immediately. I am very confused, should I remove all these entries?? I understood that they were placed there by Spybot so that these sites could not be accessed. Each entry follows the loopback address 127.0.0.1

]]> You're bumping into a classic problem that results from running more than one anti-spyware program. One program thinks that the other is itself spyware.

Who do you believe?

In this case, if we understand why the hosts file is so important and how it can be used and misused, we'll have our answer.

A program is telling me to uninstall its competitor; should I?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:51:23 -08:00

I get this message every time I start Spybot which follows: "Spybot-Search&Destroy has detected that you have the following product installed. This may cause incompatibilities; for more information click Yes to visit our website", etc. And then lists: LavaSoft AdAware which I do have installed on my computer. Should I remove one the these two programs or keep them both and live with the message?

]]> I've never seen this message, but its presence doesn't surprise me.

Spybot and AdAware are two programs that do the same thing: they're anti-spyware scanners.

And while it might be easy to think that this is simply one program calling out its competitor, it's much more likely that there's an honest technical reason for the message.

How can I be sure that there isn't "legitimate" spyware on my machine?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:26:28 -08:00

Many of my client's install spyware and monitoring programs such as "eBlaster" on their PCs for various reasons. How can one tell if such a hidden program has been added to their machine?

]]> We talk a lot about spyware, and typically what we're talking about is true malware: software that's been installed with malicious intent. Keystroke loggers, phishing redirectors and the like; all designed by bad people to do bad things.

What we're talking about here though, is what I'll call "legitimate" spyware. Tools that are available to computer owners that "spy" on the computer user to keep tabs on what they're up to.

Why does my anti-spyware program keep reporting the same cookies?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 09:21:15 -08:00

Why, when I run my anti-spyware programs, do I get the same results week after week? It's always the same tracking cookies and I quarantine them but they never go away. Why bother running these programs if they only find the same junk over and over?

]]> The short answer is because you probably visit the same web sites regularly, and they put those cookies back the next time you visit. Run your anti-spyware program again, and it sees that they've returned, and dutifully reports them.

Some cookies can be identified as "tracking" cookies - cookies that could be used to track your movement around the internet. Personally my reaction is "So?", but some people do care.

But you raise a good point. All these reports are so much noise to many people, and get in the way of real issues when they pop up.