posted on February 10, 2004 06:50:34 AM new
I'd like to share with you WHY I so highly recommend Spybot Search & Destroy and JavaCools Spyware Blaster. Spyware Blaster downloads and runs within Spybot. As of this morning, Spyware Blaster protects against 1170 Spyware sites by blocking them from your computer. This is updated at least weekly usually.
I was doing a search for background information on handbags on Google for Ebay and I run across this web page: http://www.clothes-for-all.com/p28-962-vintage-enid-collins-jeweled-purse-handbag.html I see similar pages all the time when I researching items, they show Ebay auctions. I notice that one of the items is MY auction, which is pretty cool, right? NOT. By holding my cursor over the link, I see at the bottom of my screen the url address is http:www.qksrv.net/click&myauction. I’m not going to give the actual link because I don’t want you clicking on it, and I’ll tell you why.
What happens is if you click on that link, it will place a Spyware cookie in your computer. I actually can’t click on that link and have the page open up because Spybot & Spyware Blaster won’t allow me to open the page. Here’s the info on qksrv.net from Pest Patrol which comes up first in Google when I entered qksrv.net in.
"Cookies assist Commission Junction in tracking Internet Users' activities beginning from a Publisher's web site or subscription e-mail through an Advertiser's web site that the Internet User links to from the Publisher's site or e-mail. If the Internet User re-visits the Advertiser's site directly, Commission Junction is able to continue to track the Internet User's activities on the Advertiser's site and reward the Publisher that referred the Internet User... Cookies are used in two stages of Commission Junction tracking: when an Advertiser's banner image is loaded on a Web page for viewing by an Internet User and when the banner is clicked by an Internet User. The function of these Cookies is to provide Commission Junction with information solely for the purpose of paying Publishers commissions when an Internet User clicks on a link, creates a lead, or makes a purchase on an Advertiser's Web site."
Who is Commission Junction and how is it related to qksrv.net? Commission Junction is a leader in pay-for-performance marketing that serves billions of impressions monthly for its clients, ranking it among the largest ad networks in the world.
When advertisers join the Commission Junction network, they place ads, offers, and links in the network, making them available for placement by a publisher. Publishers apply to join the advertiser's program, and upon acceptance, select and place the advertiser's offers on their Web site or in their email newsletter.
These offers and links are served and tracked by Commission Junction through the qksrv.net domain. When an email recipient or a visitor to a publisher's Web site makes an actual purchase online or fills out a form, that transaction is tracked and recorded by Commission Junction. Commission Junction handles all of the collection and processing required to ensure fair and timely commission payment for the publisher, and all of the administration and verification necessary to ensure qualified sales and leads for the advertiser.
On rare occasions, a publisher may violate the Commission Junction service agreement by sending unsolicited email with a qksrv.net tracking link.”
Ok, now my Hosts file on Spybot says “This function will block specific Internet servers known for bad behavior (mostly sites installing spyware or using tracking function). If you decide to use that function, and notice that a site you really want to reach is no longer available, please check (to see) if it is listed here.”
I know I know….you can use your internet security buttons and have High security yada yada. Spybot also cleans up your computer and by using the update feature frequently it keeps up with all the latest on the net. You want to know where some of your spam emails come from? Clicking on links like on the webpage above is one of the reasons. People pay to know what you look at on your computer.
posted on February 10, 2004 07:40:31 AM new
Sorry glassgirl I did all that and really screwed up my computer. Called my ISP and they told me to remove it. Now I have no problems again.
posted on February 10, 2004 11:46:35 AM new
People think you can only get junk on your computer by opening an email attachment. I remember reading somewhere about links, and something to the effect when you open a webpage you are basically downloading the page. It didnt make alot of sense to me, but it had to do with malware and codes and all that stuff.
I hate those qksrv and commission junction cookies. I have my privacy settings set to block them. It is a PIA loading some pages, but I sure feel better surfing.
posted on February 10, 2004 03:14:00 PM new
I had the same thing happen as Libra. I downloaded either adaware or spybot - I don't remember which one. It found at least 100 items on my computer that I should get rid of. Well, I didn't get rid of anything becuase as soon as I downloaded my Outlook didn't work anymore. I couldn't receive or send email because it said the email was "bad" or something like that (I apologize - it was a long time ago and I don't remember exactly what happened). I didn't even know what the problem was until I called my ISP. As soon as I uninstalled everything was fine.
I'm sure there are things on my computer I should get rid of, but I just don't know how.....and if it "aint" broke, why fix it?
posted on February 10, 2004 03:36:07 PM new
I just don't see how that is possible - to use Spybot (ok, even ad aware, although I don't think they update as much as Spybot does) and it will mess up your computer UNLESS you check the setting under file sets to check System Internals - Integrated search for Registry Inconsistencies. If you start messing with the Registry items you WILL have problems.
Although they have an EASY mode and an ADVANCED mode to choose from, and I opt for the Advanced mode.
They have a huge forum that is specifically for Spybot that will help you with any questions you might have. I don't work for them, but I have donated $$ to them because they WORK.
I can understand your ISP saying just unistall it because it is easier to say that than to figure out what it is. Spybot has a Recovery feature if you made a mistake.
ok, I'll drop the discussion. I just hate to see people that don't know better to download things even accidently into their computer. I like it because it KEEPS ME FROM GETTING INTO TROUBLE websurfing. I can't view a "bad" page. ltray swears that you only have to have high security settings to avoid something like that. I hate having to click "view page anyway" when I don't know what I'm agreeing to. They (Spybot and Spyware Blaster) take care of it for me.
posted on February 10, 2004 03:43:08 PM new
It wouldn't surprise me at all if it was something I did to cause the computer to go "haywire". I am one of the most computer un-saavy people you'll find....which is scary since I'm on it so much. I always thought I would try it again some weekend when I don't have to worry as much if the computer crashes - then I would have a few days to fix it. I had to call Dell once to have them fix something, and my computer wouldn't even go into safe mode - no matter what they tried to tell me....apparently I deleted my "safe mode" somehow? So anyway, I'm not blaming spybot, I blame my ignorance.
posted on February 10, 2004 03:57:15 PM new
One more comment. I'm blonde and sometimes I require something like a Mr. Rogers Picture Page before I understand it.
Let me just say that (to me) a good analogy would be a collect phone call. Now I have accepted a collect call from my husband when he was out of town, only we didn't know that a 5 minute collect phone call could cost $60.00+ dollars!! Now we do and we have taken the time to educate ourselves on they "system" and how it works.
The point is...we didn't blame the telephone provider or cut off the telephone service because of the cost of the collect phone call. We researched and found out that anyone calling from a payphone can be tapping into some systems that are unscrupulous.
You shouldn't blame SpyBot or AdAware if you don't educate yourself on how to use them.
Zip my mouth. Starts making you sorry you ever bought the subject up, doesn't it? All of the sudden I'm feeling like SalGal
posted on February 10, 2004 05:12:16 PM new
Before you go glassgrl, about 2 weeks ago I was doing some research much the same as you. When I ran Spybot S&D that night, if found a copy of Gator on my computer. I would much rather take a chance of Spybot messing something up (which it won't) than have a copy of Gator on my hard drive for more than 5 seconds. It's much easier to reformat and reinstall Windows than it is to undo the damage that Gator is capable of.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on February 10, 2004 05:41:04 PM new
Big Sigh of relief!
Thank you sparkz! I feel the same as you.
I was just rather alarmed this morning when I was researching the purse I listed that a seemingly innocuous Google webpage could cause "harm" to my computer without me knowing about it. (and I use the word harm loosely)
As I said, I've noticed in the past that things on Ebay show up on Google and I wanted to know how they do that other than paying Google. So I started searching view source when I found a link like that and noticed the Spy Cookie imbedded in the web page and started researching how and why and what it did.
There are some recent cookies that are getting harder and harder to get rid of, almost like a virus on your computer. Hackers are learning new stuff every day just like we do. I appreciate Patrick and all the work he and everyone else over at the forum does on SpyBot and the fact that it's free. There's nothing that I've ever posted over there on the forum that they haven't solved for me and they are ALWAYS very nice no matter how "dumb" the question.
posted on February 10, 2004 05:48:37 PM new
Well the problem was I did delete the programs that spybot said and some were not supposed to be deleted. My outlook express was all screwed up. I am trying to remember what happened but had to call on my ISP to fix it. It took awhile and then he asked me what I did. I told him and he said get rid of it as it causes problems. Also after I deleted what spybot said I started to get pop ups, which I never have. The pop ups were so bad that I couldn't delete them fast enough. I finally had to shut my machine down by hand. It doing good now...Back web is the only thing I have on here and my isp said I should delete that also.
posted on February 10, 2004 05:56:28 PM new
Oh...one more thing. If you put Spybot in Google at this moment, at the top of the page it shows sponsored links at the very top of the page. One says:
SpyBot - Free Download
www.Free-Spyware-Scan.com
Eliminate SpyWare & AdWare. Speed up your PC and more Privacy. Sponsored Link
and the other says:
Spybot: Free
www.Spy-Bot.com
Download the Free Scanner Today. Say Goodbye to PC Spybots! aff. Sponsored Link
NEITHER one of them is a link to SpyBot itself!! Stay far far away from either of those websites! Unless it says www.security.kolla.de/ you are not going to the correct web page to SpyBot.
On SpyBot's home page Patrick has this to say about it:
"Big fake warning 5 February 2004
For the past two weeks, I've gotten massive complaints from people who saw recommendations for Spybot-S&D on some TV show or heard about it on TV, and tried to go for it through the TV/radios website.
Somehow, a bad link to Spybot-S&D is on its way and leading people to think that SpyHunter or SpyKiller would be the recommended Spybot-S&D. People downloading these two are forced to pay to remove spyware, and in the case of SpyKiller are even directed to us for support!
So my warning: please double-check what you've got before you pay anything!
Also, if you were mislead to SpyHunter or SpyKiller through Google AdWords, please contact Google. Google promised me some weeks ago they wouldn't do any more advertisement on my trademarked name "spybot", but I again receive complaints that they do, and this struggle with Google is going on for 4 months now."
Those links are trying to trick you into downloading their product.
posted on February 10, 2004 06:07:43 PM new
Spybot Search and Destroy is highly recommended by AOL and they have the latest version of the legitimate program in their software library. You should be able to get to it easily by typing in the keyword "Spyware".
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on February 10, 2004 06:21:38 PM new
About two weeks ago when I downloaded and ran Spybot S&D I was shocked to find Gator on my computer also.
I just ran Spybot a few minutes ago and found that Gator was back again. I got rid of it and now my computer is running super fast again. Do you guys have SpyBot set to run at system startup?
posted on February 10, 2004 07:16:25 PM new
Classicrock...Gator was originally introduced as a program where a user could store all their usernames and passwords for the various sites they visited and enter with one mouse click. The only problem is that it had spyware bundled with it. It didn't take the hackers long to figure out how to manipulate this program to gather passwords automatically and transmit them to another site. It's now recognized as a very dangerous piece of spyware.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
By running the uninstall program through Add/Remove Programs will get rid of Gator and its add-on OfferCompanion. Then search for the Trickler files (fsg.exe, fsg-ag.exe, fsg*.exe, trickler). Trickler runs hidden and slowly downloads the rest of Gator/OfferCompanion onto your system. You can also remove Gator E-Wallet in the same manner.
sparkz, did you notice it in your Add/Remove program list? I have never seen it in mine and I don't have a clue where I picked it up as it wasn't on my computer last fall.
I did a "system restore" about a week ago, do you think that would have put Gator back on from two weeks ago?
posted on February 10, 2004 07:40:45 PM new
Kiara...I never even checked that part. As soon as I saw it on the list with the regular spyware I get from Vendio and a couple other sites I visit, I had Spybot zap it. Yes, you could very easily have received it from your restore operation. The computer I found mine on, which is the one I'm on now, is very seldom used for anything other than Ebay. I do visit a lot of sites to research things, so it could have come from just about any of them. I suspect you do a lot of research on little known sites also, so you should run Spybot every night after you log off the internet. Also, I received a Trojan embeded in an image from a site I visited not too long ago. McAfee found it in my temporary internet files and got rid of it. The site I got it from is no longer up.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on February 10, 2004 08:49:32 PM new
The IT Department of the company I work for insists that both AdAware and Spybot be installed on all 1000+ computers in our system. Works for us. I use both here at home too.
posted on February 10, 2004 09:26:59 PM new
Thanks, sparkz. I'll remember to do that when I log off at night. I do lots of research but I seldom download anything so I'll be more careful to check where I've been now.
posted on February 11, 2004 05:21:28 AM new
I have had SpyBot on all of my computers since BestBuy recommended it when they set up my home network...works great! Do I also need AdAware? Don't they do the same thing?
posted on February 11, 2004 07:44:28 AM new
Quote "don't they do the same thing?"
They do and they don't. Some people say ad-aware will catch things that spybot doesn't and vice versa and it's handy to have both.
I mainly use Spybot because it does a much deeper scan with the advanced settings. The only setting I don't have checked is registry, (that is located under "settings" "file sets".)
Ad-Aware you have to pay to have the Ad-Watch service. With Spybot that is free and again...you should also download, install and run JavaCools SpyWare Blaster within Spybot. Once you download it, it installs itself.
I like not being able to go to bad pages. When you do a search anywhere on the internet you are at risk, you don't "download" anything, THEY download it to you and you don't know it.
If you go to the linked webpage I have in my first post, can you click on any of the links and view the linked auction? You just put a spycookie in your computer if you can. If I click on the link I get the "This page cannot be displayed" message. Spybot/Spyware blaster has blocked that page and redirected me to my own computer instead of the Commision Junction site.
