Spyware Concerns, Bazooka, etc

[allanbiats]

With the additional concerns about malicious code on websites and a pop-up that captures secure data, I have been stepping up my defenses.

I use Win XP Pro and Internet Explorer with all know patches applied.

My methods are:
Keep my Win XP Pro machine current with auto MS Update including manual checks for new updates at least twice a week.

Norton Systemworks Pro with Norton Antivirus current with Live Update and manual checks for new files at least twice a week. Norton Av scheduled to run twice a week with manual runs at least once per week. Norton AV autoprotect enabled and options for deep scan and compressed files and scan all files used.

Zonealarm firewall (free version) with auto notification and manual checks for updates twice a week. Manual review of program settings every week.

Ad-Aware 6 run twice a week with manual checks for updates twice a week.

SpyBot Search and Destroy run twice a week with manual checks for updates.

PestPatrol (free version) run twice per week with updates appiled. Manual investigation of pests found and manual removal, including registry edits performed.

Even after all of that effort, with the Trojans and KeyLoggers discovered in the last couple weeks, I have been reading forums such as 'Spyware Info' and 'Spyware Warrior'.

I read about some additonal programs and tried a couple of them. One of them is called 'Bazooka' and was recommended highly in both forums. I downloaded it and tried to install it, with mixed results.

As soon as I doubleclicked on Bazookasetup.exe, my PestPatrol popped up a warning that said a Keylogger was trying to install, so I cancelled the installation. I read lots more, going back 100 days in the forums, no bad things about Bazooka, just good things written.

Eventually, I thought about false positives and conflcits from one program to another and I installed the Bazooka program and ran it. It found 3 or 4 pests that I had never seen detected in any other program. So I deleted the new pests.

Later that same evening, I ran PestPatrol manually again. It found 19 new pests, some I had never heard of before. Since the free version of Pestpatrol doesn't fix things, I ran Ad-Aware 6 and it found many new pests and cleared them. I also ran SpyBot and it found a couple more an cleared them. I removed Bazooka completely.

The following night, I ran SpyBot and Ad-Aware again and they came up with about 14 pests between them, several of them were repeats from the night before, and I cleared them again. One of them was Virtu.Monde which is one of the new KeyLoggers.

I went back to the boards and read some more, no indications that Bazooka is bad. I downloaded Bazooka from a different website and doubleclicked on it to install it again and PestPatrol warned me of the KeyLogger again so I aborted the install and deleted Bazooka again.

Subsequent runs of the tools show zero pests.

The Spyware forums maintain a list of 'evil programs' that pretend to be Spyware tools but actually install Trojans or Spyware and Bazooka is not on the lists.

I haven't posted on the Spyware forums about it yet but will soon.

Anyone else have good or bad Spyware experiences?

P.S. - I am aware that many people recommend using an Apple PC instead of a Windows PC. I don't care to.

I am also aware that there are other browsers, but I'd rather stay with IE also.

[LChisum]

I run both SpyBot and Ad-aware on just about a daily basis. There have always been a few different hits on both. Interestingly enough, and too early to tell if it is relevant, I switched a couple of days ago to the Mozilla Firefox browser and Mozilla Thunderbird mail/news handler, and the spyware hits have decreased. Each program reported 0 on the last run. (I have no agenda vis a vi Microsoft, but they can't seem to get their arms around holes in IE and Outlook Express). I'm also running latest Norton anti virus, and ZoneAlarm (free) firewall, with a hardware firewall in my router.

Larry

[allanbiats]

And I just found the free version of Spy Sweeper from those forums and I downloaded and installed it.

It found 2 stubborn pests that I couldn't remove before, something about 'ISTbar', and this program was able to remove it. It also found remnants of several other old pests in my registry and it removed them.

I ran Pest Patrol and it found no new pests. I ran SpyBot and Ad-Aware and they confirm no new problems, and Norton AV says everything is fine too.

This looks like a good one to add to my arsenal.

Now I'm going to venture off to the Spyware Forums and ask direct questions about Bazooka in them.

[john802]

Try Spyware Blaster by Javacool Software.

-john

[allanbiats]

Thanks for the suggestion john802.

Have you used it for long? Any problems or conflicts with it? Do you use it along with other tools?

I bookmarked the site and will investigate it tomorrow.

thanks

[robottik]

Originally posted by allanbiats
Anyone else have good or bad Spyware experiences

I use Windows XP Pro w/ McAfee AntiVirus and Firewall, AdAware and Spybot. The combo works well for me.

I, like you, prefer IE to other browsers. But I have also used Mozilla Firefox and like that one too.

[robottik]

[FLPilot]

I use Adaware from Lavasoft, Spybot, Norton System Works, Zone Alarm (free), secure clean 4.0, and Mozilla Thunderbird for my emails (to get rid of spam). You can find a lot of other info below.

Thread #1

Thread #2

[allanbiats]

FLPilot -

Thanks for the links. I'm doing the things listed in the thread now and it seems to be under control again for me, with no pests or problem indications.

From your past references and this one, I registered at FatWallet and will look for some fo those great deals you've listed elsewhere in this forum.

I am now using the free version of the Spy Sweeper from Webroot and it is working well for me.

Never got a good answer from the Spyware Info Forum about Bazooka. One user agreed with me and one 'apprentice helper' said I should be more careful and only download things from the homepage of the manufacturer and he provided me with a link. That was one of the links I had used earlier. Anyway, I re-downlaoded from the two mirror sites given from the manufacturer's homepage and the same thing happened from both links. I reported back about it but haven't heard anymore since then. Oh well, I just wont use Bazooka.

[tim.s]

Originally posted by LChisum
...I have no agenda vis a vi Microsoft, but they can't seem to get their arms around holes in IE and Outlook Express...

Plus, with the high percentage of people using IE and Outlook, the spyware creators target Microsoft software. They get more suckers for the same effort.

My company had little or no problem with viruses the past few years when we used Lotus Notes - most of the new viruses were specifically targeted at MS Outlook weaknesses. Now that we are on Outlook, we have to install patches and anti viruses a lot more frequently.

[allanbiats]

Just heard from the Spywareinfo Forum. Still mixed reviews, IMHO.

One of the 'helper trainees' suggested that I be more careful where I get software from and he provided a link to the home page of the manufacturer.

I downloaded a new copy from each of the two links from that site, one of which I had done before. I got the exact same results, a reported keylogger, and then a couple more pests, just from clicking on the exe file to install it and aborting it. I deleted both copies that I downloaded to be on the safe side.

The 'helper' finally downloaded Pest Patrol and then tried the download again and he got the same error I did.

He contacted the manufacturer of Bazooka and he says it is a 'false positive' from Pest Patrol and that he reported it to them last week. Pest patrol says they are investigating it and will get back to the developer.

In the meantime, I'll wait until Pest patrol says it's Ok and / or removes it from their hit list. And I feel vindicated.

[john802]

Originally posted by allanbiats
Thanks for the suggestion john802.

Have you used it for long? Any problems or conflicts with it? Do you use it along with other tools?

I bookmarked the site and will investigate it tomorrow.

thanks

I use Spyware Blaster along with NAV; Spybot; Lavasoft Ad-aware; and Zone alarm Pro.
I've been using spyware blaster for the past six months with no problem and I'm using Windows 2000 Pro as my default OS dual boot with Linux Red hat.

-john

[evaneri65]

i've been using adaware too,....
I've used the free verson of Opera but i dont care much for the banner ads.

Right now, I'm trying Mozilla, so far so good.

[FLPilot]

I use Spybot Search & Destroy, and part of the program allows me to monitor spyware as it is trying to be installed on my computer via browsing websites. Well I have just started to get warnings from this site. Anyone else being warned that the "double click" cookie or whatever you want to call is was blocked?

[LChisum]

Follow up to my earlier post on this subject:

I've been running the Mozilla Firefox browser for about a month now, and have seen the number of spyware hits drop to almost nil. Spybot has found a total of maybe two or three "doubleclick" type cookies during that time frame, and AdAware finds nothing. This could be due to more rigid default privacy settings on the Mozilla, but all my regular placeholder cookies work well, and I don't get any popups questioning any other cookies attempts. Overall, I am pleased with the Mozilla browser. I did abandon the Mozilla Thunderbird email program because there were a couple of areas where Outlook Express just performed better to my preferences.

Larry