Steve Bass's Home Office
October 6th, 2004
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PC World columnist Steve Bass writes weekly commentary on the
technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out
of them, and the gotchas that can cause computing misery.
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October 6th, 2004
* This week: Spyware Primer
I don't know about you, but I'm really angry.
I'm ticked that we're all wasting too damn much time fighting with
spyware and adware, scanning for viruses and Trojan horses, and
hassling with pop-ups and banner ads. I'm exhausted worrying about
Windows updates and hot fixes, and plum worn out fielding questions
about--and fiddling with--Microsoft's new Service Pack 2.
In this and a few subsequent newsletters, I'll continue with my rant.
And no one's immune from my wrath: I'm irritated by Roxio, Symantec,
Yahoogroups, and Zone Labs. And did I mention Microsoft yet?
This week and next, it's spyware and adware: what it is, why you
should care, and when it's not a big deal. Then I'll tell you how I
try to prevent and identify it, and eventually remove it.
Dig This: Here's a cool Flash game that challenges your ability to
remember sounds from old arcade games. You'll hear favorites such as
Defender, Joust, Pacman, and others.
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755691/0/
Spyware Ins and Outs
Spyware comes in a few flavors. I see them all as programs working in
the background, doing something to your PC behind your back and in the
shadows.
Some products are benign in the sense that they don't do any specific
damage to your PC, but direct info about you to a third party. Other
products might be feeding the sites you visit with specific ads. If
you have one or two of these floating around, you might not even know
they're there unless you run an antispyware program.
The problem is that you may have a dozen or more of these parasites on
your PC. These pests congest a PC by adding files and folders,
cookies, DLLs, and Registry entries. This combination gobbles up
online bandwidth and computer resources, and they all ultimately put a
strain on your CPU. And the more spyware you have loaded and running,
the more complicated and difficult it becomes to remove them.
I'm annoyed with benign spyware because it has a cumulative negative
effect on my system. But I get angry as I go up the food chain to
programs that can do some serious damage.
Some Nasty Malware
Whazit Hijack is a good example of damaging spyware. The cretin who
tricks you into loading Whazit gets paid a small fee--maybe a
dime--from affiliate sites every time the spyware is loaded on a
machine. Whazit uses an ActiveX drive-by method: When you visit a
site, a small program is downloaded onto your system behind the
scenes. The program adds seven DLLs and roughly 11 entries to your
Registry. It can then modify your browser in a few ways by, say,
changing your search page, adding a search bar, directing you to
specific sites, zapping you with pop-ups, or by hijacking and changing
your home page. It's not just the havoc it can cause that bugs me;
it's also the hours I have to spend putting things back in order.
For more on Whazit, go to:
Allentech Total Technology Support
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755692/0/
DoxDesk.com
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755693/0/
Spyware-Guide.com
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755694/0/
Unfortunately, there are no hard-and-fast rules defining exactly where
the border is between benign and malicious spyware. For me, that's
immaterial: It all needs to be removed.
Dig This: This small Flash animation is not only too cute, but it's
also an example of some amazing coding. Move your mouse around the
cat's belly. Then slide (don't click) the cursor around the cat's
head. Cool, no? [Thanks, Barry.]
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755695/0/
Where Shouldn't I Go Browsing?
One answer is obvious: sleazy sites. I know you won't be shocked to
hear that people visit adult, X-rated, and porno sites. You may not go
to sites like that, but I'll bet you've visited sites that have a mix
of funny videos, many with off-color, risque, or even soft-porn
content. I know I have (oh, don't furrow your brow like that) and it's
my best guess these sites are chock full of malevolent spyware. But
while you're more exposed at these risky sites, you can also pick up
spyware at run-of-the-mill sites.
The key is guarding yourself from attack; I'll talk about this in more
detail next week. And if you are infected, you need to know which
tools to use to rid yourself of the pests.
I don't want to leave you hanging, so for now, I want you to learn
about blocking ActiveX programs. PC World columnist Andy Brandt, one
of our resident spyware experts, spends a good deal of time showing
you how to adjust your browser's settings for maximum protection. His
article, "Security Tips: Keep Viruses, Worms, and Spyware Off Your
PC," is easy to follow and I encourage you to read it thoroughly:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755696/0/
A little older, but still valuable, is Andy's "Privacy Watch" column
dealing with Spybot Search & Destroy, an antispyware program:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755697/0/
I recently did a print column--"A Two-Pronged Spyware Defense"--where
I talked about good spyware-fighting products, including Ad-Aware and
Spybot Search & Destroy:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755698/0/
Head to the PC World Downloads site right now and get these programs:
Ad-Aware
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755699/0/
Spybot Search & Destroy
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/685/0/
I'll rant more next week; and I'll tell you about my favorite tools
(in addition to Ad-Aware and Spybot), how to differentiate between
conflicting spyware-removal tools, and the best places to go for help
removing the junk.
Don't Spy on Me
Okay, you can, but just this once. And only if you spend a minute
sending the next link you see to someone plagued by spyware. Passing
the link will enable them to sign up for their own newsletter and
learn how they got spyware on their machine, just like you did.
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/183/0/
Steve Bass writes the "Home Office" column in PC World's print edition
and is the author of "PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying
Things About Your Personal Computer," available from O'Reilly:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/755301/0/
Steve Bass can be reached on his mostly spyware-free PC at:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
* See Steve Bass's previous Home Office Features at:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/241365/21421678/237822/0/
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For a full list of this week's Editors' Picks, go to:
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* Reviews *
* Top 10 External Hard Drives
While compact models are shrinking in physical size, desktop units are
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Check the latest prices on Hard Drives:
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* First Look: A BlackBerry for Phone Lovers
RIM's BlackBerry 7100t phone represents a radical departure from the
company's text-centric roots.
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Check the latest prices on Wireless phones:
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* PC World Spotlight: Best Cameras for Your Money
Nikon's Coolpix 3200 tops our list of affordable point-and-shoot
cameras, while the Olympus C-5000 Zoom has the lowest price of our
advanced models.
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Check the latest prices on Cameras:
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See all Reviews:
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