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| Spyware / AdWare - Fake Anti-Spyware Programs - stay clear of them! posted in the Security & Safety forums; Yup , but we might know that , most other people dont.
Its not still being sold all around the net for nothing , and it indeed should be listed in the rogue ... |
06-10-2006
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Elite Member
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Posts: 9,046 Location: Netherlands
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Yup , but we might know that , most other people dont.
Its not still being sold all around the net for nothing , and it indeed should be listed in the rogue listing on spywarewarrior imo. It is mentioned a couple of times in the comments but it isn't listed separete on there.
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- PCHF Team. - (NL) - Mal-ware Eradicator! -
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06-12-2006
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Elite Member
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Posts: 4,648 Location: Bay Area California
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 Hey Joe, you're absolutely right! I simply assumed it was. I will contact them today and make that recommendation for the site. You always know so much,  .
TTFN
LGW
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01-25-2007
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Bronze Member
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Originally Posted by Hengis
Yup, they exist !!
Always check this site before downloading/buying any anti spyware applications. This site has a fairly up-to-date list of the programs to avoid if you're looking to relieve your PC of the spyware burden. They are not recommended because they install spyware themselves, just aren't any good at fixing spyware, gives numerous false positives, or somewhere in between.
Spyware Warrior: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
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GREAT find...lots of useful info.
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02-25-2007
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Moderator
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Posts: 1,013 PC Experience: Very Experienced Location: Upstate NY, United States
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Thank you for this list. I have a comment about one of those programs, and I was very glad to see that it was on the list. I don't want anybody else to get what I did: PSGuard.
PSGuard is one of the monst aggressive programs I have ever seen (besides the ones that ran the shutdown process just when Windows starts, but I can't vouch for those because I haven't had them). Not only did it install itself to my old computer without consent, but it did so while I was visiting sites that I would never expect to have malware. I go to family-friendly-happy-joy sites like this one, and the only place PSGuard could have come from was a site where I got to when looking for something on Google (like half of the MS Office functions that I didn't know back then).
PSGuard first installed a little red circle with a white exclaimation point in my taskbar. When hovered over, the text "Your computer is infected!" would appear. Then, I would receive numerous notifications that I had a virus named W32-something from McAffee (which I never even installed, therefore it must have been fake. However, it's diagnosis was at least spot-on). The next day, my desktop background was completely gone! It was replaced with a black screen with a yellow line of bold text saying my computer was infected, followed by a red paragraph about PSGuard with a hyperlink. I didn't bother to go there, because I had the common sense to know that Windows wasn't going to randomly direct me to some "antivirus" program. I sought to restore my original background. In the Desktop Properties page, the entire tab to select the background had disappeared! Even if I went to a file and told it to "Set as Desktop Backgound," it would not work!
What's next is what's worst. I did not have any antivirus software, and at the time did not know of any free ones, so my only resort to save my data at the time was to burn them to CDs and wait so I could reformat my computer and restore/clean the files when I obtained an antivirus program. This was not possible, because when I tried to do so, my burning utility would crash just as it began to burn! I got SEVERAL more burning utilities, and each would crash at that same point!
PSGuard's processes eventually began to eat up my computer's resources, perhaps as hijacking or perhaps just to drain the life from my system for no reason. Eventually, the strife to back up my files became like one of those situations in an RPG where the characters attempt to escape, but every exit is blocked and the field enemies are 20 levels above you (sorry for that analogy; I just love video games).
As the months went on, eventually I was able to restore my background. Two weeks later, a final attempt at a new burning utility finally found success. I was able to back up my files onto four 700mb CDs, and Norton Antivirus managed to completely clean the files out (a big surprise, since I just uninstalled Norton and Ad-Aware has found things Norton never did).
So, in conclusion, please do listen to these fine people at PCHF; use only programs they suggest or that are available in retail stores, just in case. Also make sure you are protected, because I don't want anybody to fall into the horrors of PSGuard or anything similar without being prepared to fight. Learn something from my experience, please.
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07-22-2007
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Bronze Member
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A good host file wil stop a lot of crazy ware. How To: Download and Extract the HOSTS file is a good site for understanding how to fight crazy ware (spyware, pups, malware, trojens, worms, keyloggers etc...).
This is preventive or proactive measures.
The webpages with crazy ware simple will not load. Its not 100%, but it helps so I have more time to deal with purple pills and ferrets.
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07-22-2007
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Tech Support Team
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Posts: 6,095 PC Experience: Elite PC Guru Location: Western Australia
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Thanks daayglow
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" Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in."
- Leonardo da Vinci
" I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
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07-26-2007
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Bronze Member
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Posts: 3 Location: Sttingbourne, Kent
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Oh great, I just bought Spyware Bot, should have signed up to this forum first!!!
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07-30-2007
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PCHF $ Donor
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Posts: 150 Location: Somewhere hereabouts . . .
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I'm being nagged by a site advertising VirusProtect Pro. One of my boys opened an email, and . . . well . . . here I am with this problem! It's popping up a warning every few seconds. Really is making me nuts!
I've downloaded a couple of programs recommended here, but apparently have to buy them in order to have them actually clean my PC. Spyware Doctor and Spyware Blaster.
Spyware Doctor has detected a bunch of problems, but I just don't have the money to go for it right now. I was using Panda but when I tried to renew my subscription, I had problems with the shopping cart and couldn't renew. Emailed them for help, but haven't heard anything in days, and now my protection's expired. I am at the moment using a trial version of NOD32. I hope it's okay! It doesn't seem to be able to do anything about this problem, however.
I'm figuring VPP isn't a good place. This is the page he got taken to:
VirusProtectPro :: Home Page
Sigh . . .
NeenahDee
Last edited by chiaz : 07-30-2007 at 09:04 AM.
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07-30-2007
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Senior Security Analyst
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Posts: 2,385 PC Experience: PC Guru
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Hello, thanks for the information! I've disabled the live link you posted so that members do not accidentally click on them.
I'm puzzled...most of the programs recommended here do detect and remove even if they are commercial products... What are you exactly refering to?
If you do need any help with removing VirusProtectPro, follow the Prework link in my signature and post a new thread with the required logs as attachments.
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07-30-2007
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PCHF $ Donor
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Posts: 150 Location: Somewhere hereabouts . . .
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Hello chiaz!
Well, they probably do the job after you pay for them. They did a scan, but no cleaning. Or at least Spy Doctor did. SpyBlaster, I'm afraid I couldn't figure out how to get it to work! I thought it was a trial as well, if not free, but it didn't seem to want to help me without being a registered version.
In any case, I downloaded the trial of AVG, which I had no trouble figuring out, and that did get rid of it.  
It also got rid of a ton of other stuff the other programs missed in their scans. Now, I will be buying this program in the very near future! Probably today!
NeenahDee
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