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Thread ID: 59903 2005-07-16 06:43:00 anti spyware programs Mr_Rain313 (7944) Press F1
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372766 2005-07-17 03:03:00 ...We ran them both on the same computer which we knew had spyware probs...

Just out of plain old curiosity:

How can you tell whether spyware exists in a machine without an anti-spyware tool telling you so? That is, is there a way to determine spyware independent of anti-spyware tools? If all the anti-spyware tools you have tell you that a machine is clean, how confident are you of that?

How do anti-spyware tools identify spyware? Do they use a signature database like anti-virus tools, that must be constantly updated? Do they scan every file in the system, the registry etc?
vinref (6194)
372767 2005-07-17 03:26:00 Just out of plain old curiosity:

How can you tell whether spyware exists in a machine without an anti-spyware tool telling you so? That is, is there a way to determine spyware independent of anti-spyware tools? If all the anti-spyware tools you have tell you that a machine is clean, how confident are you of that?

How do anti-spyware tools identify spyware? Do they use a signature database like anti-virus tools, that must be constantly updated? Do they scan every file in the system, the registry etc?
In the case of the computer we ran it on, the homepage had been hijacked, and there was an occassional non-windows, non-(knowingly)installed application popup
Myth (110)
372768 2005-07-17 03:31:00 In the case of the computer we ran it on, the homepage had been hijacked, and there was an occassional non-windows, non-(knowingly)installed application popup

Oh. I thought spyware was surreptitious and didn't make itself obvious by hijacking the homepage, installing stuff or slowing down the machine etc. Or at least that would be how I would design spyware if I was into that sort of stuff.

I was thinking more of keyloggers, cookie thieves, identity thieves etc.
vinref (6194)
372769 2005-07-17 03:39:00 Oh. I thought spyware was surreptitious and didn't make itself obvious by hijacking the homepage, installing stuff or slowing down the machine etc. Or at least that would be how I would design spyware if I was into that sort of stuff.

I was thinking more of keyloggers, cookie thieves, identity thieves etc.I think they all get lumped under the topic of Spyware these days.
Myth (110)
372770 2005-07-17 03:54:00 chronic pop ups but i got spy sweeper and it did the job so thanks every1
what did it remove?

as far as any spyware program is better than its rivals goes......notice how noone seems to say what vers of the programs they have used, what was exactly was detected and removed. some antispyware programs remove just enough of the spyware to diable it, which means other programs will find the leftovers even tho the leftovers are harmless and in some cases can help stop a reinfection (the spyware thinks its still installed and won't reinstall).
tweak'e (69)
372771 2005-07-17 03:58:00 The MS antispyware was originally created by a company called Giant. They had a paid version before MS bought them out. PaulD (232)
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