Spyblaster ??????

Primplepuss · 01-23-2007, 06:09 PM

Hi All

Looking for some professional opinions please - I have Norton Anti Virus installed and have also downloaded Ad Aware and Spyblaster ( after taking advice from this very good forum called tech support

!!!! )

I assumed that Spyblaster would be preventing any "nasties" getting in - and ad aware would pick up anything that did manage to slip through. However Spyblaster never seems to do anything and when I run Ad Aware theres always loads of stuff I need to delete. So I am asking if its worth even having spyblaster at all ?

I assume that Norton is doing its job as its picked up and chucked out a few Trojan Horses !!! ( this was when I was trying to upload a website )

cheesecheeks · 01-24-2007, 07:16 AM

Spyblaster is just a small preventive program. All it does is put the sites in its database in the blocked sites list in Internet Explorer or Mozilla. Also prevents a bunch of bad activex controls from automatically starting. That is about all it does.

tetonbob · 01-24-2007, 02:50 PM

We're talking about SpywareBlaster, right?

And....what exactly is it that Ad-Aware is finding? Tracking Cookies? Or more sinister items?

SpywareBlaster does this:

# Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software.
# Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox.
# Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.

But it must be updated manually unless one pays for the autoupdate.

Spyblaster is something entirely different.

Primplepuss · 01-24-2007, 08:05 PM

sorry sorry sorry - its Spyware Blaster I am talking about.

Have jsut ran Ad Aware so I can give you full details - it came back with 6 critical objects which were all tracking cookies and 16 negligible objects which all were MRU list ( I dont know what that means ?? )

So I dont get why the spyware blaster didnt prevent the tracking cookies from getting in in the first place ???

Confused !!!!

tetonbob · 01-24-2007, 08:37 PM

There's just way too many tracking cookies out there. For the most part, they aren't seriously malicious. SpywareBlaster does block quite a few, but as cheesecheeks said, it's main goal is blocking malicious ActiveX controls from being installed. It does this quietly, in the background, without using system resources.

Cookies get placed on your machine from nearly every site you go to.

Cookies are nothing to be worried about. They get installed on your computer everytime you visit any webpage. Now some of those are good cookies that get installed for ease of use for next time you visit the same page, but some cookies are spyware used for tracking users surfing habits.

Most of those cookies are third party cookies that can be blocked:

In Firefox go to Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies

Click the small triangle next to cookies to expand that tab and put a check next to "for the originating website only". This will prevent third party cookies from being installed on your computer.

In IE go to Tools > Internet Options > Privacy and click on Advanced in the Privacy tab

Now put a check next to "Override automatic cookie handling"

Set first party cookies to Accept and third party cookies to Block

Also put a check to "Always allow session cookies" OK your way out.

This won't prevent all bad cookies from being installed, but will reduce the amount.

From the official SpywareBlaster support forum:

Quote:

SpywareBlaster is a preventative program. It sets flags in the registry to prevent the running of a specific list of bad spyware related ActiveX controls. This includes general spyware and malicious dialers. It also blocks a list of known spyware related cookies in IE6. SpywareBlaster should be run periodically, say once a week, to check for updates to its database. Other than that it doesn't need to be running to provide protection, so there are no processes run either at startup or in the background.

MRU is Most Recently Used lists of programs/files, etc....used by Windows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_...rosoft_Windows

Quote:

Most Recently Used (MRU) is a term used in computing to refer to the list of programs or documents which were last accessed. It can be of convenience since it allows you to quickly see and access the last few used files and documents. But could also be considered bad in terms of privacy.

All is well. Remain calm.

Happy Computing!

Primplepuss · 01-25-2007, 08:12 PM

You guys really know your stuff - thanks a million !!

I am one step away from novice now - I am a novice and learning !!

tetonbob · 01-25-2007, 09:24 PM

01-23-2007, 06:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
Primplepuss Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Clermont, Florida Posts: 34 OS: XP Media Centre	Spyblaster ?????? Hi All Looking for some professional opinions please - I have Norton Anti Virus installed and have also downloaded Ad Aware and Spyblaster ( after taking advice from this very good forum called tech support !!!! ) I assumed that Spyblaster would be preventing any "nasties" getting in - and ad aware would pick up anything that did manage to slip through. However Spyblaster never seems to do anything and when I run Ad Aware theres always loads of stuff I need to delete. So I am asking if its worth even having spyblaster at all ? I assume that Norton is doing its job as its picked up and chucked out a few Trojan Horses !!! ( this was when I was trying to upload a website )

01-24-2007, 02:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
tetonbob Manager, Security Center, TSF Academy; Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Transylvania County, North Carolina, USA Posts: 35,521 OS: 2000 Pro; XP Pro; XP Home	We're talking about SpywareBlaster, right? And....what exactly is it that Ad-Aware is finding? Tracking Cookies? Or more sinister items? SpywareBlaster does this: # Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software. # Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. # Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer. But it must be updated manually unless one pays for the autoupdate. Spyblaster is something entirely different. __________________ Practice Safe Surfing PC Safety and Security--What Do I Need? Because what you don't know, CAN hurt you. Proud Member of ASAP since 2005 Proud Member of UNITE since 2006 Microsoft MVP - Consumer Security 2009

01-25-2007, 09:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
tetonbob Manager, Security Center, TSF Academy; Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Transylvania County, North Carolina, USA Posts: 35,521 OS: 2000 Pro; XP Pro; XP Home	__________________ Practice Safe Surfing PC Safety and Security--What Do I Need? Because what you don't know, CAN hurt you. Proud Member of ASAP since 2005 Proud Member of UNITE since 2006 Microsoft MVP - Consumer Security 2009

01-24-2007, 07:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
cheesecheeks Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Pace Posts: 57 OS: XP Pro Service Pack 2	Spyblaster is just a small preventive program. All it does is put the sites in its database in the blocked sites list in Internet Explorer or Mozilla. Also prevents a bunch of bad activex controls from automatically starting. That is about all it does.

01-24-2007, 08:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
Primplepuss Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Clermont, Florida Posts: 34 OS: XP Media Centre	sorry sorry sorry - its Spyware Blaster I am talking about. Have jsut ran Ad Aware so I can give you full details - it came back with 6 critical objects which were all tracking cookies and 16 negligible objects which all were MRU list ( I dont know what that means ?? ) So I dont get why the spyware blaster didnt prevent the tracking cookies from getting in in the first place ??? Confused !!!!

01-25-2007, 08:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
Primplepuss Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Clermont, Florida Posts: 34 OS: XP Media Centre	You guys really know your stuff - thanks a million !! I am one step away from novice now - I am a novice and learning !!