# MS Spyware Software



## linskyjack (Aug 28, 2004)

Just downloaded the beta of the Microsoft Spyware------anyone have any feelings about it.


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## MightyQueenC (Jul 7, 2004)

I've been looking at it...just waiting for another TSG member to be the guinea pig who tries it out, before I mess with it.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Look here at "How to use the Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta to remove Spyware"
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial98.html

And this thread on "MS AntiSpyware vs Ad-Aware vs SpyBot"
http://www.dozleng.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=3630


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## mach9 (Jan 26, 2004)

I bought it and installed it two weeks before MS announced their purchase. Seems OK. Rather good reviews of it on Slashdot.org. Tried to uninstall it so as to download the MS Beta. Does not uninstall well, so ran the installer again. Oh, well didn't need those megabytes anyway. It monitors things and seems quite good at picking up impt. changes. I especially like that it stops Active X installs on start-up. Hasn't done any harm, but I have a passel of anti-spyware programs you wouldn't believe. They all play nice together. so...


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## AvvY (Oct 8, 2004)

I really like it. Iv had it for about a week or so. Its real easy to use, and does things without u having to think. It picks up things that neither adaware or spybot detected. really woth having. I have now, Ad-Aware, Spybot, MS antispyware, Spywareguard/blaster all running to keep me coverred. I like to think my comp like fort knox, but still stuff sneaks in.

Late,


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

My philosophy on spyware prevention: Use Firefox and turn off the setting allowing websites to install software. Turn on the setting that lets you approve/disaprove every cookie. Use Spywareblaster. Use Adaware. Use spybot. Don't download a file unless your sure about it.


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## AvvY (Oct 8, 2004)

Big-K, i do all of that, but even so i still get stuff...
probably coz i download lots of stuff and sometimes from dodgy websites, but if i cant find it anywhere else, thats just what i gotta do. this is why i have all guns loaded to kill the nasty things when they get their slimey foot in the door. eh eh eh

Late,


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## jd_957 (Dec 30, 2004)

just downloaded it. it found 'searchsquire.com' that both adaware and spybot s&d missed. good program as far as i am concerned.


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## mach9 (Jan 26, 2004)

jd:
It found SearchSquire on me too. I read on Slashdot that that was part of Spybot S&D's TeaTimer. I'm missing Spybot's BHO now. I think Giant removed it. Anyway, it seems OK. Who would know? AdAware, Spybot, Spysweeper, A Squared, SpywareBlaster, SpywareGuard, TDS-3, Anti-Keylogger, CWShredder and HiJackThis. I think it took out a very old CWS,too. Never use IE6-updates only,so whatever it found was associated with IE, not Firefox, of course. In the month I've had it it only found 2 things. That's good news I guess. Only problem is that it keeps saying I haven't run it since Dec. 8th (day of install). I run it daily. The counter doesn't know what the program is doing. But it runs and does it job in other ways. Just double checked. It removed one of the 6 BHO's I had which "BHO Daemon" labeled as benign. But no issues with it so far, except that the left hand of it doesn't know what the right is doing.


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

Why would you NEED to download all these files? Anything I download I make sure is from a legitimate website. If not, i'll scan it for viruses and scan for ad/spyware after install. Any games I make sure are pure freeware or have a gpl license(I get most games from acid-play.com). Read this comic, and learn well young one.

http://www.questionablecontent.net/comics/270.png


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## AvvY (Oct 8, 2004)

Well i download certain files for certain uses - some of which cant be openly discussed here due to various forum rules...

i scan everything i download for viruses, and i still get them. i scan for adware and still get them. no one is ever safe.

Late,


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

Your safe if your not downloaded illegal files. I'm pretty damn safe right here, I havn't had any spyware come up since last friday, one day after I got this computer working again.


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## mach9 (Jan 26, 2004)

FYI:
PCmag did a test of Giant anti-spyware and later of the MS Beta1. To paraphrase-Giant removed 2/3 of the spyware detected (they installed the stuff on a clean machine), and blocked more than 50% of the threats they attempted to install. After Giant removed the threats they ran Webroot's SpySweeper 3.0 (its now 3.5) and it found 900 traces of 48 threats still present, that included 2 keyloggers and 3 trojans. It was tested with other products and the results for Giant were NOT outstanding. The MS Beta yielded similar results. It detected 51 threats, "removed" them, then SpySweeper found 900 traces still present- some merely leftover registry entries or files in the browser's cache, but others were still active. Read the complete review, not paraphrased: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1749938,00.asp


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## AvvY (Oct 8, 2004)

Just goes to show you can be never too careful - pretty much install every program available and still you wont be safe!

Late,


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## mach9 (Jan 26, 2004)

Some notes from Slashdot's Jan. 14th posting:called "Two reviews of MSAS".
deathlizard...head to head beat Spybot most times, way to go against Ad-Aware. Finding less residue with HiJackThis with MSAS than with other AS programs..dioscaido:...biggest gripe-lack of compatibility for users running as limited account (non-Admin.). Runs, scans, detects fine but never remembering any of your choices. I'm assuming it is trying to write choices to HKLM or a system folder...
bleeware:...On an infested WinXP machine, after MSAS done, Spybot caught some spyware related stuff and Ad-Aware caught some more.
Anonymous Coward:...sweep every week or so with Ad-Aware and Spybot. Only thing MSAS found was part of Spybot (or Ad-Aware, I forget which)...
Other comments:..doesn't support Firefox...it can find hijacked homepages,but doesn't give you the option to set your own homepage. I think it re-sets to MSN...Does not detect Back Oriface 2K, Spybot & NAV 2004 do. If you've installed and use,OK, if not... Just some tidbits. Your choice. Mary Ann


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

bigavvystyle said:


> Just goes to show you can be never too careful - pretty much install every program available and still you wont be safe!
> 
> Late,


Which raises the question, why bother? Most of this crap doesnt even do anything. Someone needs to just make a program that has the databases from every main program.


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

I decided to try it, and its currently scanning. It's found 5 instances of Kontiki and 4 of NCase(which I thought was gone months ago), a trojan, Navexcel, searchsquire, antileech, exact.bargainbuddy, 32 files infected overall(10 files and 22 registry). Crud.


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## Majixlt (Jan 5, 2005)

I have antispyware Beta 1 and I like it,,it found KC_RAT, a hi threat, remote control critter, which adware missed


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## jonasdatum (Jul 15, 2000)

Hello. Can somebody please provide links to this interesting development? Microsoft will rule the world like one of those mega-corps from so many scifi games and movies we love!  Then LINUX [and it's cousins] will become the underground illegal OS.

I need to build me a linux box, just to learn how to use it!


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

Anyone else think the guy in the picture looks like Neo?

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Yes it seems the best is still the good old FREE Ad-Aware Spybot for cleaning.
But best of all do things to protect your PC with.
Zone Alarm Pro

Spyware Blaster

Spyware Guard

Spybot Search & Destroy v 1.3

WinPatrol

HPHosts

noscript

Router

Norton AV

Keep IE and ZA setting on high but only use IE for updates and now and then if I need IE to get to a web site.

My PC is clean and I have done a good job of keeping it that way.

I had won SpyCatcher 3.0 and it is made to run all the time but I disable it so it did not. Like I said I keep this PC protected and with the above programs I don't need to have something else that is taking up CPU, memory etc if it is not going to get anything to find. Sure it may if I keep it running all the time stop something but if I go weeks and months without anything then why run a program that is onlying adding a load on my PC for something that may happen.
I did the upgrade last night to SpyCatcher 3.5 and ran a scan and look at this thread of what I got.
http://www.dozleng.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=3705

I think this program is trash and fill with false positives.
I can see with the added things that it may find some things that were never found in the pass but this is just crazy here.


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## Fredledingue (Aug 22, 2003)

Do you know if M$ Spyware works on W98-SE?

It seems not when you read the requierement, but they long forgot the existence of W98 at M$...


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Fredledingue said:


> Do you know if M$ Spyware works on W98-SE?
> 
> It seems not when you read the requierement, but they long forgot the existence of W98 at M$...


No it will NOT work on 98. It did before when it was owned by Giant but after M$ took it over they did away with it working on 98,98SE and ME.


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## Fredledingue (Aug 22, 2003)

Because the M$ want us to buy theyr last XP or Longhorn crap... 

Note that owning W98 versus XP is the best anti-spyware you can dream about.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Fredledingue said:


> Because the M$ want us to buy theyr last XP or Longhorn crap...
> 
> Note that owning W98 versus XP is the best anti-spyware you can dream about.


Yep your sooooooo right. 
Must be why I seem to keep my 98SE PC sooooo clean. :up:


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

I've found that my methods of anti-spyware work perfectly. In all my adaware and spybot scans for the past few weeks, nothing has been found, except for the first one I did of each. Occasionally MSSpyware will find something, but very occasionally. My anti-virus has found 3 things, two of which I deleted manually. The other was my shutdown.exe, which it healed. Adaware has not found even a tracking cookie since the start(around January 6).


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## pc_doctor (Jan 22, 2005)

I am really impressed with this Microsoft product, it seems very Microsoft Typical, and removes the slightest little bit of spyware that is on the computer, i would certainly recommend it when the full version comes out.


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

Out of Spybot, Adaware and Spysweeper I think MS Anti Spyware does the best job...maybe it is just me but I think MS actually released a decent software.


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

You can't forget Notepad, MS's best product ever released. My version is even better, as I've edited notepad to become Textbot through Reshacker.

I've actually been thinking about possibly downgrading this computer to 98, or at least 2000. What's the general consensus on this?


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

2000 yes, 98 you must be insane! Why would you want to go back in the stoneage?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

MSSpyware didnt find anything on my comp with deep scan - i feel special and too hardcore for M$.


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## Big-K (Nov 22, 2003)

Well, its much smaller so I regain much more space from my 40 gig main hard drive. Most programs I run/use are compatable or have a version for 98. I really see nothing wrong with the OS. If anything, i'll probably go to 2000, but I'm willing to do 98.


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## Fidelista (Jan 17, 2004)

Mach9, I have downloaded but not installed the M$ program. What I am curious about is this statement in one of your posts >>> "it can find hijacked homepages,but doesn't give you the option to set your own homepage. I think it re-sets to MSN.."
Am I misunderstanding something? .Please explain. Thank you >f


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## pc_doctor (Jan 22, 2005)

Fidelista said:


> Mach9, I have downloaded but not installed the M$ program. What I am curious about is this statement in one of your posts >>> "it can find hijacked homepages,but doesn't give you the option to set your own homepage. I think it re-sets to MSN.."
> Am I misunderstanding something? .Please explain. Thank you >f


 No you can set it to whatever Defult homepage and go back to it if ur browser get hijacked


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## Fidelista (Jan 17, 2004)

pc_doctor said:


> No you can set it to whatever Defult homepage and go back to it if ur browser get hijacked


Thanks PC  >f


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## holymoly (Jun 21, 2003)

I found since I used the free on-line scanner of Pestpatrol
www.pestpatrol.com, it advised me of items still in my registry. Like the Kazaa which I believed I eliminated long ago.
Pest Patrol free scan only identifies spyware items, so you can manually eliminate. Do a registry backup, before changing anything. The scan works in IE and not Firefox

Doing both, I found my surfing has been a lot faster in ages.


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## Fidelista (Jan 17, 2004)

Info found on the web. >>>>
9 February 2005

First Trojan to attack Microsoft anti-spyware product discovered, reports Sophos

Microsoft's products are often targeted by virus writers and hackers.

Anti-virus experts at Sophos have discovered the first piece of malware to attack Microsoft's new anti-spyware product, currently still in beta.

The Troj/BankAsh-A Trojan horse is designed to steal passwords and online banking passwords from unsuspecting Windows users. The Trojan horse also disables Microsoft AntiSpyware, currently available only as a beta download from Microsoft's website, attempting to suppress warning messages that Microsoft AntiSpyware may display and deleting all files within the program's folder.

"This appears to be the first attempt yet by any piece of malware to disable Microsoft AntiSpyware, but it may be the first of many such future attacks," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "As Microsoft's product creeps out of beta, and is properly released and is adopted more by the home user market, we can expect to see more and more attempts by Trojan horses, viruses and worms to try and undermine its effectiveness."

http://sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/bankash.html
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This post is not meant to critisize the MS program, or its effectiveness, just information found. >f


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