Few Solutions for Spyware at Adware Workshop

zerodamage · Apr 20, 2004, 05:17 PM

"Spyware, adware and other code that lurks on hard drives has become so pervasive it's bedeviling home users, driving corporate technology managers to distraction and has become the top complaint in customer service calls to computer makers."

Full Article: CNet

zerodamage · Apr 20, 2004, 05:28 PM

Here are some parts of this that irritate me or make you want to know wtf is going on here.

Quote:

Microsoft suggested that technology in a forthcoming Windows XP Service Pack might do the trick, while other participants touted third-party rating systems and voluntary codes of conduct.

We do not want any "mights" Microsoft. We want solutions and we want them now. This is way out of hand.

Quote:

But some advertising companies claim their business model is perfectly legitimate, and law enforcement representatives acknowledged they already had sufficient legal authority under computer crime laws to put the most noxious spyware makers in prison.

When asked whether new laws were needed to place spyware authors in prison, Mark Eckenwiler, a senior computer crime prosecutor at the U.S. Justice Department, replied: "By and large, the answer is no. In our quiver, we have a number of arrows we can use in prosecutions."

Legitimate my ass. If anyone looking for a dollar wanted to tap your phone and bug your house without you knowing about it to blackmail you or use it to send you mail to your home or who to send as salesmen to your home, there would be the biggest uproar over it. Yet these "companies" can instal this on your computer without your consent, monitor what you do on the internet, and to boot prevent you from removing it from your system and that is ok? You have all these Arrows, so do something about it already damnit!! DO SOMETHING AND STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!

Quote:

McAfee Security manager Bryson Gordon, whose company sells the McAfee AntiSpyware utility, says his company detected fewer than 2 million adware or spyware products in August 2003. By March 2004, the total number had zoomed to just more than 14 million. It's become "a larger technical support problem than viruses," Gordon said.

2 to 14 Million!! This is a problem NOW. Spam doesn't take priority over this.

Quote:

An anecdotal survey that antispyware company PC Pitstop described on Monday said that "75 percent of the respondents did not even recall installing (Claria's Gator Advertising Information Network) application on their PC...Adding the tally for users that did not know GAIN was installed to those that read the 20-page license for less than five minutes, an incredible 97 percent of GAIN users are largely unaware of what the application is doing on their system."

This would not be allowed anywhere or any place else. Just imagine your TV being treated this way.

I am not going to quote anymore. You all can read this. I am just so GD frustrated that this is happening and nothing is being done. You have members of the White House saying they have "arrows" yet are doing NOTHING about it. Quit talking about it and put a stop to it now before it comes back and bites you. I am betting there are security breaches all over the U.S. Goverment because of Spyware.

BWX · Apr 20, 2004, 06:43 PM

You should write Bill O'reilly and tell him what a huge problem it is, how much money it costs Americans, and that the government is doing nothing.
I bet when he is made aware of the huge problem and lack of action, he will do a segment on it or something.. It will piss him off as much as it does us- He is admittedly not that computer savvy- so he probably doesn't know about the problem- they read all the emails too.

If not write the same letter to John Stossel- you know the guy that says "Give me a break". He'll do a special on it, at least maybe this will get the government's attention.

http://www.fair.org/media-outlets/stossel.html

http://www.billoreilly.com/

It's worth shooting off a well written email about it- who knows, maybe you'll be invited to be on the Factor or 20/20 (If Stossel still does that show)- then you can Pimp out DriverHeaven!

zerodamage · Apr 20, 2004, 07:00 PM

I've already beaten you to the punch. I just need to finish "something" first. This has me the most irritated right now. Something so obviously illegal shouldn't be happening.

BWX · Apr 21, 2004, 03:54 AM

I couldn't agree more- it's amazing how slow the government is when it comes to adapting to "new" technologies- I use the term new loosely- I mean the Windows XP OS and all it's vulnerabilities has been around for quite some time now, and these spy-ad-virus things have been a problem for a while too- as viruses and adaware in general.. It should be treated as cable theft IMO- They always say cable theft is a federal crime, so why not virus-like programs eating up my internet connection and CPU cycles? Seems like a logical conclusion.

Rayder · Apr 21, 2004, 09:22 AM

I think what is needed is a re-write of the free-enterprise laws. Too many of these adware companies like to hide behind that as their way of justifying all the hell they put us through.

Such a re-write, in my opinion, should include legislation to protect all private services; my home phone, my internet connection and e-mail, nor should it EVER install anything on my PC without consent....etc. I would also include ads that pop up in seperate windows or over (or under) what you are trying to look at online too. And they should NEVER utilise cookies to track anything. Banner ads that load with the page you are at (like here) are fine, they don't cover up what I'm looking at. Advertisements should only be done publicly, not tap into private services and cause problems and aggravation, nor should they be invasive to whatever you may be doing at the time and "spy" on what you are doing or where you are browsing. The only exception I would give would be to the government to protect national security or whatever the government wants to call it.

And ANYTHING or anyone that broke the new laws......well, whatever was being improperly advertised, or whoever made the spyware, or is calling me on the phone, would be subject to lawsuit and heavy fines and complete business shutdown.

Advertising is getting WAY out of hand, and it's time they set down some limits on their ability to annoy us. If advertisisng is supposed to pay for so much this-and-that, why am I paying so much for all my services? Huh? No, it's time for these adware-malware...whatever to be held accountable for their actions. THEY need to 'feel the pain' as much as we are forced to. I'm tired of having to work so hard to keep that junk out of my system.

zerodamage · Apr 21, 2004, 03:57 PM

There is no need. The FBI could not install software on our computer to monitor what we do without a warrant or justification through the Patriot Act. What right gives these companies to do the same thing? This is common sense here and this needs to be addresses asap.

Apr 20, 2004, 05:17 PM	#1
zerodamage HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,478 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Few Solutions for Spyware at Adware Workshop "Spyware, adware and other code that lurks on hard drives has become so pervasive it's bedeviling home users, driving corporate technology managers to distraction and has become the top complaint in customer service calls to computer makers." Full Article: CNet

Apr 20, 2004, 06:43 PM	#3
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,669 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	You should write Bill O'reilly and tell him what a huge problem it is, how much money it costs Americans, and that the government is doing nothing. I bet when he is made aware of the huge problem and lack of action, he will do a segment on it or something.. It will piss him off as much as it does us- He is admittedly not that computer savvy- so he probably doesn't know about the problem- they read all the emails too. If not write the same letter to John Stossel- you know the guy that says "Give me a break". He'll do a special on it, at least maybe this will get the government's attention. http://www.fair.org/media-outlets/stossel.html http://www.billoreilly.com/ It's worth shooting off a well written email about it- who knows, maybe you'll be invited to be on the Factor or 20/20 (If Stossel still does that show)- then you can Pimp out DriverHeaven! __________________

Apr 20, 2004, 07:00 PM	Thread Starter #4
zerodamage HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,478 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I've already beaten you to the punch. I just need to finish "something" first. This has me the most irritated right now. Something so obviously illegal shouldn't be happening.

Apr 21, 2004, 03:54 AM	#5
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,669 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	I couldn't agree more- it's amazing how slow the government is when it comes to adapting to "new" technologies- I use the term new loosely- I mean the Windows XP OS and all it's vulnerabilities has been around for quite some time now, and these spy-ad-virus things have been a problem for a while too- as viruses and adaware in general.. It should be treated as cable theft IMO- They always say cable theft is a federal crime, so why not virus-like programs eating up my internet connection and CPU cycles? Seems like a logical conclusion.

Apr 21, 2004, 09:22 AM	#6
Rayder Mostly lurking lately.... Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 2,161 Rep Power: 73	I think what is needed is a re-write of the free-enterprise laws. Too many of these adware companies like to hide behind that as their way of justifying all the hell they put us through. Such a re-write, in my opinion, should include legislation to protect all private services; my home phone, my internet connection and e-mail, nor should it EVER install anything on my PC without consent....etc. I would also include ads that pop up in seperate windows or over (or under) what you are trying to look at online too. And they should NEVER utilise cookies to track anything. Banner ads that load with the page you are at (like here) are fine, they don't cover up what I'm looking at. Advertisements should only be done publicly, not tap into private services and cause problems and aggravation, nor should they be invasive to whatever you may be doing at the time and "spy" on what you are doing or where you are browsing. The only exception I would give would be to the government to protect national security or whatever the government wants to call it. And ANYTHING or anyone that broke the new laws......well, whatever was being improperly advertised, or whoever made the spyware, or is calling me on the phone, would be subject to lawsuit and heavy fines and complete business shutdown. Advertising is getting WAY out of hand, and it's time they set down some limits on their ability to annoy us. If advertisisng is supposed to pay for so much this-and-that, why am I paying so much for all my services? Huh? No, it's time for these adware-malware...whatever to be held accountable for their actions. THEY need to 'feel the pain' as much as we are forced to. I'm tired of having to work so hard to keep that junk out of my system.

Apr 21, 2004, 03:57 PM	Thread Starter #7
zerodamage HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,478 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	There is no need. The FBI could not install software on our computer to monitor what we do without a warrant or justification through the Patriot Act. What right gives these companies to do the same thing? This is common sense here and this needs to be addresses asap.