Dealing with Spyware/Adware

[Deach]

I'm bored....

Dealing with spyware/adware:
Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.security.kolla.de
Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware
HiJackThis - www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html
Dealing with viruses:
Free Virus Scan - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/hous...start_corp.asp
AVG - http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php
Online protection:
PeerGuardian - http://www.methlabs.org/
ProtoWall - http://www.bluetack.co.uk/index.php
ZoneAlarm - http://www.zonelabs.com

So you think you got spyware/adware/virus, eh? Well then, just follow this guide, to get rid of the problem, in this guide will be information on spyware and adware, and how to deal with it. I'm certain most of you have these programs to prevent yourself from getting spyware/ad-ware, but I'll bet some of you don't. Lets get started

Different types of spyware/adware
Adware Networks
These are networks that pay sites to have their ads shown while your browsing thier sites, which are usually pop-ups, these pop-ups place cokies on your computer which track you as you browse the internet. Shocking!

Stalking Horses
These are included in some popular software (not all software, just some) and are additions to the main program, the trojan horse. Devastating!

Trojan Horses
These almost always have a stalking horse and software for ad networks. Examples of trojan horses, Kazaa and Morpheus. Ghastly!

Browser Hijackers
Software that hijckas your browser. They change your homepage to something stupid, and say if you wanted to use google, it would hijack the request and send it to another search engine. Thus resulting in whining and bitching. Bastards!

Dialers
God I hate these. It's software that can make phone calls, through your computer, if you have a modem. It will also connect to other stuff, such as porn sites. This costs, so you are charged, yes charged, while your computer is connected to it. Uh oh!

Malware
Software which changes system settings, not just your browser settings, and can cause harm to your computer if not dealt with. Argh!
So, like, where do I get these from?
The most common way of being infected is through not having security settings in your browser. IE is targeted because it is widely used, so there is plenty of easy target. You can also get it from sites that ask you to install a peice of software, such as software saying it can make your internet faster, saying that it can make your computer run better, or saying that you have a virus and you must "click here" to remove it. You need to be careful on what you download and install, as it could cause some harm to your computer.

And how do I know if I have spyware/adware/viruses?
Well.... The usual problems
-If your homepage changes without you changing it
-You're getting more pop-ups
-You have toolbars on your browser that you didn't install
-If there are processes running that you don't recognize (On the processes list on the task manager)
Any of those usually means you have spyware/adware installed on your system.

OMGZ! How do I get rid of it!?
Well first, you should download the programs I listed at the start of this, or if your too lazy to scroll up, here they are again.

Spybot - Search & Destroy - http://www.security.kolla.de
Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware
HiJackThis - www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html
Free Virus Scan - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/hous...start_corp.asp
AVG - http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

It's not neccesary to get all these, but better to be safe then sorry, eh?

Dealing with spyware/adware:

Spybot - Search & Destroy
This little tool scans your computer for spyware and adware, it scans your cookies, registry and files on your drive and erm... anything else you might have. Once it has finished scanning, it will list all the spyware and adware (if any) on your computer, then all you have to do is delete them. Sorted! Remember to keep Spybot updated, so that if new spyware or adware you'll be protected ready for it. Also check out the immunize feature. It stops certain programs from running so if some spyware is trying to install itself, it will stop it.

Ad-Aware
Another program for getting rid of spyware and adware, has basically the same features as Spybot - Search & Destroy. Remember to keep Ad-Aware up to date aswell.

HiJackThis
I love this program, you scan with it then it lists everything that starts up when your computer does, so you can see if you have any spyware or anything. But if your going to use this, make sure you save a log and ask someone about, beacause this programs lists everything, and not all of it is bad, so be careful as to what you remove. Go to http://www.security-forums.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=48 and post your log, and ask people if its alright.

Dealing with viruses:

Free Virus Scan
This is a free online virus scan, which will tell you if you have any viruses, I like it , very good if you don't have any Anti-virus software.

AVG
This is a good free anti-virus software, I've never used it, but I've heard its pretty good.

Online protection:

PeerGuardian
This program blocks IP connections from "rogue" connections, such as the RIAA and the likes. While I've used it, it has rejected a number of IP's, such as EA and some Australian police thing. It gets a list of IP's from a block list, which is updated regulary.

ProtoWall
Similiar to PeerGuardian, but as I couldn't get it to work, I can't really compare the two. Also uses a block list to block the IP's (probably the same).

ZoneAlarm
A free firewall, which is very good and easy to use, I highly recommend it to anyone in need of a firewall.

Lastly. If you haven't already done so, get Firefox. It is much better than using IE. No pop-ups. No spyware. Tabbed browsing. Plug-ins. Easily the best browser available.



If you want to post your hijackthis logs here, aswell as the forum stated above, then do so.