Spyware invades BitTorrent

Guest · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:41 am Post subject: Spyware invades BitTorrent

Here is an article on Eweek regarding the current flood of spyware and adware apps through the BitTorrent network.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1828633,00.asp

Now, I download a lot of fansubs and have never encountered spyware, which doesn't surprise me since most fansub groups are pretty reputable and not out to screw the fan base, but this link may be worth putting in a News update since so many people here rely on BT.

Apparently the spyware comes as an executable attached to whatever file you are downloading, like nail.exe or aurora.exe. I will never understand why anyone would launch an executable file that they didn't request. Same rules apply here as with e-mail attachments. If you didn't request it, do not run it!!!

I still prefer BitComet for use of BT. Whenever you open a torrent, BitComet displays a list of the files being downloaded, so if any spyware were included, you could just uncheck those files and ignore them. Other BT clients will just blindly download all files, although they do usually list the filenames. As with e-mail attachments, do not touch any file with a an .EXE, .COM, .BAT, .PIF or .VBS extension and make sure that you don't have Windows Explorer set to hide extensions for known file types.

And while on the topic of spyware, stay away from any free apps unless they come from a reputable web site like c|net's http://www.download.com/. I just spent hours cleaning up a friend's PC from crap installed by Quikshield, Messenger Plus! and BearShare. Most peer to peer apps are horrible for this and are known for propogating adware and viruses. Internet Explorer toolbars like Coolsearch are especially bad. Not everything on download.com is safe, but if you take the time to read the User Reviews before hand you can avoid trouble. (As an example, look up BearShare Accelerator, which has been d/l over 100,000 times but just look at all of the negative reviews.)

If you want some free apps, here are some safe downloads:

-For web browser toolbars with search and pop-up blocking, stick to the big three, Google, Yahoo or MSN toolbar. Yahoo and MSN require an account setup but it's free and their use is optional. Most are for Internet Explorer only, so toolbars for Netscape and other browsers are harder to find. You can also switch to the Firefox web browser which already has a Google search box and pop-up blocking.

-For anti-virus I recommend AVG from http://free.grisoft.com. Response from this server can be slow, so be patient.

-For personal firewalls, there are ZoneAlarm, Sygate, Kerio and Tiny Personal Firewall. All of these are free for home personal use.

-For spyware detection and removal AdAware SE and Spybot Search & Destroy are free for personal use and will catch most of the spyware out there when used together. Most other good spyware removal tools are not free, like Webroot Spy Sweeper. Often the trial versions will detect spyware but only the registered version will remove it. Note that there are a lot of so-called spyware removal tools which themselves contain spyware or adware. Do some research before trying out anything else.

Lastly, if you really want to try out a program from the web, do yourself a favor and perform one simple search first. Go to Google.com and enter "spyware" and the name of your program in the search box and carefully look for links to security sites which describe the program as spyware. As they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

Tank252ca · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:43 am Post subject:

Forgot to login before posting. Embarassed

Hope you find the information useful.
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[IMG:119:90:283352dc7f]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/Tank252ca/HoiHoiSanPointing.gif[/img:283352dc7f]Tank252ca

k_e_i_k_u_n_1_7 · Conscript Joined: Jun 17, 2005 Posts: 106

for now, there arent any BT clients that has built-in antivirus.. we`ll be needing one soon enough IMO

Tank252ca · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:31 pm Post subject:

hotaru-san · newbie! Joined: May 19, 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Singapore

Yeah, am using BitComet too. I find it's ease of use a definite plus point, and the ability to decide what to download (screening the inners of the file before starting the download) simply sweet Smile

May I add it's pretty dummy-proof too Cool