WATCH OUT

A few days ago, this blog's wife's computer screen suddenly started erupting with pop-up ads, sometimes filling the entire screen. After much hassle, this blog found and finally managed to eliminate an evil bunch of sneaky parasitic turdware called "n-Case," which is put out by a company called 180Solutions. According to this article, 180Solutions thinks it's performing a fine public service. Here' a quote from the "chief executive," Keith Smith:

"I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there. They view us as hijacking a user's computer, adding no value to the consumer and bombarding them with advertising messages. That is absolutely not the case. We are sponsoring content and making the Internet free."

With all due respect to Mr. Smith, he's a lying crapweasel. We have no idea how his company's software leeched its way onto our computer, but it never asked permission, and once it got on there, an excellent description of what it did would be "hijacking a user's computer, adding no value to the consumer and bombarding them with advertising messages."

If you think you might have this problem, you might want to check out a fine -- and free -- program called Ad-Aware.

Comments

[John]

"Lying crapweasel."

That is a high-quality insult.

And appropriately applied, in this case.

[Mike McCaffrey]

first to comment: "Those Bastards!!"

[beckster]

Spybot is actually also very good for that sort of thing. I run it every day, and I always find something. Those "Gator" people should be shot.

[je]

PopUp Stopper Free Edition is also superb!

[mudstuffin]

I was going to vote for LeBron James for president, now I'll vote for Dave.

[John]

Is it possible for Macintoshes to get spyware, or is it mostly a Windows problem, like viruses and the blue screen of death?

[CADGeek]

I am currently fighting just the same thing. It automatically tries to log on as soon as I boot. I've tried uninstaling it to no avail. It's totally f*cked up home computer. It looks like I'm going to have to reload everything!!! :(
Actually, i'm thinking about the whole system and upgrading to a new one....But, I'm too poor for that at the moment. Anyone care to make a donation??? My kids would REALLY appreciate it!

[eadn]

Thanks for the heads-up Dave!

I will bless my firewall and keep my firewall all the days of my life. And pat Norton on the head for having never had a virus. And keep this post in mind should some unwanted hell now break loose!

[lurker]

"The Lying Crapweasels" WBAGNFjustaboutanydamnthing,really.

[Charm665]

Thanks Dave! My computer has been doing this for 2 or 3 days and being a complete computer retard (Computer impaired homo-sapien for the PC folks out there) I could not figure out why. I now plan to track down the lying crapweasel and lock him in a room with a flock of hostile peacocks!

[popup101]

Dave,

I suggest you remove your hard drive and replace it with a mop. Yes a mop.

Romper Room

[Rachel]

Here's what I just sent:

"I am interested in information as to how my company could benefit from your services. Please call me to discuss your rates and marketing coverage.

JUST KIDDING! YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF LYING CRAPWEASELS!"

and then another one:

"By the way, it's asteriSk, not asteriCk, asshats!"

[mudstuffin]

There is a "contact us" tab on the lying crapweasel's webpage. I hope nobody was tempted to send in rude and innapropriate emails.

Just sayin'.

[Chicken Little]

I'm very pleased that Dave got the spyware off of his system. I'd just like to point out something to all AOL users.
I wholeheartedly believe that AOL allows spywar in your system. I've used Ad Aware for freinds of mine, but to no avail. They've still got their lovely ads saying "Get rid of these ads here" or "Hot Cam Girls Looking for Fun".

If I ever find the person who invented this system..

[steveforbes]

al gore now owns a tv station. The universe is weakened, not to mention the palm readers, compotent or not.

[SMFTC]

Here are a series of suggestions if you should run into similar problems.

As Dave points out, Ad Aware is excellent, as is Spybot Search and Destroy. A third tool which can be good but dangerous is Hijack This. Good because it can fix most of this stuff, and dangerous because it can also allow you to turn off things that should be legitimately running. But if you know what you're looking at, Hijack This is excellent. Finally, I recently had to help a friend with a Windows Millennium machine that was so full of this stuff (including this 180 solutions stuff) that it would not let you boot up and actually do anything. We had to boot up in Safe Mode, then go to the Control Panel to Add/Remove Programs to ditch SOME of the crap so we could go back to normal mode. We could not eliminate the 180 solutions stuff in this way, because it wants you to connect to the Internet to uninstall itself, and you can't do that in safe mode. But we were able to remove enough garbage that we could get into Windows normally and accomplish something.

I hope this is helpful to any of you, because I deal with it at work every day.

Brad (from SMFTC)

[Rachel]

Hah hah, mudstuffin.

Come on, give in, send 'em one. :)

[Con]

je & eadn: Popup stoppers, firewalls and ativirus proggies WILL NOT stop spyware and other malware. Use Ad Aware and/or Spybot Search and Destroy at least weekly. Keep their definitions updated. Know them, use them, love them.

[algore]

spyware is a good thing. I like all the fun ads. And some of the great stuff they are selling is worthwhile. Like Farm sex.

[algore]

How do I sign up to receive the latest spyware? I have Gain, Gator oand the other big one?

[mudstuffin]

Okay, ignore that last post. Here's what I sent:

"I was glad to learn that I was wrong in thinking that you were bombarding me with advertising, and that actually you were sponsoring content. What an eye-opener. People helping people. It's a beatiful thing. Crapweasel."

[algore]

I am enjoying the lastest GAIN popop ups right now. Anybody want to meet a wife? From Russia?

[Flash]

Does anyone live near Bellvue, WA (where their offices are located)? Perhaps you could give them a personal visit and leave them some "valuable content". I will volunteer a truckload from my neighbor's dairy barn.

[dickdale]

Dave,

Building your own computer is a s easy as changing your guitar strings. I have not changed my guitar strings since '62. Have you heard my latest cd. I have one string left. The big one.

Dick

[Rachel]

Good use of "crapweasel" mudstuffin. did you send it from someone named "freemont"? Mine was Freemont Wilson.

[mudstuffin]

Nah, Wilma Fingerdoo

[SMFTC]

Careful what you wish for!

I hope those of you who are sending comments are doing this through a form, and not sending an email from your Email client. And if you're using a form, I hope you're not providing your email addresses. Also, be careful; don't think these folks are above tracking you with cookies once you visit their sites. You might all end up with their software without your permission--or not; I'm not going there to find out, especially not at work.

Brad (from SMFTC)

[Nicole TWN]

People who hate popups may also wish to download and use Mozilla (www.mozilla.org), a free and open-source web browser that lets you block popup windows, set sites that are allowed to use cookies, and a host of other wonderful options.

[Hotsteno]

I downloaded something awful that purported to come from lop.com as well, and they have the same asinine response, that they're "helping." Gimme a break. But they did indicate (truthfully) that they told me they were going to install their software when I downloaded it from a (previously) trusted source. It was buried in tiny letters in their user agreement, where they had you click "I agree." Jerks.

Someone I know clicked on one of those pop-up ads that proclaim, "You have spyware!" He downloaded their software and installed it, and when he ran it it came up with all kinds of stuff which -- for a fee -- it would remove. It turns out THEY WERE THE ONES WHO INSTALLED THE SPYWARE TO BEGIN WITH!

[Graz]

I use AdAware 6.0, SpyBot, and PC-Cillen. I don't get hijacked very often.

And as Con said, update them, and run them daily.

[Rachel]

Brad from SMFTC,

Rest assured, it's a comment form on their website, not an email address. :) Yeah, they would probably send me back an email with their stupid program attached, just for spite.

[Boo Augustus]

Rachel, here's mine. As you can see, I adapted my form letter e-mail response to the imfamous Nigerian/419/Spanish Prisoner scam. It's amazing how many unclaimed bank accounts there are in Africa.

Please describe to me how I can sponsor internet content and making the Internet free by bombarding users with advertising messages. My investment firm, DCH, LLP has been supplying world-class, professional financial services and advice to clients with special needs and concerns. We count among our elite clientele leading figures in the international arms and diamond trades as well as many highly-placed displaced government officials. Moreover, with offices on five continents, 21 countries and in all the major international banking centers, our private banking services are unmatched by any other financial institution. In fact, Fortune Magazine recently named DCH as the best business resource to liquidate loose diamonds and gold bullion with less than AAA-rated pedigrees. In 2003, the last year for which complete records are available, our clients’ transactions in gold bullion alone exceeded U.S.$750,000,000.00. As an added advantage, DCH’s Jakarta-based, wholly owned subsidiary, Amalgamated Phosphorous, Screen Door and Steamship Corporation Ltd., maintains a fleet of Liberian-flagged, Lloyds-insured vessels and aircraft to transport your precious cargo over the tightest international borders.

Note, all our materials are available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Cantonese languages: please specify which languages you can support you useless lying crapweasels. I am,

Very truly yours,

Mortimer Jose Van-Snerdgrassplatz, IV
Associate Executive Partner

[Funniegrrl]

"I wholeheartedly believe that AOL allows spywar in your system. I've used Ad Aware for freinds of mine, but to no avail."

Not true ... I have had AOL for almost 10 years, and I have NEVER had any spyware on my system.

[Gretchen C.]

Ad-Aware is awesome. Not only is it effective, but it makes a really fun farting sound when it's done detecting buggies.

[evil little pixie]

I was going to post "Dave Barry says you are a bunch of lying crapweasels. You don't want Dave Barry mad at you. Just ask the telemarketers." But do you think it's a bad idea to use his name?

[SMFTC]

Pixie,

Gray area there. I mean, technically the comment is public knowledge now, and you wouldn't be saying anything that's not already on paper. And from the cookie we just saw above, we know they know that the Dave Barry Blog is referring all sorts of people to them. So they're going to know one way or another I'm sure.

SMFTC

[evil little pixie]

Thanks Brad. I ended up changing it anyway.

[Afurrica]

"Dear Lying Crapweasels,

Have a spectacular day. Have a day full of sunshine and merriment and DICTIONARIES, where you can look up "public service" and how to spell "asterisk.

Your friend,
Freemont"

BTW, one always ought to use mailinator accounts for this. www.mailinator.com and www.bugmenot.com are my new best friends. :D

[triller]

Quoted from article:

"180solutions Chief Executive Keith Smith, a 32-year-old college dropout who wanted to be a youth pastor before turning to the Internet, disputes the criticism and the unsavory nicknames."

Future pedophile comes to mind, but then isn't that a synonym for crapweasel?

[Amy.Girl]

Um... Buy a mac. No viruses,worms,trojon horses,blue screen of death, ad ware or spy ware.
Its just that easy.
All in a better looking, and much more reliable computer.

[Leetie]

I had the exact same problem from n-case and 180 solutions... all kinds of casino popups, IE window was hijacked, google toolbar was changed to something else... Ad-aware took care of most of it, but I still have some sort of .dll error upon boot-up. Bastards.

I don't think that AOL is protecting any computers, and it's not pop-ups that are the problem... it's software that gets dumped onto your computer when you visit some nasty websites and/or download freeware. Your pop-up blocker may stop the popups, but your computer has still been hijacked. Bastards!

[k]

I have to agree with Nicole here. Mozilla is mana from heaven, especially with my happy little Make Flash Ask You If You Want It To Play First plugin - between "block images from this server," the afore-mentioned flash doohickey, and the fact that I set it to only allow popup windows I specifically request (by clicking the appropriate link), I hardly ever see any ads these days.

For most of my work, I'm on a Mac, so I generally don't have to deal with this garbage, but on my PC I'm largely just really, really careful not to ever download any software from anyone I don't trust (especially any file-sharing applications, those are notorious evildoers - IMHO they're doing more harm to their free file-sharing vision at the moment than the RIAA is), and I use Mozilla only. To date I have never yet wound up with one of those nasty buggers, though I still check periodically.

Explorer is bad. Mozilla is good. Once you've lived life with tabbed browsing, you'll never, ever, ever go back, let alone the privacy and other handy settings. Mozilla also has spawned a number of other browsers that use their Gecko code, including several that are very lightweight and fast. Look at their links if you want more options on that front.

[Flash]

Perhaps we should think about contacting Victor Parker, from Spectrum Equity Investors, who just invested $40 million into 180 Solutions and let him know how much we appreciate him funding jerks like this.

[evil little pixie]

Excellent idea, Flash!

[Doug Brockmeier]

This is one of my ultimate concerns. Eventually, the world market will be dominated by the internet and we'll be able to minimize the margin between rich and poor and be able to maximize utility and somebody will have to step up and--I nominate Dr. Phil--volunteer to be executed.

It's very obvious: The reason we see only young visionaries is: the old are hamsters.

[Lily]

I have a computer that just had a new hard drive installed 2 weeks ago, so it is like brand new.
I just now installed Spybot to see if I had any problems. It found 32 different spy programs on it in 188 seconds.

Holy Spyware Batman!

[Garret]

Dave: Got get 'em. If the telemarketers were no match for you, then this lying crapweasel won't be either. GO FOR THE COLUMN! Bring the wrath of not just us crazy people, but the millions of other crazy people who aren't quite crazy enough to read your blog!!!

Folks, beware of downloading almost any kind of file. In our office, people love sharing various screen savers, weather bugs, IM thingies, song stealers, etc. When you get that grey MS install box that asks you if this is okay, THAT'S OFTEN WHERE THE ADWARE COMES FROM.

They may or may not warn you in teensie, tiny print.

This guy should be kidnapped, tied naked to a tree, anal probed with a cattle prod, and left for the goats and miniature donkeys. (DISCLAIMER: The preceeding comment is a metaphor and is not to be taken literally except by cattle prod owning miniature donkey herders.)

[kdogg3]

"We are sponsoring content and making the Internet free."

whoa, the internet is free? why do i get this bill every month..?

[Flash]

If anyone is interested, you can email Victor Parker and the folks at Spectrum Equity at menlopark@spectrumequity.com or you can fax them at (415) 464-4601
Have fun!

[Kasi]

Hi everybody!

Three steps to take before you reach paradise (at least for us Windows XX users):
1. Get rid of AOL. The net is a free space. Do you like it when your service provider "protects" you from viewing lots of sites because he thinks they are inappropriate for you? Think for yourself.
2. Easy way to deal with intruders: Norton Firewall, Norton AntiVirus. Do yourself something good.
3. Easy way to deal with Pop-Ups: Crazybrowser. (www.crazybrowser.com). Based on MS Internet Exploer, but blocks every pop up. I never had any problems since I have installed it.

Just caring! ;-)
(and having some beers)

Kasi

[Keith Smith]

Pop-ups are a delicious way to start the day! Kellog's french toast pop-ups are mmm-mmm good.

[eadn]

Thanks for your own heads-up, Con! I'll check 'em out. Hate to think I might have a chink in my armor even though I haven't had any problems and do check what thinks it's running on my system.

P.S. Read your SYSOP post so I do trust your input, I just learned what I "know" from the School of Hard Knocks, Cussedness 101.

[Mary]

Now we know where to dump the monkey poo & algae ... on top of the LYINGCRAPWEASEL!

[eadn]

Just to be humorous

*blink*

Oh Wow! Been into my beer enough that though I downloaded both Ad-Aware and Spybot, think I'll play risk for tonight and fool with 'em sober.

Looks like a whole new world of internet-protective awareness is about to open up for me and, offhand, I wonder if they might explain why I get some of the crapweasel spam that I do?

*shit* On that last, even though I've had my moniker since I first got on the internet a little over half-a-decade ago, I'm once again getting spam that refers to me as "eden". There's a story there, but not one anyone on the internet knows...how's that for funky?

[Kalyani]

I say "crapweasel" all the time. Sometime last year it became my favorite pseudo-swear exclamation. I applaud your use of this word.

[eadn]

SMFTC, yes I know, that's why I'm "cryptic" at times to the regulars on The Blog.

Because of my own nature, I've always taken the reverse approach. In essence, "Go ahead and try!" For me, it has stopped more problems than it has created, but I don't recommend it to anyone since I've also got a well-established history to back me up along with my own forefront.

On that, though this spyware event is new to me, my true e-mail address has several more layers of security on top of my internet security.

Obviously, I won't post it on The Blog or anywhere else. Suffice to say it seems to work for me.

Finally, the first line of defense is always oneself. And as Nietzsche said, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger".

At least, since this spyware thing hasn't directly affected me yet like with Dave's wife, I can once more leap into the breach and put one or more fingers in the dyke before I'm LTTG! :-)

Take Care, All of You!

[Garret]

Gosh. It only took like 60 posts for some Linux advocate to crawl out of the woodwork?

Can you say

[Garret]

Okay. That should have said "Can you say less than 1% market share." But this (obviously Microsoft based) program assumed that the symbol for less-than meant ERASE THE REST OF THE LINE.

CURSE YOU BILL GATES!!!!

[Lmd33]

Thanks very much. The Adware version I installed found 537 objects that I have quarantined. Some I might have to keep (a tech friend will help me decide), but I'm sure alot will need to be deleted.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Dave,
clearly there is only one answer for the Kevin Smith, Boy Preachers of the world. Kill them, kill them dead (figuratively, of course). People (and I use the term advisedly) like that have no shame so you can't get to them with comments or name calling. Dave writing a column or three would be a good start, however, and since he was the one most affected this time I think he should go for it. Ban the Lying Crapweasels!

[Graz]

Crapweasel.

That term reminds me of what they called the larvea in Stephen King's book " Dreamcatcher".

'Cept it started with an "S"

[eadn]

Jeff, heh heh with this post:

The one thing I've really Enjoyed seeing is Dave Barry getting his dander up enough to throw his public weight on this subject!

KUDOS, Dave!!!!

Of course, if I had a wife and she was so inflicted, I don't have his public-reach capabilities...I'd have to do something else....

I don't know what got our Dave to go after the telemarketers, but do applaud his efforts! :-)

This spyware / pop-up abandon smacks of the same type of unsolicited abuse. Con "raised the bar" for me since with his considerable knowledge, he indicated I could not trust my firewall in this matter from his earlier post here.

I will certainly take the steps recommended by Dave and Con (and others :-) to secure my system tomorrow when I'm definitely sober! And I will undoubtedly review the comments again for other Bloglit's advice.

In the meantime, I do suggest that none of us become the next "sucker born every minute" ;-)

[Doug Brockmeier]

Not just be kidnapped, tied naked to a tree, anally probed with a cattle prod, and left for the goats and miniature donkeys, but also be fed Jergens pump soap, forced to watch Dr. Phil, doused in vinegar, encased in plastic molding, sentenced to live at the center of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and eaten by lava monsters.

[Guin]

God bless Dave. He is a voice of reason in an insane world. I have gotten infected by these nasty little weasel bugs and have to run BOTH adaware and spybot to get rid of them. May Keith Smith be plagued by locusts.

[Doug Brockmeier]

Not just be kidnapped, tied naked to a tree, anally probed with a cattle prod, and left for the goats and miniature donkeys, Jergens pump soap, forced to watch Dr. Phil, doused in vinegar, encased in plastic molding, sentenced to live at the center of Mt. Kilimanjaro, eaten by lava monsters, and plagued by locusts, but also be brought back to life by God himself, reincarnated as a frog, forced to live at the bottom of Crater Lake, beaten by tourists with sharp sticks, again killed, and again reincarnated, this time as Chris Matthews.

My frog is worth $9 million.

[Doug Brockmeier]

His name is Salvador.

[Thornwell Simons]

For cleaning spyware, you should have adaware, spybot search & destroy, and a virus scanner (your choice).

For Spam, you should have a program called Spambayes, running the Outlook plugin. You can teach it what you consider spam and what you don't, and it auto-filters based on what you've taught it.

For popups and general security, get a program called Zonealarm, and buy the Pro version.

It's important to have all three because often the attacks are interconnected -- for example, zonealarm will block spyware connecting back from your computer to central servers, which might prevent them from getting your email address and sending you spam, or downloading popup advertisements. You really want all three levels of defense.

On the other hand, I realized the other day that more than half the programs I had running in the background of my computer were security-related. Which is pretty sad. I shouldn't have to spend more than half my computer's processing power just to protect the other half from getting interfered with.

[Kalyani]

Not Kevin Smith, he is the awesome creator of many excellent films, it is Keith Smith who is the object of so much of our hatred.

[Punky Brewster]

Doug ... your last two posts secure your position as one damn funny and brilliant, albeit quirky, human in my book.

I bow to you.

[Doug Brockmeier]

It really isn't fair that I can get away with highway murder like this, because most of the time I don't make sense even to ME.

[steven]

I have to agree with .. Condescending OS Snot..
been using Mandrake Linux and Mozilla Firefox for a few months and just love it!.. minimum firewall, no virus protection, popups automatically blocked...what more can you ask for???.. oh yes all this is free!!...just download and install!!!

[steven]

And I almost forgot... no adware or spyware

[Lee]

FYI, my company, which happens to be a huge
supporter of Linux, is also very security
concerned. The things we have to do for Linux,
makes Windows look like a cakewalk. At least Microsoft has made the updates easy.

[Mahatma Kane Jeeves]

FYI, the Google toolbar is great for blocking popups, you have to install it from the google site.

[Macuser]

To the person who asked if MacIntosh computers are vulnerable to spyware: Yes, all computers are. But since Macs make up only a small portion of the market share, not many programs are being written for them. The vast majority of crapware out there will not run on a Mac. I have never had a virus or spyware (but I use antivirus software religiously).

[Rob]

So, MY question is, when all that AdAware comes up with is cookies, is that still a bad thing?

I've traditionally thought that programs, DLLs, etc. were the truly dangerous ones - do I need to sift thru the cookies as well?

And who else uses opera for a browser?

[Garret]

It depends on how invisible you want to be online -- how much it bothers you that companies track you.

I have an Alexa toolbar that gives me stats on web pages. iWon is my home page (because I'm going to win a million dollars).

In both cases, those companies are gathering stats on what I view. But I don't care. And actually, I figure the stuff I click on from Dave's blog has their computers doing fits (a la "my Tivo thinks I'm gay").

This crap from this lying crapweasel is different. This bombards you with allegedly targeted stuff.

I have a good friend who's a devout Christian. Her computer got hijacked with porn pop-ups. This was more than an annoyance. She literally felt assaulted. She was really embarassed and traumatized by it.

That's why this Smith crapweasel needs to be tied to a tree ... (see Doug's posts).

[Blogchik]

This is what I wrote to the crapweasels:

"Your stupid program has infected my computer. You should all be tied up and thrown into the Everglades to be eaten by alligators and leeches.

Have a nice day."

Considering I used a fake name and fake email address, I'm not holding my breath for a reply.

[Louisiana Idiot]

I have a good idea - kill two evil empires with one swift purchase. Buy a freaking Apple Mac!!!! No viruses - no spyware - no crashes - no blue screen of death. Get over the whole Microsoft thing - it is a big, big pain in the @#^.

That is all.

[Blogchik]

Just ran a spybot check. Not a shocker, TONS of cookie-trackers. Stupid ^&(*&(*P(^*%^&%$s.

Now, for Ad-Aware...

Dave- Column on this? Please? :)

[Sue]

I had this issue last week with my PC, the damned thing just took over everything! Luckily I stumbled on a site called amazingtechs.com. This is a totally free service to help you get your computer back! Plus they have a listing of things you can do to prevent it from happening again. Just go to Forums/Adware, Spyware and Hijacks and post your problem and these amazing people will help you. I spent an entire week trying to get rid of it and they walked me through it in less than an hour.

[Sue]

One more thing Dave - Adware is not enough to prevent these kinds of hijacks, you really need to go to amazingtechs.com (no, I do not get kickbacks for promoting them) and read up on how to protect yourself from hijacks. Adware is limited in solving this problem.

[Eykis]

Lying crapweasels just says it all. Yes, we do need a column.

[mysticweirdo]

An even better program than Ad-Aware is called "Spy Sweeper" and it is available for a 30-day trial (Don't worry-you can re-install it for another 30 days ad infinitum, it takes less than 3 minutes) from webroot.com

This program performs a much deeper scan than Ad-Aware, and it also attacks viruses, as well as protecting your system from future adware/spyware programs.

Also, in case anyone is having a lot of problems with spyware, stay away from AIM games. They are provided by WildTangent, which is a company similar to 180solutions.

[Brian]

I had that trouble at work and even the IT guys and some of the best students are having trouble getting rid of it. I think these adware people should be strung up alongside criminals and boy bands for public humiliation.

[Garret]

Now don't you go dissing boy bands!

*begins to sing N'Sync: "Bye-bye baby, bye bye"*

Besides, why would they need to be hung out for public humiliation when they already publicly humiliate themselves when they perform?

[Lily]

Garret,

Your Tivo isn't the only one who thinks you have a problem. My teenage DAUGHTERS don't know the words to that song.

[D'Artagnan]

Of course, everyone realizes that Lying Crapweasels is rich with anagram potential...

    &nbspLace lags wry penis
    &nbspClearly a spew sign
    &nbspSew a girl's ply acne
    &nbspPiss a clean wry gel

And many others.

[dasmb]

A further comment on Macintoshes:

People have made the assumption that Macs are "just as vulnerable" to spyware as other computers. As of OS X, this is only partially true. On a mac, the user who runs programs does not have access to alter the underlying system. A program can only get rights to by getting the user to enter the administrator password.

Programs can run without this password. But they won't run automatically, nor will they be invisible. They'll have to sit on the dock, where they're easy to shut off (ctrl-click, Force Close).

What this means is, for a spyware program to run invisibly on the mac, it would first need to trick the user into entering his password. Which is an extra step that most people would be wary of.

This may be the reason spyware does not exist for the mac -- not because it "sucks" (i'm not even going to FIGHT that level of ignorance) or because it has a small marketshare (3% of the market still amounts to MILLIONS of machines), but because it's just not as easy as popping up a window that says "CLICK HERE TO INSTALL A HARMLESS TEMPERATURE INDICATOR."

[Smoodle]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm so darn lazy I've put off doing anything about all these stupid pop-ups until now. Spybot and the Google Toolbar have made the last fifteen minutes on the web the most pleasant I've had in a year...

Thanks for the inspiration, guys.

[Babs Smith]

A couple months ago a judge determined that adware company WhenU (who is very similar to Gator) was perfectly legal in having their software pop up ads on the computers of those who installed the software. WhenU was being sued by sites who were pi**ed off that WhenU's ads were blocking their own. Now, in a different case arguing the exact same thing, the judge has read the law the same way and said WhenU does nothing wrong in putting pop-ups in front of others' websites. Whether or not they're sneaky and confusing to end users who are installing the software is a different matter altogether. But, it seems clear that websites who find that adware pops up new ads over their website have little legal recourse. As annoying as the adware is, this is the proper legal decision based on what this case was about. What might make more sense, though, is to have companies like WhenU and Gator be much more explicit about what they're doing to your computer.
(Keith is not a malevolent person, he is a free speech advocate as well as being a great husband and father.)

[Graz]

Just because something is legal, doesn't mean that it's right.

And Keith is still a S#!^weasel. "I advocate free speech. Especially if it will make me money."

[Claudia]

I am currently using PestPatrol and it is better than any spyware remover I have ever seen.
I have Ad-aware and spybot s&d as well but they failed to see about 300+ other applications and files that were hiding on my cpu.
I am finally clean and my cpu is purring like a kitten thanks to PP, I highly recommend it :)

[Charm665]

I clicked on the 180 website and they have a big ad for people to apply for work there. You should go undercover Dave!! Get all the dirt on those lying crapweasels and then bust the whole thing wide open!!!

[Andrea]

For every dime you save on your initial purchase of a PC (vs. Mac) you will spend a dollar later in "tech support" and having to spend hours of precious time protecting your computer from junk and viruses. Don't kid yourself that Macs are "more expensive"--that is false economizing.

Dave Barry and Bloggers: get a Mac. Test it for a couple of weeks or months. I'd love to hear about your experience.

[Jessica]

Babs,
I am all for freedom of speech, but I should not be forced to listen! Besides I think that this would be classified as Freedom of the Press. The thing is, if I don't like the headline, I don't have to buy the paper, but, like telemarketers, these pop ups come into my computer UNINVITED, unpurchased, and unwanted.
The pop ups Dave is talking about are ones that just keep popping up no matter how many times you close them. They are horrible time wasters and sometimes disgusting to look at. Should I never be able to use my computer in the same room as my children? Are you going to come and watch my kids while I try to take care of the business I run mostly online? This computer is in my home; I pay for my Internet connection; I pay for my Website; I am entitled to privacy, and I am entitled to have a say in what my children and I view online. I hate the Constitutional Rights argument because people who use it assume that I have none!

[Garret]

Babs, you've got to be a phony troll. I can't believe that a Dave Barry reader would be married to this guy.

But on the slim chance that you're for real, no one here is a vendor complaining about a competitors pop-ups coming up at the end of a transaction.

It's the total hijacking of a computer that's the problem. That's what hubby's software does (on the pretense of presenting targeted ads).

Laws are probably on the way. Hopefully, your husband will violate them. Then he could be someone's "wife" in jail.

[Chuckg]

There's also a freeware product called "SpywareBlaster" by Javacool Software (click on my name to go there), that you run to tweak your IE or Mozilla settings *before* you get spyware -- and it blocks spyware from hijacking your machine. You don't have to keep it running in the background, you merely run it once every week or so after downloading the latest definitions.

SpywareBlaster integrates with Spybot's "Immunize" function, and provides greater functionality.

[mudstuffin]

Enough with the mac / pc debate! Reminds me of the Ford / Chevy debate we cool kids had back in the 60's.

Trust me, you won't convert anybody.

And oh, yeah, Keith Smith is a bottom-feeding, constitution-buggering, content-monetizing, squirrel-annoying crapweasel.

Jessica; well stated.

[Eykis]

Babs, are you a lawyer? We don't care what the judge decided in the WhenU case. We care that your husband is a crapweasel making a gazillion bucks off of his sales and his company is annoying and not wanted. Find a different blog, this is ours.