Spyware

[Guest Ginger]

This is very strange. I have always been very careful in reference to keeping Windows security, my anti-virus, and my anti-spyware updated as well as running FREQUENT manual scans as well as the daily scheduled automated scans. I delete any emails from unknown sources without opening. I have a good firewall. I change my passwords frequently. Last Wednesday we were gone all day as my husband had a C&P exam scheduled. Saturday morning I ran scans on my computer as it appeared my computer had been logged on during the night. I found SpyAnywhere 2.12.03 and Spytech SpyAgent during the scan. (I printed the info from the spydetector out for posterity.) I immediately checked network connections and found an extra LAN had been added and was connected. The info said it had been connected since Wednesday. My options had been changed so the extra connection would not show on my task bar. When I changed the option back to its original setting, it appeared on the task bar, but I had a horrible time closing the connection. It was unbelievable. Additionally, I poked around inside my puter and found a file for "Sunnet" which I checked on the internet and found to be an internet service provider located in Lawton, OK. Oddly enough, I happen to know that is the home of Ft. Sill. I also checked the internet for these two spyware programs. The Spytech SpyAgent is an extreme stealth, (user does not know it's running and it is not listed in programs or anywhere) defeats almost all spyware detectors, logs every keystroke, email in and out, IM's in and out, and allows the person who installed it (remotely) to view and control the computer by remote just as though he/she were sitting at my computer. SpyAnywhere is in the same genre. Serious stuff and not what you get in freeware! Also not the type of stuff you would randomly load on someone else's computer without an objective. Now in all these years of having a computer, I have NEVER had any problem. Not so much as a virus of any kind. Suddenly, I have this, and it just happens to occur while we were gone to my husband's C&P exam. As the primary user of the computer, (although my granddaughter uses it once every few months while visiting but I use AOL Guardian to limit her activity) I wouldn't think I am that interesting that someone would just randomly go to all that trouble to hack into my computer and install spyware to do RADICAL monitoring. The fact is, because of my husband's condition, we aren't just NOT interesting, but downright BORING and DULL! Now this could be just a coincidence, but I had a supervisor when I worked for a mental health provider (a VERY intelligent man) who told me there is no such thing as coincidence. I certainly don't have anything to hide, (most of the therapists I went to with my husband in the last 20 years remark that if it's in my head, it's out my mouth) but I will tell you that I feel invaded. I suppose it is possible this was some random hack but I believe in Ockham's razor. It's horrible to think that our ordeal with the VA has driven ME to paranoia as my Christian country rearing has geared me in the opposite direction but as that very intelligent supervisor ALSO said: "It isn't parnoia if they really are out to get you." Not that I would ever be able to prove it, but if I found to a certainty the VA had anything to do with these shenanigans, I would be a VERY unhappy camper!

[Guest Dataman]

1st those programs are not typical Spyware. They have to be put on by somone.

I assume you have Windows XP?

Restrict users to not allow this.

Disable Admin and Guest

How do you get Internet? I assume you get AOL. Dialup?

What Anti Spy measures do you run?

Get SpyBot S&D

Get Adaware

Get Spyguard and Spyblaster

Get on my website and DL them. (Links there)

Disable Remote Access

Best Guess someone at your house did this or thru Remote Access or you got it in email and somone installed or your wrong about these.

Only you know.

[Pete53]

the little punks who do this have no lifes and plenty of time on thier hands. I am glad that you caught it and you should complain to your ISP about it and also the ISP of the person who did this.

[Jay Johnson]

Spyware is a HUGE pain...the suggestions by Dataman are exactly what I would have suggested as well, but even those anit-spyware programs won't always catch all of the components of a newer trojan. I have had to wipe my HD twice due to spyware despite being quite good at getting rid of it. These programs hide deep in your registry and are designed to evade anti-spyware and deletion....In the past I have had to boot in safe mode and hand search for every file related to a trojan, which has taken me many hours.

The long and short of spyware is that you cannot avoid it, no matter what firewall or virus protection programs you have..the best you can hope for is to catch the big ones before they infect everything.

P.S. - To add to Dataman's list I would do a google for "hijackthis" (one word) and download it....it is very good at finding running processes that make it so you can't delete spyware files.

Edited September 29, 2005 by Jay Johnson

[wallyg]

Two of the best, but not well known protections are "EDIDO Security Suite" and "PrevX". You need to be knowledgeable on computers to run Prevx, and even then it will drive you crazy with all of its queries; howver, a good substitute is WinPatrol. Both serve to notify you and prevent the installation of new start up programs.

Ewido will find many things that the more common programs will not.

Prevx and Win Patrol are free, and Ewido is also free, but after a free trial, it still works fine, you just don't get all of the benefits of the full program.

I use all of the programs mentioned above, plus Pest Patrol (very good for Trojan Horses), 2 firewalls and 3 AVs, and NOTHING of MS protection.

And, NO, it doesn't cause a significant slowdown with my 1GB of RAM.

[Guest Dataman]

Those programs have to be Manually Installed. It's not true Spyware, but tracking software.

Remote Access or somone at the Keyboard!!!!!

DM