Full Disclosure mailing list archives
Re: FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leaveWeatherbugalone
From: "Mary Landesman" <mlande () bellsouth net>
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 11:00:30 -0500
This began with Aluria (makes of Spyware Eliminator). They (Aluria) began a 'spyware safe' certification program. Some they've granted the use of the logo include WeatherBug and WhenU. In the case of WhenU (and perhaps others), Aluria has also created 'UControl' - a 'free' 'spyware' scanner (costs for removal, may be ignoring 'partners' in their logo/distribution program, etc.) that seems to get downloaded and installed with adware/spyware apps. While I don't agree with these actions on either of their parts, I do have to say that the situation remains very complicated. For example, if WhenUSearch and WeatherBug are candidates for inclusion (and I do believe they are), then so is AIM (which uses Viewpoint Media Player to dish ads), and Google toolbar (which tracks URLs visited unless you disable several features of their toolbar). CounterSpy (which uses MS-Giant technology) describes WeatherBug here: http://research.sunbelt-software.com/threat_display.cfm?name=MiniBug I think this language is fair and accurate. Assuming Microsoft AntiSpyware provided the same description when it detected WeatherBug, I'm surprised Microsoft so easily backed down. There is definitely a happy balance between letting a user know adware is installed on their computer and calling it a bad app. It would be great if more companies would focus on how this might be done, instead of excluding detection arbitrarily - or calling rather benign adware a high risk menace. -- Mary ----- Original Message ----- From: "ALD, Aditya,Aditya Lalit Deshmukh" <aditya.deshmukh () online gateway expertworks net> To: "'Todd Towles'" <toddtowles () brookshires com>; "'Mailing List - Full-Disclosure'" <full-disclosure () lists netsys com> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 11:36 PM Subject: RE: [Full-disclosure] FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leaveWeatherbugalone
And the money payoff begins..
So looks like MS anti spyware would be just one more useless tool from microsoft. As a win32 kern programmer I find all the spyware removal buiness too time consuming - if any one of them affects my machine they get weeded out with a kern debugger. But there should be a way to automate the process. Looks like we do have to stick with our trusty debuggers, spybot and ad-aware! _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
Current thread:
- FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leave Weatherbug alone Todd Towles (Jan 11)
- RE: FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leave Weatherbugalone ALD, Aditya, Aditya Lalit Deshmukh (Jan 11)
- Re: FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leaveWeatherbugalone Mary Landesman (Jan 12)
- Message not available
- Fwd: FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leave Weatherbug alone byte busters (Jan 28)
- RE: FW: MS Antispyware makes deal to leave Weatherbugalone ALD, Aditya, Aditya Lalit Deshmukh (Jan 11)