Re: Icq 2000 ads

[3APA3A <3APA3A () SECURITY NNOV RU>]

Hello Taylan,

1.  The  component  which  generates  ad  is  ICQ AteBrowser. Probably
there's  no way to remove this component (ICQAteB.ocx) without loosing
functionality.  This  component  isn't modified since installation, so
it's not a kind of spyware.

2. Information about ad is stored in user database file. For example I
can find a lot of "AteToOpen" messages in my database files...

3.  Ad  is  downloaded  from  web  and  stored cache in ICQ\AteBrowser
folder.  Applying  security  permission  for  this  folder  to prevent
writing will stop the ad, but not window by itself.

I  will be very grateful if someone will be able to find where exactly
in  .dat (or may be .idx? ) file ICQ stores information about ad to be
shown. But it's offtopic.


--
./3APA3A
Сэр Исаак Ньютон открыл, что яблоки падают на землю. (Твен)


Tuesday, February 20, 2001, 1:36:54 PM, you wrote:

TD> This morning I woke up, booted up win98 and showered. When I got back
TD> and tried to send a message through icq (2000 beta 4.60), each message
TD> suddenly formed a little window underneath the message body window with
TD> ads. Now I have ads underneath each message I send...

TD> The odd thing is, noone else I know has this behaviour (yet?), I noticed

TD> the client behaving fairly strange lately as suddenly the 'first-time'
TD> messages started appearing again (as in the don't show this message
TD> again messages - left/right mouse button, you are now in invisible
TD> etc..).

TD> To get to the point, does icq utilize some form of spyware no one has
TD> noticed untill now? Do earlier versions exhibit this kind of behaviour
TD> as well? Why me not others?

TD> Now I am really pissed at aol, you install an upgraded (new) version of
TD> their client. And 10 months later ads pop up.. BAM! No turning back
TD> because the db is now 2000-steelo. I also noticed that this is
TD> db-specific (as in my personal settings are changed), other uins
TD> installed on the same machine do NOT have the ads.