CoolWebSearch, Dubbed Adware's "Ebola," Tops Spyware Threat List

TechWeb ^ | March 30, 2005 | Gregg Keizer

[rawcatslyentist]

Some variants of CWS are really nasty as they utilize your system restore function. Whenever you delete them they silently "restore" your system to re-install themselves. Really hard to purge this one!!!

ABC CBS NBC CNN its all the SAME, Propoganda.
Might as well call them all AmeriJazerra.
Show them how much Gravitas Hugh Bris has. Vote with your remote! Shut down the Alphabet channels.

He's Got A Plan
Zippo Hero
Seven Dead Monkeys Page O Tunes

[Northern Alliance]

Firefox gives a better browsing experience and is less vulnerable.

I also use Spybot Search and Destroy both at home and on our office computers - about 30 of them. It has some very good advanced features such as locking the hosts file and a very nice interface to examine and manipulate startup settings - takes a while to get familar with everything, but it's worth it. Having said that, I think there is still room in the marketplace for a commercial anti-spyware product that would be easier for the average user to understand and configure. hmmmm...

[WileyC]

CWShredder is a magnificient program but, much like real life viruses, the spyware 'diseases' are constantly evolving. This is not something that you can run and expect that your machine will be clear forever. On all the adware/spyware removal tools, you have to download new additions constantly and also take steps to secure your system as well.

[I once spent 3 days getting CoolWebSearch off of my wife's machine because NONE of the tools at the time would do the trick. I won in the end, though!]

[backhoe]

 

Things you need--(all FREE)
Anti-Virus
AVG Anti-Virus version 7 (free) release available...

 Avast
Firewall
Kerio(Direct Download) Zone Alarm

 If are using zone alarm it may slow your PC. Try Outpost Firewall http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost or Sygate Firewall http://www.sygate.com/ both have FREE and Pro versions and are heads above ZA.
Misc.
IE Spyads SpywareBlaster Spyware Guard
Windows Update- you must keep updated, it is the start of a secure system-
get all CRITICAL Updates

Things you want(Still Free)
 

  I use Firefox. Click the link and give it a try.

 

 

Ad-Aware
Spybot S&D

SpywareBlaster
MS MVP Hosts file

Mike Lin's Homepage and get the Startup Control Panel and Startup Monitor tools.

 

The best forum for malware removal:

-SWI Forums-

 

 
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315720/posts

 Microsoft Releases Anti-Spyware Beta 1 To Public Today.
Microsoft.com ^

 

=================================================

 

 

Browser Wars, take two various FR links | 12-22-04 | The Heavy Equipment Guy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1306815/posts ...and let your compiler of links drop out of Lurk & Link mode for comment and advice: Ditch IE. Honest to God, almost anything else will give you fewer problems. Try and compare- use IE, then run Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy... then try another browser and repeat. You will be stunned at the garbage IE attracts. Keep your OS updated & patched. Run a hardware firewall-- with today's LAN's, it's easy. You need a hardware firewall.

[P8riot]

Thanks for the post. This makes it really convenient.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking.

[hford02]

thanks for the link to spyware blaster -- I'm also switching my browser to firefox

[Rifleman]

We ought to send an invoice to Bill Gates for all the time that his lousy security and insane design choices cost us.

CWShredder is useful, but the best way to get rid of CoolWebSearch variants is to salvage your data, format your hard drive and do a complete reinstall of OS and applications, a major pain in the a$$. Then install netscape or firefox and use IE only for updating windows. Or better still, buy a Mac or install Linux/OpenBSD/etc.

MS software is like a useful tool with fish hooks and razor blades glued all over the handle. If you reach in there just right, grip it hard, and are VERY careful how you use it, you can get your work done. But one slip...blood all over the place.

[IamConservative]

I got a variant of CWS that behaved nasty as well. It put a key in the registry that was delete protected. Nothing could touch it buyt manual intervention..

[TheLion]

How did you get rid of it....editing the registry?

[Xenalyte]

I can't get a Mac. I don't wear berets, smoke clove cigarettes, quote Sartre, or reject the triune God.

[Xenalyte]

I got the bad boy last year, and nothing got rid of it but a FORMAT C:\ - and don't think THAT wasn't scary to type!

[TheLion]

I have a buddy that does business over the internet. He saves everthing important to disks and only keeps the operating system on the computer.

He has all the spyware stuff but just re-formats the hard drive and re-installs the OS if he gets a problem he can't deal with.

Think I am going to do this as well and keep another computer for games and stuff and never put it on the net.

Makes some sense.

[TheLion]

See my post #53

[Spktyr]

Microsoft wants you to think those are requirements.

Does this man look like he fits any of those "requirements?" He's a Mac user. Obviously he knows quite a bit that you don't.

[Xenalyte]

That's a ridiculous amount of work.

Keep your antivirus software ON and UPDATED at all times. Keep your firewall on at all times. Don't use Napster, Kazaa, BearShare, or other file-sharing programs. Run AdAware and SpyBot religiously.

Believe me, doing all that takes me maybe five minutes a day. Sifting through CDs to find a file wouldn't be worth the hassle.

[Xenalyte]

The Mac users I know demonstrate daily that those are the requirements.

[Wiz]

Format is always a reliable solution and the last resort, but lazy people like me will take more effort looking for tools rather than wasting hours for formating, taking backups, and reinstalling Windows. :)

[TheLion]

"That's a ridiculous amount of work"

You are probably right. This is only for the things you can't get rid of. It is an emergency, once in a blue moon solution.

[Spktyr]

I'm a diehard Mac user, and I demonstrate none of those properties. However, I know far too many PC users (former coworkers) who meet those requirements.

Perhaps the problem isn't the Mac, its just the quality of people you know... :)