Anybody familier with Spyware?
 

I recently installed Webroot's SpySweeper on my computer to rid my system of Spyware. Worked great. Found some Ad-ware and several Spy-ware cookies. One question though, another site I visit always installs a Spy-ware cookie called "Red Sheriff" Have any of you out there in Chief Delphi world had any experience with these things? I get rid of it easily enough, but would like to know what this cookie is trying to track.

This site was the reason I want to build a web page, so I can link photo's of my car to it. I don't want to continue to visit the site if they are going to try to get their prying eyes into my personal business.

I guess I am a Web Rookie when it comes to forums. I have gotten spoiled by the quality of Chief Delphi. If anybody has any suggestions or things to watch out for, I would greatly appreciate your input. This is your chance, Students, to teach a mentor a thing or 2!:p

Cookies really aren't a big deal at all, but there are a number of ways to shut off selected cookies, depending on your browser. Opera and Mozilla have very good features with cookies, and allow you to do most anything, and IE allows you to make a list of servers you don't want cookies from, which in your case should be good enough.

Anyway, what you really have to worry about in terms of spyware is the garbage installed on your system, and not trivial tracking text files like cookies. AdAware is another good app for that.

I am using IE 6 and have 3rd party cookies blocked. I am still allowing 1st party cookies. The Red Sheriff cookie was flagged by the Spy Sweeper. Wasn't sure what it did, so I did a search after I posted this thread. I guess it is just a way for a 3rd party to track data for the site. I guess the Spy Sweeper is a little cautious. Better a little gun shy than having someone hack up my system. Thanks. :cool:

heh if youre using Kazaa, run the spyware checker! I had over 100 bad things on my computer and I never even knew about them!
Which is why I use Kazaa Lite :p
Cory

*cough*Kazaalite*cough*

use google. its your friend.

I like spy-bot search and destroy and ad-aware6 they work really well.

the idea with ad cookies is that, every time you visit a site with their ads on it, they record your visit to that site. that way, for every cookie ID, they're able to compile an "interest profile" based on the sites you've visited that they've read the cookie on.

browsers are naturally protective of cookies. theres no way one site can steal your password from another site by looking at their cookie. the browser doesn't let it happen

the "privacy issue" behind this is that, people generally don't like "interest profiles" being compiled about them. so basically, if you go through and delete your cookies every once in a while (the ones from tribalfusion, doubleclick, etc) they they have to assign you a new cookie ID next time you visit a page with their ads, and they hafta compile a new profile from scratch.

its really inane, partially because they're so desperate to get you to click their ads that they'd do something this, and mostly because of how meaningless it is, yet privacy advocates are getting their panties in a twist.

::shrug::

and yes, if you disable third party cookies, it helps, cause the only way to put a cookie on one site that they can access from another site is to put them from one central location (a third party server,) so unless you actually GO to ad.doubleclick.net, they can't put it in directly

watch what u do
 

Hey just a little warning to everyone using spyware apps.
make sure that when u delete the files off of ur computer that u don't delete system files that ur computer needs to run.
just thought i'd give u fair warning.
Have fun spy hunting!!!

Kind of off topic... though, this thread is offtopic for this particular forum in itself... but why the coughs? The Kazaa network can be used for perfectly legal purposes.

or www.filedonkey.com

hello, free versions of final cut pro and dvd studio pro...

--Petey

Very good point...

too bad no one does so...

--Petey

Kazaa = Lamer
There are better forms of transferring file you know, legal or illegal.

A quote from the big bad rule book:

This seems to be bordering on the above...

kazaa lite wont stop viruses... it may not contain any adware within the program, but often the software one downloads (if any) has e.g. handy virus.. id say at times thats worse than ad ware

Ad-aware ppl its the best .........