MS Windows Anti-Spyware Disabled by Spyware Trojan   2/10/2005 - 1,331 views,

Once having disabled the anti-spyware, it sets about stealing passwords and other vital information, which it reports back to the mothership via ftp, and keeps tabs on what the computer’s user does (hence it being designated as spyware).

BankAsh-A completely disables the new Microsoft anti-spyware by, get this, simple deleting all of the files in the spyware program’s folder. It also deletes all of the anti-spyware’s registry entries.

Ouch.

Said Ken Dunham, Director of Malicious Code Intelligence (did any of us envision such job titles even ten years ago?) at iDefense, “While some smaller security firms are rightfully concerned about being pushed out of the market by a competitor as imposing as Microsoft, individual Windows users should also be worried.”

He added, “There are many implications. If they embed [security software] the way they did with Internet Explorer, it would be hard to lock down and make it secure because it’s integrated and it’s complicated.”