If you don’t think that spyware is really a problem, you must either be using a Mac or Unix machine, or not connected to the Internet. WebRoot has just announced that their database of spyware has exceeded 100,000 unique traces of spyware!:
“Combined Efforts of Dedicated In-House Threat Research Team and Phileas Protect Millions Against the Most Malicious Forms of Spyware
BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ — Webroot Software, the leading provider of anti-spyware software and other security technologies for consumer and enterprise markets, announced today that the company’s spyware definition database now exceeds 100,000 unique traces of spyware Webroot has been researching, identifying and creating definitions for specific spyware traces since the introduction of its award-winning anti-spyware product, Spy Sweeper(TM), in 2002.
As the spyware threat continues to grow, the need for automated research to keep pace with the increased distribution of spyware has become a necessity. The number of spyware traces in the wild has doubled during the first six months of the year. To develop and grow its exceedingly large spyware definition database and maintain a high degree of accuracy, Webroot relies on the combined efforts of the company’s dedicated in-house Threat Research Team and Phileas, Webroot’s own — and the anti-spyware industry’s first — automated spyware research system designed specifically to root out and identify spyware anywhere on the Web.
“As impressed and proud as I am of our Threat Research Team and Phileas for protecting millions of customers against over 100,000 traces of spyware, I am even more alarmed that the number of unique traces we find on a daily basis continues to increase at an astonishing rate,” said C. David Moll, CEO of Webroot. “Spyware purveyors are financially motivated, which means they are not easily deterred. The more we thwart their malicious actions, the more effort they put into developing new, complex spyware threats. With the highly automated proactive spyware research capability we possess, Webroot stays ahead of the spyware developers and provides our customers with the best protection available.”
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Phileas uncovers spyware that is deeply embedded on web sites before consumers can unwittingly infect their computers — and ensures that Webroot Spy Sweeper customers are protected before spyware ever has a chance to attack. The system uses “bots” to continuously comb the worldwide Web, which look for the latest and most lethal spyware, and their HTML sources. The bots identify and archive the HTML sources and URLs in the Webroot spyware definition database. New definition updates are then developed by the Webroot Threat Research Team and distributed to Webroot customers.
A three-time recipient of PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Award, Webroot Spy Sweeper has an installed base of more than six million users. Its corporate anti-spyware counterpart, Webroot Spy Sweeper Enterprise, enables administrators to centrally manage security threats across enterprises of any size and has sold more than two million licenses of its solution since its launch in June 2004.
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Vista Print, a company that uses an add for 250 free business cards is in violation of the Can Spam Act. I have never subscribed to their add letter nor to any of their products, yet I recieve an add in e mail almost daily. Efforts to remove it with my mail blocker but it still squeeks by. The unsubscribe URL is a joke and will not take a person off their mail list. Several e mails to the headquarters and a registered letter to the company address has not helped. A phone call to their phone number resulted in a conversation stating that they had no way of taking my address from their mailing list. I recently sent a registered letter, Receipt requested that so far dno been answered. I enclosed my complaint and a copy of the Can Spam Act in hopes that the threat of the $11,000 penalty would get their attention. I have reported this to the Federal reporting sites on numerous ocassions without any results. The opt out URL listed will not remove my address from their mail list but states that it will remove it from their partners list. Clearly a ruse to circumvent the law requiring a viable opt out address.
I recently discovered the Free Deep Burner and Deep Ripper is loaded with spyware and a Trojan. I don’t remember where I got the program from but I sent the URL to a friend and he installed it his friends machine and received a lengthly report from the Microsoft Antispywere on the friends machine.
Detected Threats
ShopAtHome Spyware more information…
Details: ShopAtHome installs an agent in the Winsock layer of your computer. This redirects your Web browser to merchant sites affiliated with ShopAtHome rather than the Web sites you type in or click.
Status: Removed
Severe threat – Severe-risk items have an extreme potential for harm, such as a security exploit, and should be removed.
Infected files detected
C:\Documents and Settings\Martha Rikand\Local Settings\Temp\sahagent.exe
IST.ISTbar.Downloader.iinstall Trojan Downloader more information…
Status: Removed
Severe threat – Severe-risk items have an extreme potential for harm, such as a security exploit, and should be removed.
Infected files detected
c:\documents and settings\martha rikand\local settings\temp\iinstall.exe
SurfAccuracy Adware more information…
Details: SurfAccuracy is adware that monitors keywords typed in search engines and sends this information to a remote server as well as displays popup ads.
Status: Removed
Severe threat – Severe-risk items have an extreme potential for harm, such as a security exploit, and should be removed.
Infected files detected
c:\program files\surfaccuracy\sacc.exe
Infected registry keys/values detected
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run SurfAccuracy
IST.ISTbar Browser Modifier more information…
Details: ISTbar is an Internet Explorer redirector that modifies your homepage and searches without your consent using an Internet Explorer toolbar.
Status: Removed
Severe threat – Severe-risk items have an extreme potential for harm, such as a security exploit, and should be removed.
Infected folders detected
c:\program files\istsvc
Infected registry keys/values detected
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\ist
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\ist InstallDate 2005-08-08 22:23:23
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\ist account_id 1002854
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\ist config ysb_l3
IST.SideFind Adware more information…
Details: SideFind installs an adware Internet Explorer browser helper object that installs some extra buttons.
Status: Removed
High threat – High-risk items have a large potential for harm, such as loss of computer control, and should be removed unless knowingly installed.
Infected files detected
c:\documents and settings\martha rikand\local settings\temp\sidefind.exe
YourSiteBar Spyware more information…
Details: YourSiteBar from IST, the makers of numerous spyware threats, is an affiliate based marketing toolbar.
Status: Removed
High threat – High-risk items have a large potential for harm, such as loss of computer control, and should be removed unless knowingly installed.
Infected files detected
c:\program files\yoursitebar\ysb.dll
Infected registry keys/values detected
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{86227D9C-0EFE-4f8a-AA55-30386A3F5686}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Ysb.YsbObj.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Ysb.YsbObj.1
IST.PowerScan Adware more information…
Details: PowerScan is advertised through in ordinary web pop-ups, but recently it started to install with help from the the ISTBar adware.
Status: Removed
High threat – High-risk items have a large potential for harm, such as loss of computer control, and should be removed unless knowingly installed.
Infected files detected
c:\program files\power scan\powerscan.exe
Infected registry keys/values detected
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run Power Scan
Infected files detected
C:\Program Files\DEEP BURNER\plugins\0\StdUI.dll
C:\Program Files\DEEP RIPPER\plugins\0\StdUI.dll
Detected Spyware Cookies
No spyware cookies were found during this scan.