Anti-Spyware Vendor Partners with Spyware Company? 274
Tuxedo Jack writes "eWeek reports that the anti-spyware vendor Aluria Software has partnered with WhenU of 'WhenUSave' and 'SaveNow' infamy. They've removed WhenU from their spyware/malware definition lists, certified their applications as safe, and they deny that money was involved. As a result, SpywareInfo and many other anti-spyware sites are delisting Aluria's 'Spyware Eliminator' from their lists of preferred software. Is this a dangerous trend for anti-spyware? Or are we just witnessing a natural evolution? I sure hope it's neither - I like my Windows boxes junkware-free, thanks (oxymoron noted)."
Dangerous Trend (Score:4, Insightful)
Not that it relieves my nausea.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Not that this helps people installing without scanning the EULA and getting nasty little "gifts," but it's hardly malicious if you agree to it.
*Disclaimer* I have no idea what exactly WhenU does, never had it on my system. If it IS malicious, then immediately discount this post. Regardless, I'll be busy vomiting from my over-exposure to advertising in general.
Re:Not that it relieves my nausea.. (Score:4, Informative)
It seems that Aluria is leaving the "Reality-based Community" [warblogging.com].
Re:Not that it relieves my nausea.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Not that it relieves my nausea.. (Score:2, Funny)
I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was having that effect on you and advertising in general.
Re:Not that it relieves my nausea.. (Score:3, Informative)
It appears that their privacy policy is a load of crap, stating that URLs are not transmitted. A new version of the internet, perhaps?
Anyway, this calls into question the reliability of the entire policy, and besides - whilst submitting requests to adservers, you're automatically given tracker cookies.
They're blockable in the long run, but in the end it's cat and mouse, so it's evil enough for me.
Re:Dangerous Trend (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What is a good spyware program for Linux. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:What is a good spyware program for Linux. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Dangerous Trend (Score:2)
Does anyone have a good free spyware removal tool I can add to my list? Most of the current "free" ones do ok at detection (although many aren't any better than the free tool on the page above), but refuse to remove anything because they want you to buy the removal version instead.
In any case, Aluria
Re:Dangerous Trend (Score:2, Informative)
Spybot S&D
I've never been shown any reason not to have faith in these software packages. If someone knows better, let me know.
Re:Dangerous Trend (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Dangerous Trend (Score:2)
Give Giant [giantcompany.com] AntiSpyware [giantcompany.com] a try. I am most impressed with their research center [giantcompany.com].
Re:Dangerous Trend (Score:3, Interesting)
Not a Dangerous Trend (Score:3, Informative)
Companies work very, very hard to create a brand image. Their brand is their promise to the consumer that they are going to deliver the best product possible. It's a really stupid CEO that is willing to sell out his brand in such a blatant conflict of interest.
Not in monopolies (Score:5, Informative)
We're dealing with end users here, not experts. They just want something that works and expect their anti-virus company and anti-spyware company to deliver the goods.
What good is branding when the company in question used to be called Gator? They simply changed their name. So long bad PR!
Its cronyism and its killing IT. The entire spyware phenomenon can be traced to activex, which exists to tie the browser to the platform.
That said, I've been running into a lot of OSX converts. They got sick of windows and bought a used iMac for next to nothing or 999 for an ibook with some promotion. My next machine will be an iBook too. With Mozilla and Firefox telling lazy web designers and those who make corporate policy to pay attention to standards, the shift will be even easier.
like anti virus companies (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:like anti virus companies (Score:5, Insightful)
It's just not economical. There are plenty of virus writers already out there, because it's just too easy and there are so many computers, it happens. If an antivirus company was discovered to have done this even ONCE, then their entire business would be destroyed instantly.
Are you getting enough oxygen?
Re:like anti virus companies (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:like anti virus companies (Score:5, Interesting)
BTW the pural of "virus" is "viruses". Look it up on google.
Re:like anti virus companies (Score:5, Interesting)
It's happened here. I'm from Minneapolis. You may know that we get snow around here in the winters. Remember, snowfall means fender-benders, and body shops hereabouts live for the winter repair season. One mild winter an employee of a local bodyshop was found guilty of driving around the city in a beat-up old wreck, sideswiping parked cars in an attempt to give his business enough work.
Just because you "can't imagine" unethical behavior doesn't mean it won't happen. What makes you think Aluria was a "successful" company, turning a profit? When it comes time to making sure the bank has enough money to cover payroll on Friday afternoon, desperate people have been known to turn to desperate measures. Actually, we have some measure of their desperation already -- they're partnering with WhenU (which is indeed scumware no matter how you classify it.)
I'm not saying Aluria or any antivirus company is guilty of anything criminal. I am saying that some people are more desperate than you might think, and that they may take an unethical route to drum up more business.
Re:like anti virus companies (Score:2)
Indeed, why try to make a cure for the common cold when there is so much money in covering up the symptoms. Why just recently Dick Cheney said something to the effect of:
"The problem with vaccines is that they are hard to make profitable."
Please correct the quote (it may sound out of context) if possible.
If you think this is bad (Score:5, Funny)
Exactly what *IS* a virus? Don't ask an AV vendor! (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't care if a user 'willingly' installs this crapware - these are the SCHOOL'S computers, not theirs. Our policy is to not allow these programs on our network - PERIOD. I feel that Sophos is not doing their job in helping me control some of this uninstallable crapware like CWS.
Here's the exchange:
**
To whom it may concern...
As the sole administrator of of our small school network I am responsible for the integrity of our machines - software and hardware. Like everyone, we are struggling with spyware and related issues. Recently, we've been finding spyware that is installing itself without permission and attaching itself to
Question: What is the difference between a malicious spyware application and a trojan virus? What is Sophos planning to do about this type of vicious software? In short, when can I expect Sophos to start eliminating this sort of virus?
Thanks,
Chuck Hunnefield
Technology Coordinator
***
Chuck,
Adware and spyware are usually considered one issue by many people. In reality, the adware and spyware lables applies to those applications that you've put on your machine intentionally. Many people are unaware of these things since they very rarely read EULAs and have no idea what's really being placed on their machines. Spyware, however, can sometimes cross into the malware catagory if it's functionality prevents a very obvious security vulnerability or if the application behaves in a way that is different to how the user was told it would behave. Malware is the umbrella term for applications that have made their way onto your machine without your consent and usually without your knowledge. Most trojans that we detect can easily be labled "malware" and vice versa.
If you have samples of files that you believe fall under this malware heading, by all means submit it to supportus@sophos.com and our virus lab analysts will look at the sample, evaluate it's functions and determine how to classify the files. If it is found to be malicious, then we'll certainly add detection for it in our engine and/or release an IDE for it.
If it is not malicious and is not something that'd be considered viral, then we will not currently have detection for it.
So to briefly answer your final question, Sophos has always and will continue to detect malicious files that reside on your machines.
Regards
Michael ***
Sophos Technical Support
***
Michael,
First of all, thank you for your quick response. I'm afraid I have to disagree with you about the labels 'adware' and 'spyware' being intentionally installed. Increasingly we are seeing these 'applications' (and I use this term loosely) getting installed through holes in I.E. or the OS. A perfect example would be this 'VX2' application. I feel fairly certain that nothing my users did invited this software onto their computer.
I fully understand how difficult your situation is concerning applications willingly installed by users. Applications like Comet Cursor, Gator/Claria, Weatherbug, and Date Manager are WELL known to me. And it may well be that software like VX2 is also installed through these means; but regardless of how it got there, it's unwelcome there now. Should ANY software be allowed to install itself and/or not allow user removal? I think this is covered under the new anti-spyware law recently passed by the U.S. Congress. If an app like VX2 downloads other applications unbidden and worms it's way through
Re:Exactly what *IS* a virus? Don't ask an AV vend (Score:3, Interesting)
That's one way VX2 is getting installed, yes. Another is by bundling with IE exploits.
For example the achtungachtung exploit (covered recently by Tom Liston in the SANS Internet Storm Center blog) compromises the machine then downloads a large number of spyware programs, including Transponder/VX2.
This has been going on for some time. Mindset/BetterInternet (the company behind VX2) is quite happy to pay affiliates to load
Been there, done that (Score:5, Interesting)
Risk of corporate keyloggers. (Score:5, Interesting)
Apparently the keylogs weren't secure and someone inside the company stole his credit card info when he made a (work related) purchase from Amazon.com on his own credit card.
If you're at work and not using your own laptop or a Knoppix disk, make sure you only use a corporate credit card when ordering online.
Personally I think he should have sued his employer, but he wanted to keep his job.
"(oxymoron noted)" (Score:5, Funny)
WhenUGetSued... (Score:5, Interesting)
That may be the reason why this group caved... not that money changed hands, but the threat of a lawsuit was waived around.
Re:WhenUGetSued... (Score:5, Interesting)
ah yes... free market indeed... as long as you have enough money, you can wave some papers at another company, and intimidate them into submission. We really need something to hold these companies (and their lawyers) accountable for this kind of crap.
-lk
Re:WhenUGetSued... (Score:2, Interesting)
KFG
Re:WhenUGetSued... (Score:5, Insightful)
Take a look at these screen shots of the Bearshare install that includes WhenU [benedelman.org] and tell me it is reasonable to expect a user to press page-down 45 times to read the license.
Users are not aware they are running WhenU because the company works hard to keep them ignorant.
Re:WhenUGetSued... (Score:2)
With this assumption in place, fine... and now the user has decided to identify all software of that class that they "agreed" to install and decided to uninstall it (of course, you and I know there is plenty of spyware that assumes permission if you use the right kind of web browser).
But you do bring up an interesting issue about classification. Why does co
Re:Is mozilla spyware? (Score:2, Insightful)
--
The browser ID string by default isn't a huge deal because it doesn't tie info to a person. All it lets someone know is info about the software requesting resources from your site. You can go all 'tinfoil' if you want and mask it, but sometimes it has legitimate uses. It also gets abused by clueless 'webmasters' who lock out anything but IE (even though other browsers work)
Re:Is mozilla spyware? (Score:2)
Antiviruses (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Antiviruses (Score:3, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Lavasoft too (Score:3, Interesting)
The problem with that is that we'd end up with a law that looks like CAN-SPAM. No law can protect users from agreeing to an EULA they don't fully read... there's no way any law is going to keep WhenU from doing what they're doing since they're one of the "ethical" types that always discloses what they're doing.
Re:Lavasoft too (Score:2)
Re:Lavasoft too (Score:2)
Re:Lavasoft too (Score:2)
I was sitting here having similar thoughts when it came to me
Re:Lavasoft too (Score:2, Funny)
"Help, this program just removed my OS!"
Re:Lavasoft too (Score:5, Insightful)
To be useful, a list such as this becomes public. If it allows for anonymous entries, it will quickly be poisoned by spyware authors putting in legitimate entries such as word.exe, outlook.exe, etc. If it's poisoned and damages legitimate users' computers, it will prompt a quick outcry and a quicker death.
But if it's privately maintained (as in having secret moderators blessed with crypto keys that have to sign entries) other things have to be considered. First, moderators who become publicly known will find themselves subject to lawsuits and legal harrasment (see the spywareinfo.com site for an example of someone who has bee harrassed non-stop.) So secrecy becomes paramount. The other is that the software can't become too cumbersome to use for the average Jane and Jack Doe. Trust me, Aunt Margaret doesn't want you to explain how to verify and add trusted public keys to her keyring -- she only wants "the popup thingies to stop".
Yes, it would be possible using newsgroups to distribute signed updates anonymously. And it would be possible to keep the keyholders secret, and to allow for keyring updates to add and delete moderators. But someone has to take the risk of hosting and distributing the software, and that public entity is going to be the target of every spyware author's DDoS attacks simultaneously. Legitimate hosting services won't want to touch it. Would you voluntarily sign a contract that virtually guarantees you'll be the victim of a 30,000 machine zombie attack?
It's also going to take some seriously experienced crypto + Win32 coders to write a perfectly secure client first time around. And once it's written, the next issue is the "who updates it?" battle. The original author will wisely keep the master key private, but he or she may not want to put out the hundreds of monthly updates required. (Ask Patrick Kolla, the author of Spybot S&D, how much time he has to put into researching spyware, checking for signatures, and providing removal code and instructions.) It's a full-time task that will probably take a group of analysts and coders. (An anonymous submission process won't work, because the spammers are certain to poison that well, too.) Finally, how do you vette all these coders and analysts to make sure you don't accidentally let in the next Spamford Wallace?
Sorry to be so negative, but it's a huge undertaking with lots of risk and almost no chance of payback. Only a big established company with lots of backing could afford something like this. There's your answer! Get IBM to sponsor it, they're always looking for goodwill projects, and anything to twist the knife in Microsoft makes them happy. That, plus they have more lawyers than Manhattan has taxicabs.
going out of business (Score:2)
an anti spyware that does not remove spyware? just an other company that want to go out of business
nothing to see here
not a new trend. (Score:5, Insightful)
Solution: stick to vendors that can be trusted. Use Spybot [safer-networking.org] and Ad-Aware [lavasoftusa.com].
Re:not a new trend. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:not a new trend. (Score:4, Interesting)
It means Spybot is the only real ad-remover left
Re:not a new trend. (Score:2)
Moderation gets stranger every day here...
as unimportant as Aluria may seem.... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:as unimportant as Aluria may seem.... (Score:2)
Anti-spyware vendors should... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Anti-spyware vendors should... (Score:2, Interesting)
Shooting themselve in the foot? (Score:2)
Re:Shooting themselve in the foot? (Score:2)
Aluria [aluriasoftware.com] didn't post any press releases [aluriasoftware.com] about this. All they have is the Spyware SAFE [aluriasoftware.com] page for WhenU, which they must have now that they've certified it. I still think they shot themselves in the foot, just by certifying WhenU, but they certainly didn't go out of their way to publicize it.
Profitability (Score:5, Insightful)
I think in long run, anti-badthings services are going to be influenced by the bottom line. Spyware/spammers can make enough to feed themselves and pay for these services to 'certify' them.
As end-users, we need to be educated to prevent these installations in the first place.
Open Source Anti-Spyware (Score:5, Interesting)
I would think yes.
Anybody else?
Re:Open Source Anti-Spyware (Score:2, Interesting)
Not surprising (Score:2)
Re:Not surprising (Score:2)
How stupid are they, anyway? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How stupid are they, anyway? (Score:2)
Test them all (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Test them all (Score:2)
Does this *already* sound like a bad idea to anyone else?
Re:Test them all (Score:3, Informative)
Aluria... who? (Score:5, Informative)
Can't say I've ever heard of Aluria's Spyware Eliminator. I've got my triumvirate of anti-spyware tools, and I'm satisfied:
No need to limit yourself to just one, either - run all three!
Re:Aluria... who? (Score:2)
9x/ME users don't have a choice about running as root, and there are still a lot of those boxes out there (not that that's a good thing).
Re:Aluria... who? (Score:2)
Re:Aluria... who? (Score:3, Informative)
Use not-for-profit, Libre solutions (Score:3, Interesting)
Anyone know of any Libre anti-spyware for Windows? I don't use MS products except at work, so don't have to worry about such things.
Isn't this the Spamford Approach? (Score:2)
Are the foilies right? (Score:2)
Just because they're wearing tin foil doesn't mean that they might not have a point.
~D
fake anti-adaware (Score:5, Insightful)
Since I started using adaware tools, I learned I could rely only on Spybot and Ad-Aware. Obviously, many others noticed their reliability too - just try googling for either of two, and see how many pages you can find with fake installers - some sites even distribute AdAware installations with modified malware definitions and crippled update, so your AdAware might even refuse to detect malware on your PC.
To me, it all smells so familiar... Just as M$ loves to force, bribe, coax or cajole software producers into specialising their products for Windows compatibility, so do too the malware distributers seek their fifth collumn... Similarities are far from passing.
As free software goes mainstream... (Score:4, Insightful)
As in: "Free, huh? Well, last time I agreed to install free software I had to spend $500 to have my PC cleaned up! No thanks!"
Spyware/*nix (Score:5, Interesting)
Seeing that a lot of software for *nix systems needs to be installed as root, spyware could potentially bypass any OS security mechanisms, and there will be no end to the potential damage.
I think this situation needs addressing. Distributions supporting and simplifying installing software by regular users (as opposed to systemwide installation by the superuser) would be a good first step, with many additional benefits.
Oxymoron... (Score:2, Insightful)
My Windows XP box is junkware free, adware free, and spyware free. It's only an oxymoron for the morons who don't keep their systems safe with firewalls, up-to-date anti-virus definitions, and enough common sense to not click "OK" on every IE prompt that asks you to install something.
WhenU is certainly malware (Score:5, Insightful)
I consider any program that sits in the background and pops up ads while the bundled application is not running to be unwanted malware.
Can Aluria hope to be taken seriously after this? (Score:2, Interesting)
Here's a clip from their joint press release with WhenU
From the desktop, WhenU software examines keywords, URLs and search terms currently in use on the opted-in consumer's browsers and then presents highly relevant advertising and services.
This is from their own press release! Who in their right mind would stake the reputation of their company on a declaration that such a product is not spyware?
One hands washes the other... (Score:2)
What I don't get, though is why anyone would consciously agree to have adware installed on their desktop that would examine keywords, URLs and search terms. Even if no data is collected and all is kept encrypted, why would anyone want ads popping up while they are working (or whatever) on their computer?
fuckers, all of them! (Score:2)
Aluria Software does this with other SW also! (Score:3, Interesting)
Just the other day, my wife asked to have something called "Weatherbug" installed. I told her that I would install it for her, as long as it had no spyware.
It sure made me feel better when I went to http://www.weatherbug.com/ and saw the "Spyware Safe" icon from Aluria.
Well, right before the install of weatherbug, I cleaned the system, rebooted, and cleaned again to be 100% sure.
Right after the software about 35 items were found by Ad-Aware SE PE....so much for "Spyware Safe"!.
Aluria is just that...A LURE...a way to scam you!
I'm glad to now know that Aluria's "Spyware Safe" icon is really just scam.
-wpg
What? (Score:5, Insightful)
WhenU President and co-founder Avi Naider said the industry is falling on previous prejudices and lumping legitimate adware in with malicious spyware, failing to see the changes WhenU has made. (my bold)
How about NO ADWARE? The reason I got a spy/mal/adware remover was to be free from ALL adware. I don't want anybody pushing products on me when I'm on-line.
It seems Aluria has forgotten why they built an adware application in the first place.
Nothing to see here, folks. (Score:3, Insightful)
Happens all the time.
Fuckin common sense people; run multiple scanners. (Score:3, Insightful)
Every time I find a scanner, I say "hey, it's free" download it, update it weekly, set the batch file to run the apps. It's a common security tactic called LAYERING. You've got 3 levels to network secuirty; instrustion prevention, instrusion detection, and intrusion elimination. Preventing intrustions is as simple as using firefox and some common sense, detecting and eliminating them are as simple as layering spyware scanners. I routinely find that one scanner catches what the other doesn't, and one regular deletion of a cookie catch catches what a number won't.
Take, for example, what I consider a good firewall setup; don't run 1 firewall, run 2 or 3. Preferably on different machines so an exploit on one firewall doesn't lead to the machine getting r00ted and your extra firewalls being useless.
As for what this is, this is bullshit. Frankly, EULA's hold up in court, but they're BS; you can copyright a program just like you can copyright a song (songs have octaves and time, computer's have on/off and time), but you CANNOT tell me that using it on a computer is copying, just like you cannot tell me playing a roll of sheet music on a player piano is copying, even if that piano happens to buffer the music entirely before playing it.
Frankly, I look at it this way. Most programs say you may not distribute the application. Now, wait a minute, I'm distributing it on my computer, from chip to chip, in it's entirety (take a good night of gaming) so technically, there's an arguement there that the software vendor is falsely advertising their software and inciting their customers into commiting copyright infringement. Either way, they lose. The problem here is EULA's, and they're being abused like no tommaow by these big corps to make a buck. I believe in letting them have their copyright (although, with today's copyright system being so fucked as it is, I only do so at my own discretion, but my discretion will take a long, long time to explain, so I won't go into it here).
As for a solution to this, well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. Frankly, my favoire would be r00ting them and cleverly disassembling the infrastructure of their company piece by piece. However, considering this is probably some grubby CS student clicking at the looking glass, I'd think it would be far more entertaining to send some convincing people over to his general neck of the concrete jungle to convince him that mabye this isn't the thing he should be doing for a living.
Barring that, I think it would be even funnier if we got some of the slashdot crowd to, say, go over to a website that pilfers this kind of wares, install the app, then file a class action lawsuit asking for $500 is removal costs per infected machine. If we succeed, we can make a tidy profit AND knock out spyware vendors.
I was contacted by WhenU to solicit their software (Score:3, Interesting)
WhenU mailed me a few times, which I ignored (I get quite a few of these adware requests). Then a few days later the phone rings (and I'm no U.S. citizen, this was an international call).
I didn't ask them where they got my name and number, but since it's only listed on my DNS records and no where on the site, I guess they actually went through the minor trouble of looking it up.
I had no plan on incoporating any spyware into my software, but I find it interesting hearing their pitch every once in a while.
At first they contacted me using a low-level employee which asked me if I want to arrange a "call" with their senior whatever in order to discuss this. I told them that I had no intention of incorporating their software into my own (installer), but they really wanted me to talk to their higher-up person. The tone they used made it sound as if this person was "important". I found it all very funny and was interested in their pitch.
The next day I got a phone call from their director of something or other. This person (woman) was quite articulate and held quite a bit of technology information (she wasn't a lackey, she knew her stuff).
She insisted that WhenU is working with the gov to make sure they are not outside the law (slashdot was running a story about law changes that may effect spyware), she actually said they were championing the law.
I asked her about the "spying" portion of their software. She assured me that the ad-selection was done locally on the host computer and no-data was sent to their servers.
In the end I asked/told her something very simple:
1. Does the user see more ads when using your software (yes).
2. Does your software appear as spyware on spyware removal tools (yes, but they are working on it).
3. Don't you think that by attaching a software that is detected as spyware will ruin the reputation of my own software? (no answer).
4. Can I validate what their program actually does? (no)
I told her there was no way I'm risking the prestine reputation of my software and making my users angry.
But as you can see, WhenU is really pushing hard...
EULA (Score:3, Interesting)
Why is it that spyware writers are free from prosecution? If virus writers wrote an EULA that was as unlikely to be read as those by common spyware programs, even if it stated explicetly that "this program is known as a virus, it will delete all your data and spread to other computers. Click yes if you agree to this", would that make virus authors immune to prosecution??
FBI/RIAA/MPAA (Score:3, Funny)
Aluria de-listing WhenU isn't the biggest concern. (Score:5, Interesting)
1) The amalgam (Aluria+WhenU) is now a competeting product to other spyware removers. (Aluria+Whenu) could more legitimately bring suit against AdAware/Spybot/etc. for the "anti-competitive" practice of removing WhenU.
As Eric L. Howes notes [broadbandreports.com],
"It now appears that the Aluria scanner is actually bundled or integrated into the WhenUSearch Toolbar. In other words, by removing the WhenUSearch toolbar, other anti-spyware vendors will effectively be removing a competing anti-spyware product. Still worse, WhenU itself is now a competitor to other anti-spyware vendors."
2) The amalgam (Aluria+WhenU) can worm onto a click-happy user's system due to its existing title of "spyware eliminator", and summarily remove competing ad-belchers from that system (how convenient!). Now WhenU's promotions aren't being drowned out by Gator/Claria, Bargain Buddy and all their other popup-spewing friends you are likely to find on a spyware-prone (read: novice user) computer.
Do note that AOL is partnered with Aluria; AOL version 9 bundles Aluria Spyware Eliminator--so we're talking about a potentially enormous market here.
Surprised? (Score:3, Insightful)
Wake up. There is orders of magnitude more money on the advertising and blackmarket side.
Ironport does this, too. (Score:4, Informative)
Oh, yeah, Ironport claims their multimillion e-mail per hour senders are only for use by good guys. Right.
Re:How annoying... (Score:2)
I think more likely that Gator will partner with someone more commercial than SpyBot, like Norton, AdAware, and so on.
Re:Oxymoron noted? Puh-leaze (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Oxymoron noted? Puh-leaze (Score:2, Insightful)
P.S. Just like the spyware companies make money off of dumb people, so do I. A very good living can be made backing up peoples files, removing spyware and viruses, installing programs as such. Businesses especially like good running computer
Re:Oxymoron noted? Puh-leaze (Score:2)
Wow, really? I never would have pegged you as a Gentoo fan.
I'm quite confident that I don't have any spyware because I DON'T DO STUPID THINGS like blindly install binaries from nefarious sources.
Back on topic... Not doing stupid things only gets you so far. For instance, you still need to be careful of what extra software gets installed from non-nefarious sources like commercial software products. Some commercial software comes with spyware on the installation di
Re:Oxymoron noted? Puh-leaze (Score:2)
Re:Oxymoron noted? Puh-leaze (Score:5, Insightful)
It's called "Run As..." (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Oxymoron noted? Puh-leaze (Score:2)
By not using it to connect to the internet. Linux really is better for that sort of stuff. My parents have a Linux box I built for them to browse the web and such. It works great for them. When they need to buy some peripheral they ask me on what I advise and I tell them. If they were running Win32 or MacOS they would still ask for my opinion. Sometimes I will search on the internet like check the list of scanners that work with SANE, or I will just tell th
Spyware not really a problem (Score:2)
Re:Uh oh a decenter (Score:3, Interesting)
This would prevent the vast majority of silent spyware installations.
Instead, we have no authentication and a "SYSTEM" super user account for applications to play Administrator with.