imrworldwide server-side spyware and my isp?

May 18, 2008 5:59 PM

Web-security-filter: I've got no-script installed in firefox, and today noticed that imrworldwide was requesting to run javascript in two consecutive (unrelated) webpages...

Google yielded 'Counterexploitation' [cexx.org]
"imrworldwide.com's Red Sheriff is loaded as a Java applet embedded in a Web page you visit. Once loaded, it sends information about your Internet usage (how long the page took to load, how long you stayed, etc.) to the parent company, supposedly bypassing firewalls, cookie blockers and the like. A number of Internet Service Providers have begun including Red Sheriff on their start pages, which are programmed to load every time the user logs on to the Internet."

How legit is this product? Is this less-common competition to google analytics and others? Thanks mefites.

posted by acro to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

It doesn't give out more information about you and your browsing habit than what the ISP could have found out anyway by looking at the traffic from and to your computer.
posted by semi at 6:50 PM on May 18, 2008

Best answer: They've been around longer than Google analytics (& serve something of a different purpose), and is probably even more common, particularly with larger client organisations. They're as legitimate as any stats / market tracking company (e.g. Nielsen, OzTam, etc). Personally, I've been blocking them for years ;-)

IIRC, it tries to run a Java app; if that fails, it falls back onto JavaScript; if that fails, it falls back onto a tracking .gif
posted by Pinback at 6:54 PM on May 18, 2008