Anyone found my spyware?
May 26, 2006 8:11 AM Subscribe
Where does my spyware go?
I go to many sites on the net, searching for links for my daily blog. At the end of the day, and because I am using my son'slaptop now--he wants to keep IE Explorer as browser--I run a scan and delete some 20 or so pieces of spyware. Si.nce I post throughout the day before scanning, does this spyware get past on to viewers opening links at my site? Or are they kept at my site till removed.
I go to many sites on the net, searching for links for my daily blog. At the end of the day, and because I am using my son'slaptop now--he wants to keep IE Explorer as browser--I run a scan and delete some 20 or so pieces of spyware. Si.nce I post throughout the day before scanning, does this spyware get past on to viewers opening links at my site? Or are they kept at my site till removed.
What sort of spyware are we talking about?
And what do you use to scan? Ad-Aware? Are you sure they're not just cookies? (which AdAware counts as "suspicious items" or whatever it calls them).
Anyway this has no effect whatsoever on your site - well, other than if readers of your site follow the links you posted, they are likely to catch whatever you caught on those sites.
on preview: yes, and what RustyBrooks said.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 8:18 AM on May 26, 2006
And what do you use to scan? Ad-Aware? Are you sure they're not just cookies? (which AdAware counts as "suspicious items" or whatever it calls them).
Anyway this has no effect whatsoever on your site - well, other than if readers of your site follow the links you posted, they are likely to catch whatever you caught on those sites.
on preview: yes, and what RustyBrooks said.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 8:18 AM on May 26, 2006
Hard to tell exactly what you mean, but I think you’ve become confused about how such things work. I imagine the spywares you’re seeing are tracking cookies. They will not affect anyone reading a website that has been updated by someone with an infected (for want of a better word) machine. Also, I don’t think the issue is specific to IE or anything else.
posted by ed\26h at 8:21 AM on May 26, 2006
posted by ed\26h at 8:21 AM on May 26, 2006
It sounds like you're talking about cookies, not spyware. (There is NO WAY you're getting 20 pieces of spyware everytime you surf the net unless you're on free porn sites all day long.)
Cookies can be used to track you by the website that puts them there, but they can also be used to help keep you logged into your web-based email, blogging account, or Metafilter!
They're not spyware, because spyware involves a program running on your computer, continually sending information out to some database, and often sending you popup ads. Cookies are passive. They are information that a website stores on your computer. They're how amazon tells you what items you've most recently viewed.
So to answer your question, they're harmless, and they're not infecting users of your blog. You're okay.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 8:24 AM on May 26, 2006
Cookies can be used to track you by the website that puts them there, but they can also be used to help keep you logged into your web-based email, blogging account, or Metafilter!
They're not spyware, because spyware involves a program running on your computer, continually sending information out to some database, and often sending you popup ads. Cookies are passive. They are information that a website stores on your computer. They're how amazon tells you what items you've most recently viewed.
So to answer your question, they're harmless, and they're not infecting users of your blog. You're okay.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 8:24 AM on May 26, 2006
I'd make yourself another user account (I'm assuming something XP-ish that has this ability) and use what you'd like, although keeping up with periodic scans is always a good idea.
His blog is utterly NSFW (the redirected one), if anyone else ends up checking it out. A warning in the profile might be .. appreciated.
posted by kcm at 9:06 AM on May 26, 2006
His blog is utterly NSFW (the redirected one), if anyone else ends up checking it out. A warning in the profile might be .. appreciated.
posted by kcm at 9:06 AM on May 26, 2006
Response by poster: thanks all...I ran Ewido scanner (free program) and found they were tracking cookies, medium threat..I use this machine till my IMac gets here.
posted by Postroad at 9:08 AM on May 26, 2006
posted by Postroad at 9:08 AM on May 26, 2006
Are you sure they aren't spyware/cookies your son is picking up? heh.
I second "they are tracking cookies suggestion".
on preview -- based on kcm's comment, perhaps not only your son's cookies are being crumbled....
posted by Rumple at 9:10 AM on May 26, 2006
I second "they are tracking cookies suggestion".
on preview -- based on kcm's comment, perhaps not only your son's cookies are being crumbled....
posted by Rumple at 9:10 AM on May 26, 2006
Well, that simple answer isn't always true. It's not very likely, but some malware can do cross-domain infections. It would not be hard to scan a hard-disk looking for HTML files to add exploit code to, or to scan the local network looking to exploit SMB, etc.
So the more complex answer is: Rarely. But I never underestimate malware. I treat computers which gets spyware as contagious, and quarantine them immediately, and reinstall windows. We are phasing out windows because the cost of doing this all the time is pretty high, even with a system in place.
One of the first things I do to a freshly formatted windows computer is to remove IE as well as I can.
posted by clord at 1:06 PM on May 26, 2006
So the more complex answer is: Rarely. But I never underestimate malware. I treat computers which gets spyware as contagious, and quarantine them immediately, and reinstall windows. We are phasing out windows because the cost of doing this all the time is pretty high, even with a system in place.
One of the first things I do to a freshly formatted windows computer is to remove IE as well as I can.
posted by clord at 1:06 PM on May 26, 2006
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* The spyware is on your computer, the one you're browsing on, not your website.
* You son can use IE and you can use firefox, opera, or something else. Nothing prevents you from using a different browser (just don't make it the default)
posted by RustyBrooks at 8:17 AM on May 26, 2006