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Archive: February, 2006

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NYU spyware workshop

By Suzi Turner | February 28, 2006, 2:29pm PST

This looks to be a great event and I wish I was going to be there, but I don’t think that will happen. Details here. It’s on March 16-17 at Furman Hall on the campus of...
180solutions wrap up

By Suzi Turner | February 27, 2006, 6:44pm PST

Last week 180solutions was in the news again due to another nonconsensual installation discovered and blogged by Ben Edelman. I wrote about it here and here but didn’t get a chance (due to...
Are rootkits always evil?

By Suzi Turner | February 23, 2006, 8:07am PST

Are rootkits always unacceptable? People are asking that question with increasing frequency and many are answering yes.
Windows Defender beta 2 and Microsoft anti-malware apps

By Suzi Turner | February 21, 2006, 9:02pm PST

36 minutes and still scanning… I finally installed Windows Defender tonight. I did a quick scan first which took all of 1 minute and 16 seconds. Now I’m running the...
180solutions responds - questions need answers

By Suzi Turner | February 21, 2006, 6:21pm PST

Yesterday I reported on another nonconsensual install of 180solutions that was discovered and blogged by spyware expert Ben Edelman. Some might wonder why the big deal - after all, 180solutions...
180solutions' S3 technology broken?

By Suzi Turner | February 20, 2006, 1:07am PST

According to Ben Edelman, the answer is yes. Ben has blogged about a nonconsensual installation of 180’s Zango software at an unnamed website. There’s a video, too. The install goes something...
More on botnets

By Suzi Turner | February 19, 2006, 8:38pm PST

According to one source, the problem of botnets is far greater than most security experts realize. One researcher tracked an estimated 13.1 million distinct bots in a 13 month time period ending...
Hax0rs, botnets and adware

By Suzi Turner | February 18, 2006, 3:28pm PST

Brian Krebs of the Washington Post has published a fascinating and powerful piece about botnets and some of the individuals behind them.
Banning rootkits

By Suzi Turner | February 18, 2006, 1:17pm PST

Thanks to Sony BMG, thereis now talk of banning rootkits. Last fall, Sony BMG was foound to be using roootkit techology in their DRM copy protection software. The rootkit left computers...
Aussie Olympic gold medalist is spyware pusher?

By Suzi Turner | February 17, 2006, 7:21am PST

Apparently so. From StopScum.com - Dale Begg-Smith & AdsCPM: A Spyware low life Criminal Distributor wins an Olympic Gold Medal for Australia
Fighting spyware in the UK

By Suzi Turner | February 15, 2006, 6:36pm PST

Spyware victims in the UK now have a way to fight back. It started with one person’s letter to her Member of Parliament (MP) That person is spyware activist (sounds better than zealot,...
SpyAxe replacement: SpyFalcon

By Suzi Turner | February 14, 2006, 7:05pm PST

The name SpyAxe, top rogue anti-spsyware app of 2005, brings up anger and frustration for its many victims but now SpyFalcon has burst on the scene looking like a replacement for SpyAxe.
Anti-Spyware Coalition workshop and other news

By Suzi Turner | February 14, 2006, 6:36pm PST

Where did the time go? My apologies for the lack of blogging. I’ve been traveling and without internet access part of the time. I was all set to blog last night and the...
Spyware business booming - triples according to Webroot

By Suzi Turner | February 7, 2006, 6:55pm PST

Another study out today reports that spyware was on the rise in 2005. Security company Webroot, makers of SpySweeper, released the State of Spyware Report for 2005: Consumers, small...
Websense report of 15 million malicious websites contradicts University of Washington study

By Suzi Turner | February 7, 2006, 5:09pm PST

According to the University of Washington, the number of spyware sites decreased by 93% from May 2005 to October 2005, but today Websense issued a press release that indicates otherwise.
More on the University of Washington spyware study

By Suzi Turner | February 6, 2006, 8:59pm PST

On Friday I blogged about the University of Washington study on spyware. Now the PDF of the study is available here. I previously wondered if the study included porn sites. According to the...
Decrease in spyware on the net?

By Suzi Turner | February 3, 2006, 5:22pm PST

Live Science reports that according to a study done by computer scientists at the University of Washington, the incidence of spyware on the internet has “significantly declined”.
Wimamp exploit used to push spyware

By Suzi Turner | February 2, 2006, 9:49pm PST

Nullsoft released Wimamp 5.13 the same day the exploit was announced, but the spyware pushers saw an opportunity to infect more machines and make more money
ISPs hosting spyware - who are they?

By Suzi Turner | February 1, 2006, 11:28pm PST

Recently I mentioned ISPs hosting spyware and said “Everyone in the anti-spyware community knows who these ISPs are.” Now we have a perfect example.