spyware

Let me introduce myself for those of you that do not know who I am; my name is Tom Mercado (Aka 'TeMerc') and for the most part, the forums I visit are part of the Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals, (also known as ASAP). For over a year ... and a half now I have been directly involved in helping users remove and eliminate various forms of Spyware issues (malwares). With all of the choices out there it is often hard to narrow things down; however that said I personally recommend using HijackThis!, in conjunction with a variety of other internet security applications and tools. Since my ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Diane M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just love getting your newsletters! They have helped me so much in the past. My question is in regard to a process named ccApp.exe: when I shut down my computer, I often have to wait for a long ... time before it actually shuts down to reboot. Most of the time I will get an error stating that 'ccApp.exe is not responding' and when I click to end the process, my computer remains frozen. Often times I have to reset the computer manually. Can you please help me out with this problem? I'm running Windows XP. Thanks for any help you can offer ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sandy D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have screensavers installed on my system -- and I don't even know how they got there (and it worries me!). What's worse is that I don't know how to remove the screensavers because I can't locate ... them in the computer! I would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks! " My response: Unfortunately, a lot of the "free" screen savers floating on the Internet come bundled with Spyware. If you have screen savers and aren't sure how they got installed on your computer, I would recommend you do a Spyware scan. Spyware Doctor is ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Morris K. writes: " Dear Dennis, Whenever I click on my EarthLink icon to start the Internet (and to launch Internet Explorer), my computer freezes up for a few minutes -- and then all the sudden, I have 50 or 60 copies of ... Internet Explorer (IE) sitting in my task bar! The odd thing is that if I try to close some of the windows, more IE Windows start re-launching. I am stumped how to solve this. Is there a way to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer? " My response: It's possible that your computer was infected with Spyware and the Spyware infection wasn't ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Joe B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been desperately trying to clean my computer of a nasty Malware / Spyware infection for the last 5 days. A characteristic of something that is going on is that while I'm typing along in a window, ... the window is suddenly de-activated and I have to mouse back to the window to activate it and continue typing. It's most irritating! I believe I have resolved the majority of the Spyware infection, however there are 4 files that keep reappearing even after I delete them. I can't seem to find instructions on the web, either. I'm not sure what ... (view more)

Spyware is a broad category of malicious software intended to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the user's informed consent. While the term taken literally suggests software that surreptitiously monitors the user, ... it has come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party. Spyware differs from viruses and worms in that it does not usually self-replicate. Like many recent viruses, spyware is designed to exploit infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics furthering this goal include ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Leonard M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I sure hope you can help with this one -- My web page links will not open properly in Outlook Express (OE). Often times, I'll try and click a link in an email, and it just opens a blank window and ... goes no further. The links simply won't open! I had to copy and paste your web address into the Internet Explorer (IE) address box in order to get here -- and it's a royal pain in the butt! I am thinking that maybe my Popup Stopper or Spyware programs have done something to my system and I'm not sure how to get the link functionality back. ... (view more)

Synopsis: Fact: The moment you are connected to the Internet, your system is vulnerable to outside intruders, even with an anti-hacker Firewall in place! So how would you know if your system is being hacked right now? Answer: using VisualWare ... CallerIP, of course! With CallerIP, you get realtime monitoring information -- visually -- so you can instantly identify suspect activity to *and* from your computer (such as Hackers, Spyware, and Trojans). VisualWare CallerIP is so useful, it should have been renamed to VisualWare Internet "Caller ID"! VisualWare CallerIP: Screenshots Click to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Henry H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Spy Sweeper installed in my computer, but last week after running Norton Antivirus I discovered a threat called 'Adware.Ezula.' Thanks to an article of yours I also downloaded Acronis True ... Image , which I have found fantastic, so I was able to revert my system back to a previous state (and without the Adware.Ezula on my system)! I was so impressed with True Image that I decided to examine the entire Acronis product line. I came across their 'Acronis Privacy Expert Suite', and I would appreciate your opinion on whether or not I ... (view more)

Yesterday, I announced that our web site will be hosting a special fund raiser. To quickly recap: I will be compiling special reviews (once a week over the summer), featuring really great software at ridiculously cheap prices; a percentage of the ... proceeds will be used to fund our web site. Yesterday's Summer Sizzler was "SpeedUpMyPC": an award-winning system optimization program used to monitor and boost your PC's performance when you need it the most (click here to read -- you won't want to miss it!). Today's newsletter announcement is an email I received this morning, and deals ... (view more)