Questions About Rogue Programs

[lareinatortura]

I didn't want to clutter up whocares' original post, so I started my own thread instead of posting on the one he started. . Anyway. . I have a question about rogue programs--like Spy Bot, for example.

What are some trustworthy programs?

How do I know if a program is not trustworthy?

I ask this because I tried to use Spy Bot years ago, and I remember having more problems than desired results.  It really soured my thoughts about Spy Bot.  It was like, "Yea, I know my friends say it works and that they use it, but it didn't work for me!  -Is it really a safe program?"  I am really weary of a lot of things out there in the net. . Sigh.   

[DavidR]

Sorry but you appear to have confused two different subjects.

Spybot Search & Destroy isn't a rogue program.

As to its effectiveness as a means of detection of rogue programs, that is an entirely different ball game.

[Pondus]

. Anyway. . I have a question about rogue programs--like Spy Bot, for example.

SpyBot S&D is not a rogue program

SpyBot was once on of the best best spyware removers, but SpyBot program have not been updated to deal with todays malware. They release a small update once a week.
MBAM and SAS can have more updates on a week then SpyBot have in a year

the best is Malwarebytes and close behind Superantispyware

[polonus]

Hi lareinatortura,

Never install anything onto your computer "out of the blue" before pre-scanning and checking on the download link, and if it is flagged as suspicious or unwanted or even as PUP, stay away.
There are a couple of link scans you can take: scan the link here: http://soswebscan.jobandproject.com/beta_scan.php
And here: http://www.virustotal.com/url-scan/ and at a meta-scanner like http://www.urlvoid.com/
Another site to free scan is http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/scanner/
Check the link site web reputation at Norton Safe Web, WOT, http://www.webutation.net/, http://online.us.drweb.com/?url=1
Combine all these scan to have a complete picture of the link security (all scanners have blind spots, you know, alas
we do not live in an ideal world...)

Still in doubt ask here at the webforum.
Generally speaking Rogue Programs are "too goof to be true" programs, where you may land via hacked sites, to domains created specifically for this purpose. So watch your clicks,

Spybot S&D I have left because it has been definitely outgrown by SAS and MBAM. I combine these two non-resident anti-malware programs with SpywareBlaster* which add protection to Fx and IE browser. That is all I have next to my resident version of avast 6. Oh, I forget I also have Bitdefender Quick Scan via Click and Clean inside my browser of choice, that is GoogleChrome with NotScripts extension installed and Better Pop up Blocker extension,

polonus

* Been informed that this program is no longer necessary with modern browsers, but I like to have that confirmed

pol

[essexboy]

From IE8 onwards MS has inserted its own Killbit for activeX and a basic dirty URL list
So in most cases now spywareblaster is redundant along with the Host file thing

[lareinatortura]

DavidR and Pondus:

Oy!  Sorry about the confusion!  >.<  I was reading another thread about these things and I misinterpreted the phrase.  Sorry, guys!  o.o

[lareinatortura]

Hi lareinatortura,

Never install anything onto your computer "out of the blue" before pre-scanning and checking on the download link, and if it is flagged as suspicious or unwanted or even as PUP, stay away.
There are a couple of link scans you can take: scan the link here: http://soswebscan.jobandproject.com/beta_scan.php
And here: http://www.virustotal.com/url-scan/ and at a meta-scanner like http://www.urlvoid.com/
Another site to free scan is http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/scanner/
Check the link site web reputation at Norton Safe Web, WOT, http://www.webutation.net/, http://online.us.drweb.com/?url=1
Combine all these scan to have a complete picture of the link security (all scanners have blind spots, you know, alas
we do not live in an ideal world...)

Still in doubt ask here at the webforum.
Generally speaking Rogue Programs are "too goof to be true" programs, where you may land via hacked sites, to domains created specifically for this purpose. So watch your clicks,

Spybot S&D I have left because it has been definitely outgrown by SAS and MBAM. I combine these two non-resident anti-malware programs with SpywareBlaster* which add protection to Fx and IE browser. That is all I have next to my resident version of avast 6. Oh, I forget I also have Bitdefender Quick Scan via Click and Clean inside my browser of choice, that is GoogleChrome with NotScripts extension installed and Better Pop up Blocker extension,

polonus

* Been informed that this program is no longer necessary with modern browsers, but I like to have that confirmed

pol

Thank you so much, polonus!

I appreciate the advice and the links.  I really appreciate the links and things that people like you recommend, because I know that you are an experienced user, and that you probably despise malware as much as I do!

Hmm. . *Thinking, thinking, thinking* about this.

I guess I will definitely have to get MalwareBytes then--so many experienced users recommend it/use it. 

[lareinatortura]

From IE8 onwards MS has inserted its own Killbit for activeX and a basic dirty URL list
So in most cases now spywareblaster is redundant along with the Host file thing

I learned early on not to use IE.   

[essexboy]

I learned early on not to use IE

Any special reason why not ?

[lareinatortura]

I learned early on not to use IE

Any special reason why not ?

In 2003, a good friend of mine--who is a much more experienced user than I--told me that Mozilla was a better browser.  He said it was much safer.  Since I started using it, I noticed my rate of infection went down significantly; but also, I gradually became more experienced and became a little better a "defensive computing."  :-|  In fact, I had one computer on which I only used Mozilla.  I had the computer from 2004 to 2010 with only two known infections.  It ran smoothly and (I hope) safely for 6 years.  The second infection was its last.  It was a bad one, man.  Very harsh.

I did a terrible thing. . I downloaded something I shouldn't have, and I knew better--shame on me.  Long story short, I could tell right away that something had infected and taken over my computer.  I immediately reformatted, and had the computer up and running smoothly within an hour or so.

Well. . I shutdown the computer that night, it was fine.  I came back from two weeks of leave, and then turned on the computer; and to my shock, it didn't turn on.  I replaced the PSU.  That didn't help.  I tried to short the power button after I installed the new PSU.  That didn't work.  I took out the motherboard and inspected it, only to find a small brown mark on one of the components. :-|

Needless to say, I got a new computer, because I wasn't going to pay 50 USD to replace the motherboard of what was basically a dinosaur.

Ha ha ha!