Author Topic: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?  (Read 9118 times)

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Zagor

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Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« on: January 22, 2006, 04:25:52 PM »
Weatherbug, an old question, is it adware, spyware or not. Decide yourself:

Vendors site
WeatherBug is a safe and secure desktop application that delivers live local weather and life saving alerts to millions of people a month. WeatherBug does not have, and never has had, the capability to track surfing habits or “spy” on its users. WeatherBug is not “Adware.” WeatherBug's is incapable of tracking the trends of its customers' Web use or deciphering anything on customers' local or hard drives. WeatherBug does not “snoop” on its users, nor does it have functionality to determine what users were doing, where they were before WeatherBug was opened or where they go after using WeatherBug. We require any software that is integrated with WeatherBug, including the WeatherBug Browser Companion powered by My Search, to be spyware- and adware-free, too.

Download address for module MiniBugTransporter.dll:

http://www.dll-downloads.com/downloadnow.asp?mirror=1

Offline polonus

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2006, 04:47:23 PM »
Hello Zagor,

Weatherbug itself has always denied it is, and as such this is true.
But it has been found as "unsollicited" installs by adware vendors and other spyware,and in this sense it is adware.

See: http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/WeatherBug.html

polonus
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Use NoScript, a limited user account and a virtual machine and be safe(r)!

CharleyO

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2006, 04:47:47 PM »
***

Many years ago, I tried WeatherBug and back then it had ads in it ... maybe spyware, also. Perhaps they have removed that stuff now. Many people seem to like it but I do not know why. That does not necessarily make it a good thing, though.

Just my 2 cents worth.    ;)


***

Offline bob3160

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2006, 04:57:55 PM »
There is always the alternative:
WeatherPulse which is totally free of anything.

Direct download from MySharedFiles  is available HERE
A review and download is also available from SnapFiles
Free Security Seminar: https://bit.ly/bobg2023  -  Important: http://www.organdonor.gov/ -- My Web Site: http://bob3160.strikingly.com/ - Win 11 Pro v22H2 64bit, 16 Gig Ram, 1TB SSD, Avast Free 23.5.6066, How to Successfully Install Avast http://goo.gl/VLXdeRepair & Clean Install https://goo.gl/t7aJGq -- My Online Activity https://bit.ly/BobGInternet

Zagor

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2006, 05:16:17 PM »
What is using wheatherbug on my machine:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\WeatherBug\MiniBugTransporter.dll

Real Player maybe, but for what?
« Last Edit: January 22, 2006, 05:17:53 PM by Zagor »

Offline bob3160

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2006, 05:26:15 PM »
Zagor
I suggest you check the following link:
http://www.spyany.com/program/article_spw_rm_Minibug.html
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Zagor

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2006, 05:40:35 PM »
Thank you Bob, but that didn't seem to work in my case. I tried scanning and Ewido did the job. Strange, since the on-demand scan didn't detect it, but the context meny scan did.

Hello to all the rest! :)

Offline polonus

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2006, 06:22:24 PM »
Hi Zagor,

Analyzing is everything there is to understand the workings.
I suggest you start downloading from here:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm

It is a hell of a good tool to get rid of browser crap or any unwanted toolbar, browser helper object etc.

Also it is a good thing to analyze your start up routines:
http://www.niksoft.at/download/startdreck.htm

While you are at it, download PepiMks FileAlyzer too at:
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/filealyzer.html

Run these three tools and then report back your findings on this file, I guess you have another view of it,

polonus
Cybersecurity is more of an attitude than anything else. Avast Evangelists.

Use NoScript, a limited user account and a virtual machine and be safe(r)!

Zagor

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2006, 07:00:26 PM »
Hi friend,

Thanks for all that links. I already had the FileAlyzer and this it what it says:

File: D:\Downloads\_Latest Downloads\MiniBugTransporter.dll
Date: 22/1/2006 18:50:12

***** General ******************************************************
           Location: D:\Downloads\_Latest Downloads\
               Size: 335872
            Version: 2.0.0.11
             CRC-32: 76532A1A
                MD5: 5CB0279BC8B35D99E79764293D279C85
               SHA1: D8E7E4BFF83D77A962EFF55B02B4B8C66A6E1071
          Read only: No
             Hidden: No
        System file: No
          Directory: No
            Archive: Yes
      Symbolic link: No
         Time stamp: Monday, 04. July 2005 21:40:50
           Creation: Sunday, 22. January 2006 18:49:24
        Last access: Sunday, 22. January 2006 00:00:00
         Last write: Monday, 04. July 2005 21:40:50

***** Version ******************************************************
Supported languages:: English (United States) (1033/1200)
--- Version --------------------------------------------------------
       File version: 2, 0, 0, 11
       Company name: AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.
      Internal name: MiniBugTransporter
           Comments: Web-based WeatherBug installer.  It is safe to delete this control after the WeatherBug has been installed.
    Legal copyright: Copyright 2004
   Legal trademarks:
  Original filename: MiniBugTransporter.DLL
       Product name: MiniBugTransporter Module
    Product version: 2, 0, 0, 11
   File description: MiniBugTransporter Module
      Private build:
      Special build:

***** Resources ****************************************************
--- EXE ------------------------------------------------------------
  213                                                               
--- REGISTRY -------------------------------------------------------
  102                                                               
--- TYPELIB --------------------------------------------------------
  1                                                                 
--- Bitmap ---------------------------------------------------------
  101                                                               
--- String Table ---------------------------------------------------
  7                                                                 
--- Version Info ---------------------------------------------------
  1

***** PE Sections **************************************************
             CRC-32: ?
                MD5: ?
----- PE Sections --------------------------------------------------
 Section VirtSize VirtAddr PhysSize PhysAddr    Flags
            CRC32                                 MD5

Other two tools didn't found anything.

Spiritsongs

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2006, 08:48:50 PM »
 :)  Hi all :

     While browsing through other forums, if I see Weatherbug
     in someone's scan results, I refer them to :
     a) www.searchlores.org/weatherbug.htm
     b) www.pchell.com/support/weatherbug.shtml

     The "b" site suggests the "safer & cleaner" Weatherpulse.

     I think many are ignorant or naive about its "presence"
     on their machines; they probably think if the manufactory
     put it there, its "ok" !?

Offline bob3160

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2006, 09:17:25 PM »
Quote
The "b" site suggests the "safer & cleaner" Weatherpulse.
;D http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=18860.msg159512#msg159512  ;D
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Mastertech

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2006, 12:33:07 PM »
Don't use it. You can get free non adware/spyware weather programs.

Zagor

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Re: Wheatherbug, spyware or not?
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2006, 01:05:07 PM »
Don't use it. You can get free non adware/spyware weather programs.

If that was refering to me, then I have to corect you that this was more of the case where weatherbug used me  :)