Hi all
I'm trying this spybot search & destroy and looks interesting however how do you know who has the most up-to-date definitions, as well why does it contain so much stuff "anti-dialer"?
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What do you mean "who has the most up-to-date definitions?" Do you mean regarding other anti-spyware programs? Every anti-spyware program is different.
As far as "anti-dialer," I'm not sure what you mean. From where are you getting this?
hi
when you download "definitions" it puts them into program files so even though it is not fully portable in the traditional sense of the meaning, it did however manage to root out so-called commercial antivirus and for that it is gold.
Spybot S&D is portable, you are just not looking at the whole process.
When Spybot starts, it creates the folders in Program Files as Spybot uses these folders. If you run a definition update, some files are placed in these folders. When you close Spybot, these folders and files are handled by the launcher - that is, they are moved to the portable installation and removed from the host computer.
If you start Spybot again and run another definition update, you will see that the program's definitions are already up to date.
As for the anti-dialer thing I'm not sure what you are talking about. I use Spybot portable on three different portable apps installs, and have not noticed anything to do with anti-dialers, except one file when I updated my definitions just now....
hi it has removed those folders, strange though, maybe in future it will need admin privileges?
The anti-dialer thing I thought was a bit obsolete and just adds to the time factor of downloading.
I must be wary of where this stuff is coming from, like clamwin DNS can be spoofed.
Cheers
How are you downloading the definitions? Through the automatic updater or otherwise?
I just click on a server that is supposedly close to me, but now I am thinking that it might be high time the programming community got together and used torrents instead, notwithstanding security issues which could be handled by certificates or would that require some kind of industry initiative.
Hello scant_regard;
I have been using Spybot for many years now, I have watched as the dev team was just the founder, and all the trials he has gone through over the years with people trying to clone his app. It has been one of the only apps that seems to catch most of the nastys end users come up with compared to other similar programs.
However here lately there have been a bunch of new apps come out over the last couple of years that are doing the same or slightly better than Spybot. However I am excited that there is a portable version now. That means I can clean and move without leaving traces on end users PC. Experience has taught me any techie tool (app) left on a end user PC always ends up with "I tried to fix it myself and not sure what I done but things are not right" scenarios.
I know what you are saying about the anti-dialer definitions, from what I have read that is still an issue in some parts of the World and that is why he upgrades and retains those definitions in the app. I hope your experience with Spybot becomes as grand as mine has been.
Cheers
There's 230 million internet users in the United States and only about 90 million of them use broadband.
Aren't the dialer definitions about 10KB (or some comparatively and rediculously small, in this day and age, number)? In which case, who cares? And if your Internet is that slow that it takes forever to download them then you're probably on dial-up, in which case you need them.
it's called 3G............
and need DIALERS.
yes but they can only dial one number
I have to confess, I don't really know a lot about 3G but I was under the impression that it was for mobile devices which wouldn't be running the Windows operating system and therefore not Spybot either.
A dial-up modem can only dial 1 number at a time as well, but there are times where the connection might not be established, so a dialer could make use of the line/modem unbeknowst to the user.
I'm sorry, I'm completely missing your point, forgive my stupidity.
you're right. 3G "smart" devices are standalone and wouldn't run SPYBOT, let alone a malicious dialer.
3G/4G modems are used just like an analog modem and connect the OS to the Internet. Alot of malicious dialer scripts don't insert their own dialer number. They piggyback on the existing (legitimate) dialup connection.
I consult for one of the top 3 or 4 US wireless providers and there are specific exploits for their in-house dialer.
Ok so even if my "modem" is set to dial the typical sequence, e.g. *99# then it can piggy back onto the connection?
Are these dialer files made to address that kind of problem?
Just use it as is and let it scan. It'll probably find nothing.
Dialers can get around just about anything you try and do to config your modem if it is connected to a plain old telephone line but ONLY if you let your PC get infected by them. But you don't really need to worry about them or learn anything about them provided you practice safe computing and then scan regularly just in case.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Hi John
3G router is a good solution.
Thank you for taking the time to write here
Dialers are designed to call expensive pay phone numbers from your computer to make money for the bad guys. If your PC is connected to a phone cord, say for faxing or something, a dialer could cost you cash if you got infected with it.
A good chunk of PCs aren't connected to a phone line anymore now that cable, dsl, wireless and fiber are king, but you'll still want to know if you got one of these dialers because it could be an indication of something else also hiding in your PC.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!