iteresting thing about kazaa, possibly spyware

[dave_p]

i personally think all internet filesharing programs leave you open to nonsense, but i know some of you here use this program and werent sure if you were aware of this:

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-873181.html

[personman]

I had Kazaa on my computer at one point, I cant believe I found this crap! Its all deleated. Thanks.

[CoFFeY[NiTrO]]

Could someone tell me in depth what "spyware" is?

[personman]

The kinda software that opens up a hole in your security so the evil monkeys can get in and blow up your computer.
Its a kind of hacking tool.

[Potatoboy]

No.

This isn't spyware.

You're getting defintions confused, it's OK, the media does it a lot too.

Spyware is software that monitors thing about your computer usage. This might be things like the websites you visit, the programs you use, possibly everything you type, people you talk to, etc.

This information is harvested and then either sold to the highest bidder, or used internally at a corporation.

Sometimes you are even compensated for your services. (anyone remember "All Advantage"?)

Somtimes you are not. (anyone use "Bonzai Buddy" or "Gator"?)

This is more of a case of a backdoor..
This is allowing them to basically control your computer remotely to server their needs. This also can be used for spyware functions, but can do many other things.

[dave_p]

actually that would be a backdoor trojan horse

but spyware programs are trojan horses too in that they hide some some malicious(if you consider sending out your private information, or hijaaking your unused processor cycles malicious, i know i do!) code in a seemingly useful program. read all about it here: http://www.homenethelp.com/web/explain/spyware.asp
some vendors claim these programs are opt in, or voluntary because you can alter settings that will disable the spyware aspect of the software, but these settings are usually obscure and well hidden and turned on by default with no clear instructions on how to disable them, or that they even exist.

[Clint3240]

uh...its been known for a while that its been spyware...but i still use it..spyware is a encription that can get your usernames, passwords and your information..like for example...if you searched for porn on kazaa you will get that typ of advertisment..of if you searched for games...same thing

[dave_p]

yes clint, it has been known

but as you can see not by everyone, therefore an additional heads up for those who dont know cant hurt. i just dont go in for that kind of stuff too much, kinda burns my bisquits. knowledge is power and we need it, especially with an industry that thrives on the technical ignorance of its users.

[CoFFeY[NiTrO]]

Is Kazaa spyware?
What kind? Hacking spyware?

[jah871]

so is it safe to use or not?

[dave_p]

so is it safe to use or not?

that would be up to you i guess, i left links to 2 articles in this thread that will give you some information to arm yourself with, then its up to the individual.
i see it like this, if you choose to ignore this stuff for the convenience of these programs, than you may as well leave your house and car unlocked and just let some entity come on in and take over your government and so on, you get the idea. complacency( as well as convenient ignorance) will be the undoing of this country and the world as a whole. but im not trying to start another thing, so dont bother.
if you can disable the nondesirable parts of the software, like i do with realplayer, than thats better. the best would be for no one to use these tainted products at all and maybe the tide towards losing all privacy can be stemmed a little.
btw, i am not a radical privacy movement member or a general advocate of anything for that matter, this issue just interests me a bit in that it is quite a scary prospect, akin to people looking in your windows, or driving your car, just because you are not using it.
i go to great lengths to protect my privacy and keep my boxes secure. the biggest problem is that many people are unaware this stuff goes on.
*steps off soap box*

[MJS1214]

so will uninstalling it block it?

[dave_p]

so will uninstalling it block it?

im not sure, i dont use it. i do know that broderbund software installed an agent on my machine once that relayed information on certain products i had installed back to broderbund. it would startup at boot and periodically try to connect to the internet to broadcast. my internal firewall caught it. it came on one of my kids games, arthur or dr suess or something, i dont remember. i had to use some fairly arcane system utilities to find it , and uninstalling the game it came on didnt remove it. i had to manually remove all the files, edit the registry and eventually wound up doing a system restore to a date previous to installation to completely remove it.

[dave_p]

for those interested, here is how you uninstall it

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-875278.html

[beam]

Here's another article. READ IT...it's more that spyware.

http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2860134,00.html