infection upon browsing this site???

[MKV]

hey im not a computer genius (actually my knowledge of viruses and spyware is quite limited), but i suspect i get infected with CoolWebSearch every time i browse this site (even when i check it only for 30 seconds)...the reason why i think this is because i got my pc cleaned, then i connect to any site and nothing happens, but THIS site reactivates CWS somewhat and i get infected again (its quite annoying to clean everytime i check this site cos i do it quite often)...idk really, any help is welcome...

PS: dont suggest to buy ANY antispyware software (i wont give em a dime, bastards)...i already got a cleaner thou (free of course)...
im writing this cos there seems to be something wrong with YOUR site (no offence, and sorry if i happen to be talking dumbsh1t, idk really)

[Revebullu]

Do you have a firewall?..
if not, downl... i mean buy one :P

[muchavo]

use fire fox, its a world better than internet explorer and much more secure

mozilla.org

[Revebullu]

yeah mozilla is 100 times safer..

when i used IE, I got like 5 trojans a day. now i have no problem. and the pop up stoper integrated is nice too.

[ianb]

http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html

Use this, it is free and it gets rid of CoolWebSearch, otherwise you will never get rid of it.

[cyberfret]

I can't find an advertiser called "CoolWebSearch". Has anyone else had this issue? I have not seen it, that does not mean that it is not there. I do have a firewall, virus protection etc., and I would strongly suggest paying those "bastards". Whether you like it or not, you have to give yourself some sort of protection. If it happens again, tell me the exact ad that you see when you are infected.

--Shawn

[Kranky Ol' Maid]

I want something to get rid of GATOR. I've done the pgm downloads, checked the registry etc. All the things the "Gator Killer" sites tell you to do, yet my Norton turns up two gators on my machine every time! And... I'm getting those bloody mediaclick and fastclick pop ups with regularity.

<cue: Moe> Why, I want to moiderize dem bums!</cue> :mad2:

[Temujin]

use fire fox, its a world better than internet explorer and much more secure

mozilla.org

Exactly.

-Temujin

[serpant]

I dont think your picking it up here, it may lie dormant on your system,even after a clean it can still lie there unless you do a deep format of your hard disk, best answer is firewall your PC and keep your AV up to date

[Pied]

I know quite alot about systems and software and if you have coolwebsearch on your system then it is time to format the hard drive and reinstall windows - seriously. It is the single most difficult-to-remove piece of spyware I have ever run into. Also, someone mentioned Firefox - great suggestion. IE is a big target for spyware. Also install Norton Anti-Virus and Ad-Aware and all Windows updates! Good luck!

[Moonlit]

Yea, Ad Aware SE is free and works great for me. There are sites also that give instruction on how to clear things out of your system's registry that programs miss. The Norton site(Symantec) has directions to manually remove registry keys and such that are created when you get a virus or similair things.

[Rob]

A couple facts:

(1) There is little to no evidence to support the claim that Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer. There is actually more evidence that suggests the opposite.

(2) The majority of spyware installs itself on your computer because you inadvertently invited it to do so. Most often, it is the user who is to blame, not the browser. Installing a state-of-the-art alarm system in your home is fairly pointless if you're going to invite burglers in through the front door.

[muchavo]

Actually your completly wrong,

sure fire ie could proboley be set up to be as secure as firefox is stock but it isnt, and why set it up to when it has indefior features to begin with

tabbed browsing is a godsend and so is the search box

here is my evidence are you ready

i manage 3 computers, my personal one, my dads company computer and my younger brothers computer, i must have had to reformatt or deal with spyware on all these computers for about 2 and 1/2 years , then i reformated them all and installed fire fox, i havnt gotten a single piece of adware ore spyware off the web since, its a fact.

[geffen]

heres another site u can dl a program at the bottom to get rid of CWS http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

[Pied]

A couple facts:

(1) There is little to no evidence to support the claim that Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer. There is actually more evidence that suggests the opposite.

(2) The majority of spyware installs itself on your computer because you inadvertently invited it to do so. Most often, it is the user who is to blame, not the browser. Installing a state-of-the-art alarm system in your home is fairly pointless if you're going to invite burglers in through the front door.

Rob, i'll give you #2 because I wholeheartedly agree, but i'd argue on #1 regardless of the articles out there that state otherwise. Maybe i'm biased :)

[oogitsmelol]

Yeah, i dont think the stupid thing can be removed without reformatting. I would say to dl adaware, or if you decide to pay, i prefer spysweeper. It even blocks the thing for you so you dont have to worry about it changing your homepage on you or anything like that. I dont know about firefox, i dont use it. I use netscape wich i prefer to internet explorer. Get antivirus software. norton or mcafee. Also be sure to remove your cookies and clear your cache as often as possible.

[Rob]

Actually your completly wrong

I'm afraid not. I can tell you from experience that IE tends to be the browser of choice at large corporations where security is a huge consideration. Off hand, I can recall a few companies that investigated switching to Firefox and found no objective data compelling them to switch.

sure fire ie could proboley be set up to be as secure as firefox is stock but it isnt

There is a tradeoff between security and functionality. Remember that IE has been around for quite a while, and Internet threats were not nearly as big a problem as they are today. Microsoft was criticized for reacting too late to the increasing problem of security. However, better late than never, and Service Pack 2 significantly beefed up IE's security, which is now arguably more restrictive than Firefox's.

here is my evidence are you ready

Hold on... OK, now I'm ready.

i manage 3 computers, my personal one, my dads company computer and my younger brothers computer, i must have had to reformatt or deal with spyware on all these computers for about 2 and 1/2 years , then i reformated them all and installed fire fox, i havnt gotten a single piece of adware ore spyware off the web since, its a fact.

Well, case closed! A generalization based on a single nonscientific outcome is good enough for me!

[Moonlit]

It is possible to get rid of it without reformatting. It might take a little technical knowledge, but it is possible. Also...as the last person said...and as I do, clear your cookies, temporary files, and history at least every time your done using the internet. Also, something like a disc cleanup utility is a good idea to run afterwards too. If you do the things mentioned in this thread your computer should be fine.

[muchavo]

I'm afraid not. I can tell you from experience that IE tends to be the browser of choice at large corporations where security is a huge consideration. Off hand, I can recall a few companies that investigated switching to Firefox and found no objective data compelling them to switch.



There is a tradeoff between security and functionality. Remember that IE has been around for quite a while, and Internet threats were not nearly as big a problem as they are today. Microsoft was criticized for reacting too late to the increasing problem of security. However, better late than never, and Service Pack 2 significantly beefed up IE's security, which is now arguably more restrictive than Firefox's.


Dude you relize all you said was big cooperations use IE right?


Hold on... OK, now I'm ready.



Well, case closed! A generalization based on a single nonscientific outcome is good enough for me!


And you did any different? Big corps pay people to make their networks secure and their computers. They also look for ways to secure their systems better against hackers.

Firefox is more secure than a stock IE is for a personal computer owner who doesnt want to deal with spyware.

I expressed my first hand experience with the program. Which I think is great evidence. Im sorry i didnt keep records of how many spyware apps i had on my pc before firefox but i can tell you how many after

:D ZERO

I don't care wat big corps do, thats a whole different ball park. We are talking about spyware and personal computer users. The kind of people who agree to install spyware by accident because they don't know any better or because they dont have time to be pestered

[Pied]

Here is a poll of users from [H]ard|OCP - a community of hardware enthusiasts - as you can see there is an overwhelming preference toward Firefox.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=954475

As far as fixing a computer to rid it of coolwebsearch, I have personally tried to rid infected systems of it, and had my ultra-leet buddy (who is a very savvy programmer) try to ferret out the offending registry entries but to no avail. Some variants of the malware are well beyond me and even if you stayed at it, doing a re-partition-format-reinstall will take less time.

I can't say i'd trust the judgement of a large company- I have seen large companies make foolish decision after foolish decision. If you like IE then stick with it - but as a person who has built over a dozen pc's and maintains a home network, and serves as the IT person at my work (30 machines) I know what browser I will continue to use. If we took a poll of how many users are troubled with adware and malware i'd bet that the overwhelming majority of infected systems use IE.

And of course everyone is entitled to their opinion - here is another site to check.
http://www.aviransplace.com/index.php/archives/2004/10/07/the-most-secure-browser/

Everyone has an opinion, it's not my fault that mine just happens to be right!

[Pied]

Oh, and let me add that people who write adware and malware programs should be drawn and quartered and then set aflame.

Also people who have broadband connections should always use a hardware firewall.

And never argue with Pied.

And remember we are all strongly opinionated people but we can still play nice.

[Rob]

And you did any different? Big corps pay people to make their networks secure and their computers. They also look for ways to secure their systems better against hackers.

These companies paid subject matter experts to perform exhaustive research into the potential security advantages of Firefox over IE, and they could not find any data to suggest that there is any advantage at all. This outcome is a little more profound that one home user's informal personal experience.

Firefox is more secure than a stock IE is for a personal computer owner who doesnt want to deal with spyware.

Again, there was little evidence to support this prior to SP2, and there's even less now.

I don't care wat big corps do, thats a whole different ball park. We are talking about spyware and personal computer users. The kind of people who agree to install spyware by accident because they don't know any better or because they dont have time to be pestered

You should care, because it's the same ball park, except that it's the World Series instead of spring training. Large corporations devote a lot of resources to ensuring that their infrastructure is as secure as possible, because the impact of a security breach is much more serious than it would be for a home user. And we're talking about browsers deployed to employee workstations. Most of these employees have the same bad habits as home users do. So the situation is no different.

[Jamezo]

if you already have a massive firewall and security infrastructure, then yes, I suppose it does make sense not to rock the boat and use IE for corporate use.

but for most people it makes sense to use a browser which is inherently more secure, not one that has been patched up the wazoo because of shoddy design.

FF is also infinitely more usable; it makes me retch when I use IE on some poor sap's computer and have to wade through 10 seperate IE windows.....

but it's obvious you are a Microsoft cheerleader, so it really doesn't matter what anybody says. good luck with the next 'security' update!

[muchavo]

its obvious because he does actually talk about how ie is more secure lol

[MetaDjinn]

... these debates often make me chuckle: there is one critical piece of information that is often overlooked. IE is attacked, exploited, whatever because it is [currently] the most popular browser.

Look, I am a web developer. I have been doing this for some time now. When I write a web site or a web app, I want it to be accessible and used by as many people as possible. So, I write my code in a manner that will allow it to run in the most popular browser(s).

If I were a hacker, cracker, spammer, whatever.... I would write virii, spyware, adware that would target as many people as possible. So, I would write my code to target the most popular browser(s) - IE!!! When everyone starts saying "IE stinks, use FF", guess what? The black hats will set their sites on a new target - FF.

[Jamezo]

true true, but then even if FF had say 70% adoption, I don't think it would be targeted as much as IE, just by virtue of Microsoft being seen as 'The Man'

[muchavo]

also most people dont use fire fox, because ie comes stock with windows, thats why its most used (not popular imo) and thats why they focus their efforts to exploit that browser

[Rob]

if you already have a massive firewall and security infrastructure, then yes, I suppose it does make sense not to rock the boat and use IE for corporate use.

No, what makes sense is to evaluate the alternatives and choose the most secure browser based on objective data, which is exactly what they did. That objective data pointed them in the direction of IE.

but for most people it makes sense to use a browser which is inherently more secure, not one that has been patched up the wazoo because of shoddy design.

Again, there's little to no hard evidence to suggest that Firefox is inherently more secure than IE. There's not a huge difference between the two, in terms of both the number and severity of their vulnerabilities. Also, it's pretty foolish to think that fewer patches must imply fewer vulnerabilities.

FF is also infinitely more usable; it makes me retch when I use IE on some poor sap's computer and have to wade through 10 seperate IE windows.....

This is a separate issue. I'm debating strictly the security issue.

but it's obvious you are a Microsoft cheerleader.

This defines irony. For the record, I'll acknowledge good software regardless of where it came from. I have nothing against Firefox; in fact, I think it's a great browser. I'm simply trying to caution people from blindly believing that it's more secure than IE because a bunch of open source junkies say so.

[Rob]

... these debates often make me chuckle: there is one critical piece of information that is often overlooked. IE is attacked, exploited, whatever because it is [currently] the most popular browser.

Look, I am a web developer. I have been doing this for some time now. When I write a web site or a web app, I want it to be accessible and used by as many people as possible. So, I write my code in a manner that will allow it to run in the most popular browser(s).

If I were a hacker, cracker, spammer, whatever.... I would write virii, spyware, adware that would target as many people as possible. So, I would write my code to target the most popular browser(s) - IE!!! When everyone starts saying "IE stinks, use FF", guess what? The black hats will set their sites on a new target - FF.

And the voice of reason comes from a fellow developer...

IE does have more exploited vulnerabilities than Firefox. But in terms of total vulnerabilities, it may actually have slightly fewer. Anyone who knows anything about security will tell you that a vulnerability is a concern, whether or not it has yet been exploited.

Incidentally, everything you said is equally applicable to operating systems (e.g., Windows vs. Linux).

[muchavo]

No, what makes sense is to evaluate the alternatives and choose the most secure browser based on objective data, which is exactly what they did. That objective data pointed them in the direction of IE.

no it makes sense to use the browser that they can make more secure

being a part of windows im sure its easier

also, firefox comes with active x disabled, this is where most spyware comes from how ever you have to change you settings in ie do block it

the fact is you havnt supported any of your clains, you just state that ours have no evidence,

lets see some info and then we can listen more open mindly to your convictions

[Rob]

also, firefox comes with active x disabled

The functionality isn't disabled, it's actually missing completely. Firefox has no native support for ActiveX; you have to download and install a plugin for it.

There is a tradeoff between security and functionality. Disable scripting, applets, etc. and you'll be slightly safer, but you'll pay a pretty big price in terms of functionality.

the fact is you havnt supported any of your clains, you just state that ours have no evidence,

lets see some info and then we can listen more open mindly to your convictions

Given that you're participating in a debate about web browsers, I'd expect you to be able to operate one. Search for reports on browser security. There was one just recently in which Firefox had nearly twice as many confirmed vulnerabilities as IE did in the same period.

[muchavo]

give me links, and start to ake sense, the active x controls are removed because they really serve no function to the user except to cause harm to their computer, in the year that i have used fire fox i have never need to down load the puggin in

by the way its easier to download plugins for ff than it is to disable active x in ie,


and fire fox has so many more functions than ie its pityfull

show me links to support your claims, then ill have a more open mind

i feel like a broken record

[Trey]

This is not a computer forum, it is a music forum, and more specificlly this particular part of the forum is for comments and suggestions to better the site.

If you want to argue software and hardware please do it somewhere else...

[GuitarMonky55]

the reason firefox tends to be safer has alot to do with the same reason windows me often gets less crap on it....most viruses/trojans/spyware/adware arent designed to attack it. everyone has internet explorer, so stuff is designed to kill that. it will only be a matter of time before they develop crap to kill firefox too.

i use firefox, its great, but i dont get a false sense of security from it.