Originally posted by: EeyoreX
There is a conspiracy.
Ever wonder why you have to rely on free software like Spybot and Adaware to clean out spyware/addware.
Why can't commercial anti-virus stuff look for that, too??? Like Norton or Mcaffee?
If it's suppose to protect your computer from malicious software, why doesn't it even have the option to find and delete some of the more common versions of spyware?
I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next nutcase (seriously, I love a good conspiracy theory), but this is funny. It's even more funny because commerical applications like Norton and presumably McAffee (I don't use McAffee) do find and delete and/or block some spyware/adware. And get this... Anti-virus software doesn't protect your computer from "malicious software". It is designed to protect and clean your computer from viruses and worms. Funny thing calling it "anti-virus software" and not "anti-malicious software software".
I know its funny.
It's funny because even though my parents computer has good antivirus I still have to go and use Adaware and Spybot to clean the rest of the crap off.
I've been to their websites and they do pay lip service to spyware and adware and such, but it could be that their definitions of spyware and adware are different then mine.
Frankly, I would rather have more than one tool. I prefer several smaller, specialized tools than one "jack-of-all tools" tool. The smaller speciallized tool will 99% of the time be far superior to any "does it all" tool. I also find this funny because people are always whining, b!tching and moaning about how one company tries to do everything with its software and stifles competition and/or makes bad software. Then these same people want some other company to do the same thing.
Cool, thats the sort of thing I like, too. Thats why I use Linux for most everything I can, becuase it's all about small peices put together to make one big whole, rather then most of the stuff in windows were your dealing mostly with monolithic programs. Not that I am pushing linux or anything, but you said you like this sort of thing... But in Windows I do as Windows does, and monolythic programs is the sort of thing I expect.
Why is Sasser a worm, and "Comet XXX super duper sex porn pop up ad tracker" not?
Think about it...
Because Sasser propogates itself. Pop ups and ad trackers require an idiot or ignorant person to activate them, either by clicking the ads or by going to a site that uses them and (admittedly) using IE to do it. Think about it.
\Dan
Well I suppose so, Sasser does propogate itself, so maybe virus would be a closer anology to spyware.
That's the difference between viruses and worms, worms go out and look for targets, viruses require ignorance or tricks to make a person actively install them. Usually thru vunerabilities in programs and such.
...
Its just that I've read a couple interviews here and there were the scanner manufacturers don't look for specific things like keyloggers or trackers and such because they are sold commercially. If a company/parent installs a tracker on the computers of it's employees/children (as the reasoning goes) you don't nessicarially want the virus scanner to advertise it's presence everytime you run it. Or if somebody installs bonzi buddy should the virus scanner warn about it and try to uninstall it?
It's a kinda fine line. I mostly just want to get rid of all the crap like that, but other people are different. Some people realy like others tracking them. So that they get the nice targetted advertisments. So using the computer is like going to the shopping mall, which some people like, but I dread.
That sort of thing. Not that's its a wonderfull conspiracy or anything. Most conspiracies are small and kinda petty, just mostly brought about by convenience or apathy rather then any real maliciousness or evil I'm-a-gonna-get-you-ness.
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