computer viruses
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 145
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From: Marine Corps Air Station
computer viruses
I have read alot of virus help in the forums lately and that got me to wondering. Why do people create these things? Do they have nothing better to do or are they trying to prove something? I got hit with one virus and caught it right away. I don't know alot about computers and having to set up firewalls and virus scans/fixes seems overwelming sometimes. That's why i have a carb on my truck, I hate computers. Why do peolpe do this to us? What did we do to them?
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 94
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From: Deer Park
Heh. Why do people graffitii overpasses? Why do people carve their initials in park benches and toilet stalls? Why do people...etc. Lot's of times it's just to say "Look what I did". It's geeks bragging rights.
Then there's those who use viruses for personal gain. The ones who search your hard drive looking for credit card numbers, passwords, etc. Or another angle, spammers who use machines they've infected as "zombies", sending out email for them. When you've got 300 infected machines around the country sending email whenever their online (And quite a few are online all the time, a la DSL) you can get a whole lot more SPAM sent than if you just had your machine going at it. More SPAM means more money for you.
As for punishment, I say
Later!
Rory
Then there's those who use viruses for personal gain. The ones who search your hard drive looking for credit card numbers, passwords, etc. Or another angle, spammers who use machines they've infected as "zombies", sending out email for them. When you've got 300 infected machines around the country sending email whenever their online (And quite a few are online all the time, a la DSL) you can get a whole lot more SPAM sent than if you just had your machine going at it. More SPAM means more money for you.
As for punishment, I say
Later!
Rory
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 301
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From: Saskatoon
And the big companies like Norton, etc. who make anti-virus programs would have nothing to do without viruses. My theory is that they make the viruses and then charge you to subscribe to their service!!
I doubt that is true but sometimes makes you wonder about it.
I doubt that is true but sometimes makes you wonder about it.
Hotshot
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 12,170
Likes: 5
From: The hills of No. Calif.
I've been hearing about this new virus that gets onto your computer just from browsing websites, you don't get it through an email attachment. I just heard a few minutes ago that they have traced it back to a group in Russia, and the goal of this group is to try to get credit card numbers. Also, it apparently is only a problem if you are using good old Internet Explorer. -TD
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,934
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From: iowa
what bugs me is that i spent $70 for norton 2004 and after scans most of the viruses can't be deleted on so they stay on your computer and continue to mess it up. I also run lavasoft and they don't cetch the adware like it supposed to. Its a damn joke.
Hotshot
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 12,170
Likes: 5
From: The hills of No. Calif.
I've had good luck with Lavasoft's AdAware, but I also use Spybot and Zonealarm, and some of the real knowlegable geeks I've run across (including my brother, who works in Silicone Valley) don't like Norton, they prefer McAfee, which I'm also running. My mom has her computer set up the same way, and yesterday she was telling me that she came across a site that had Panda antivirus set up to scan your system without installing it, so she did. McAfee tells her when it's done scanning that it scanned 90,000 and some-odd files. Panda said it scanned 173,000. Took about three hours, but no viruses were found. -TD
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,934
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From: iowa
lavasoft scan sone 240,000 files in little time but norton takes about 40 minutes. I forgot to update lavasoft and after i did, i think it got the files so I should be good for another 5 minutes.
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Still kicking!!
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 6,061
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From: Kalispell, Mt.
Well, I run SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard, plus Adaware 6.0 and I don't have a single complaint for the service I get from FREE help. Ever since i got the Xupiter hijacker and had to reformat, I've been paranoid. With the three above programs, I haven't gotten a thing..knock on wood...in the last couple years. I update each at least once a week.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,899
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From: Cullman Alabama
Well, OK TIGER DAN! I want to hear your opinion on this IE stuff.
How do we use Microsofts Win-98 without using Internet Explorer?
I get lot's of IE errors as I work. What can I do to get whatever it is that you use?
How do we use Microsofts Win-98 without using Internet Explorer?
I get lot's of IE errors as I work. What can I do to get whatever it is that you use?
Hotshot
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 12,170
Likes: 5
From: The hills of No. Calif.
IE is simply a browser, although it's installed as a componant of Windows you can use it to download another browser such as Netscape or Mozilla, and then set that as your default browser and simply not use IE, or even uninstall it. When I had Win98 I used Netscape 3.1, although they're up to 7.1 by now. Here's a link to Mozilla:
http://www.mozilla.org/
http://www.mozilla.org/
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 68
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From: Shell Knob, MO
The only way a virus can get into your PC is if it can execute code on your PC. The only way code containing a virus can load into and execute on your PC is through JavaScript or, worse yet, Java and site scripting.
I use IE for this forum and when ordering from a couple of selected on-line stores whose web sites are coded specifically for IE, which I trust of course.
Otherwise, I use NetScape. NetScape has a small share of the market so these scabs don't bother with writing viruses for it. Also, NetScape is much easier to tailor, i.e., turning JavaScript/Java/scripting on and off. IE is much more difficult.
Also, I NEVER use IE's Outlook Express for e-mail. I only use NetScape.
My platform runs IE 6.0 and NetScape 7.1. I've also been using STINGER from McAfee to scan for viruses for some time now. Never been bothered.
I use IE for this forum and when ordering from a couple of selected on-line stores whose web sites are coded specifically for IE, which I trust of course.
Otherwise, I use NetScape. NetScape has a small share of the market so these scabs don't bother with writing viruses for it. Also, NetScape is much easier to tailor, i.e., turning JavaScript/Java/scripting on and off. IE is much more difficult.
Also, I NEVER use IE's Outlook Express for e-mail. I only use NetScape.
My platform runs IE 6.0 and NetScape 7.1. I've also been using STINGER from McAfee to scan for viruses for some time now. Never been bothered.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 116
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From: Illinois
Viruses
PC World did a pretty complete article in the June edition about firewalls, anti spam, virus, and spyware. As to the viruses, they covered Norton, McAfee, PC-cillin, and the rest. In a nut shell, they all seem to have their good and bad points, guess you have to make a choice which is best for you. Their top choice in suites was PC-cillin. Whats scary is the bug out there now that Microsoft doesn't have a patch out for yet.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,899
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From: Cullman Alabama
You guys are a marvel at this stuff.
We are in the process of dumping the very liberal AOL and going to Bell South.net
I'll try to dump the IE then and call up Netscape or Mazila.
Wont be for awhile though. I have more outside interests to keep me happy.
Thanks a million.
We are in the process of dumping the very liberal AOL and going to Bell South.net
I'll try to dump the IE then and call up Netscape or Mazila.
Wont be for awhile though. I have more outside interests to keep me happy.
Thanks a million.
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