SDHelper - is it an ad blocker now??

[SirDracula]

Why is SDHelper blocking ad sites now? No, I don't like ads either but sometimes blocking them breaks some sites (e.g. Yahoo Mail Beta).

Yes, the sites may use tracking cookies, but only the cookies should be blocked.

Please see the attached SDHelper.txt file. Is there a way to disable this behavior? Is it enabled by default or did I end up enabling it somehow by playing with the options?

[spybotsandra]

Hello,

Please open the Tools menu in your Internet Explorer and choose 'Spybot - Search Destroy Configuration'.
There you will find a drop down menu where you should select "Ask for blocking confirmation".
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd15/index.html (3rd picture)
If you want to visit a blocked website choose "Allow". Hope this solves the problem.

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

[exostencil]

Please open the Tools menu in your Internet Explorer and choose 'Spybot - Search Destroy Configuration'.

Wow... This is a pretty big change in 1.5 that went largely unannounced. (unless I missed something)

Why have the options for SDHelper been moved to the IE tools menu, and REMOVED from the program itself? This is counter-intuitive, confusing, and and completely unnecessary in my opinion. :oops:

[PepiMK]

Well, the immunize page has been cleaned up. It was a mess really earlier on ;)

Regarding "counter-intuitive", I'm not really sure if it is that, or if it's counter-I'm-used-to actually ;) If I am looking for options, I'm looking in the current application. E.g. if I want to configure the EverNote Firefox plugin, I would look into Firefox' plugin section, not open EverNote and look there. It's somewhat nearer, less clicks way.
Oh, TeaTimer has options to toggle the mode as well by the way :) (might work only after the bug fix in the betas in the beta forum, not sure right now).

As for the "unannounced", there's even a screenshot on the Whats new (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd15/) page, but I admit it's missing details on how to reach it :sick:

[DrDemento]

Hello,

Please open the Tools menu in your Internet Explorer and choose 'Spybot - Search Destroy Configuration'.
There you will find a drop down menu where you should select "Ask for blocking confirmation".
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd15/index.html (3rd picture)
If you want to visit a blocked website choose "Allow". Hope this solves the problem.

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

I just checked and I do not have that entry for "Spybot-Search Destroy Configuration" On my Tools menu for IE. Using IE6 on one computer and IE7 on another and neither show that entry. How do I go about having that show in the Tools Menu for IE? Using Windows XP on one computer and 98SE on the other.
Does SDHelper have to be activated for this entry to appear in the IE Tools Menu?

[spybotsandra]

Hello,

Which version of Spybot do you run?

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

[exostencil]

Regarding "counter-intuitive", I'm not really sure if it is that, or if it's counter-I'm-used-to actually ;) If I am looking for options, I'm looking in the current application. E.g. if I want to configure the EverNote Firefox plugin, I would look into Firefox' plugin section, not open EverNote and look there. It's somewhat nearer, less clicks way.

Yeah... I only say counter-intuitive because we're talking about a SpyBot setting, so users would normally expect to make changes through SpyBot, not IE. I guess it's just a matter of opinion though.

I use Firefox most of the time, and I've never known IE to be nearly as plugin/add-on friendly. I guess that's why treating SDHelper like a plugin threw me for such a loop.

Wouldn't it make more sense to be able to change the settings through both programs? (IE and SpyBot) :scratch::scratch::scratch:

* Thanks for the quick reply, btw.

[DrDemento]

Hello,

Which version of Spybot do you run?

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

Running 1.5 with the Beta Fix installed for delayed starting on all 3 computers and none of them show that selection in IE Tools (but I do have SDHelper unchecked on all 3)

[spybotsandra]

LOL... if you have unchecked it how should you get the settings. No comment.

[DrDemento]

LOL... if you have unchecked it how should you get the settings. No comment.

I have done a few dumber things before-but indeed this is a good one.

[SirDracula]

Well, if you look at the attached file in post #1 in this thread, you will see that some URL's are mistakenly identified as trojans.

And being prompted all the time for the same URL is not a good solution. Even if you set SDHelper to remember the answer, it won't work because it's not domain based, it's URL based and these URL's are random most of the time. So the blocking is done by domain and then my allow list is by URL (with query params ignored) - hmm, something doesn't sound like it was thought out well ...

[PepiMK]

I see a lot of "blacklisted URLs" referenced, but not a single trojan?

Also, the blocking isn't done by domain, but by URL - as the log says?

Anyway, there's a small checkbox to ignore query parameters. And if I'm not mistaken, there's even a bug reported and a beta with a fix available in the project tools.

Sounds more like your post wasn't thought out well? ;)

[SirDracula]

I see a lot of "blacklisted URLs" referenced, but not a single trojan?


/TagASaurus - this is listed as a Trojan in Spybot's lists that I can see via the UI.



Also, the blocking isn't done by domain, but by URL - as the log says?

So you're telling me that all those *random* URL's are explicitly listed in the Spybot blacklists? Wow!



Anyway, there's a small checkbox to ignore query parameters.

That doesn't work well because what's before the query params is fairly random. An option to use just the domain would be a lot more useful.

[SirDracula]

So what is the word on this? I still have problems with the Yahoo sites (mail in particular) with the option "Use Resident in IE" enabled in TeaTimer.

I attached a screenshot of an URL that's not justified to block as spyware and also the entry from the log file.

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/7986/sdhelperhc5.jpg



11/13/2007 9:31:02 AM Blocked HTTP://VIEW.ATDMT.COM/CNT/IVIEW/YHXXXCIN0470000101CNT/DIRECT;WI.300;HI.250/01/?TIME=1194975044243307&CLICK=HTTP://US.ARD.YAHOO.COM/SIG=12HPGP35O/M=569307.9802898.12191066.1450814/D=MAIL/S=150550690:LREC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1194982244/A=4317934/R=0/*: /Avenue A, Inc. (Blacklisted URL)


What's the fix for this?

[PepiMK]

Use the options (IE menu) to set SDHelper to ask instead of block with a warning, and when asked the first time for this cookie you might need, set it to "Always remember" (pulldown box), and make sure "Ignore parameters" is checked, then click Allow.

[SirDracula]

Use the options (IE menu) to set SDHelper to ask instead of block with a warning, and when asked the first time for this cookie you might need, set it to "Always remember" (pulldown box), and make sure "Ignore parameters" is checked, then click Allow.

As I said before, this does NOT work, because the URL has random strings BEFORE the query parameters, so even if you ignore the parameters the URL would still look different every time you visit the page, in effect ending up with a lot of useless exceptions that will never be used again.

Why don't you try it to see what is happening?

Here's such an URL (again):



http://view.atdmt.com/CNT/IVIEW/YHXXXCIN0470000101CNT/DIRECT;WI.300;HI.250/01/?TIME=1194975044243307&CLICK=HTTP://US.ARD.YAHOO.COM/SIG=12HPGP35O/M=569307.9802898.12191066.1450814/D=MAIL/S=150550690:LREC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1194982244/A=4317934/R=0/*:

[md usa spybot fan]

SirDracula:

Avenue A:

From:
Avenue A/Razorfish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_A/Razorfish


Spyware Controversy

As part of their digital advertising service, Atlas, a sister company of Avenue A | Razorfish, writes cookies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie) to users' machines that are used to track their non-personally identifiable data and behavior to allow delivery of targeted advertising. These cookies are or have been listed by several spyware removal programs including Spybot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spybot), [3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_A/Razorfish#_note-2) the Computer Associates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Associates) Spyware Information Center[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_A/Razorfish#_note-3) and the Scan Spyware online spyware removal tool. [5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_A/Razorfish#_note-4) The Avenue A | Razorfish privacy notice indicates that the company "may collect information about user interaction with client Web sites and provide that information and our analysis to the client" and the type of information that is collected is not specified. [6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_A/Razorfish#_note-5). Avenue A | Razorfish directs users that are concerned about how Avenue A clients might use information they collect to the privacy policies of their clients' websites. [7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_A/Razorfish#_note-6)

[SirDracula]

The point is I cannot use Yahoo Mail with SDHelper enabled and I cannot add an exception for such an URL. The only solution so far was to disable SDHelper completely.

[SirDracula]

One more try ...

PepiMK - are you doing anything about this? Nobody else has the same problem with the new Yahoo Mail with SDHelper enabled??

[PepiMK]

Have you seen these?
[SDHelper] Better separation between cookies and domains/URLs (http://forums.spybot.info/project.php?issueid=137)
[SDHelper] Remember decisions for whole domains (http://forums.spybot.info/project.php?issueid=136)

I've been using the new Yahoo Mail myself recently (playing with the sync features), haven't noticed any problems, but can't remember whether I was actually using Internet Explorer, or Firefox or Safari.

[SirDracula]

Have you seen these?
[SDHelper] Better separation between cookies and domains/URLs (http://forums.spybot.info/project.php?issueid=137)
[SDHelper] Remember decisions for whole domains (http://forums.spybot.info/project.php?issueid=136)

I've been using the new Yahoo Mail myself recently (playing with the sync features), haven't noticed any problems, but can't remember whether I was actually using Internet Explorer, or Firefox or Safari.

It's happening in IE7, the US site of Yahoo Mail (http://us.mg2.mail.yahoo.com)

Thanks for filing those 2 tickets. So meanwhile the only workaround is to completely disable SDHelper?