1.6: Scared.. where's my transparency..

[hyphz]

I have used and trusted SpyBot S&D for years, but the recent changes in 1.6 have already made me nervous.

First of all: I double-click on the TeaTimer icon. Spybot starts. It tells me it is "processing temporary files". I leave it to count. After a while, I find out that by "processing", it meant deleting. It's just deleted 50,000 files from my system. Without asking first.

Now, ok, probably this was a good idea in this case (yes, it's a while since I cleaned up my Temp drive) but.. the principles are just bad. It did this without asking first. It uses a weasel word to hide what is really going on (ie, "processing" instead of "deleting"). The path to hell is paved with good intentions. This is not my SpyBot.

The next bit of information I find is that TeaTimer now includes an integrated database of decisions. Ok, but I can't disable it from being used. (I rather liked knowing every time my registry was changed.) Moreover, I can't even SEE it. What's it going to let through? Is it going to break an application by blocking it at a critical moment? I doubt that there will be any problems, but last version, I knew for 100% certain, because it told me everything. It doesn't anymore.

So I really hope that the authors will consider restoring the higher level of transparency in a future update.

[129260]

1.) spybot does ask you. during startup of the program spybot it asks yes or no to delete temporary files. without a response from the user for about 6 seconds, it automatically deletes them. This does not hurt your system at all, temporary files should be cleaned out regularly anyway. This is not internet temporary files, just temp files.

2.) Teatimer does offer the option to not use the white list. Right click teatimer and uncheck use whitelists. This way, No matter what, weather a program is known to be trusted or not, you will be asked what you want to do. :)

Hope that helps you!

[mile1024]

The temp folder does not need to be regularly cleaned out. It's a file folder just like any other. It's up to user preference period. Now how does one disable the temporary file check and removal??? I don't care that the scan takes longer. I could do more to speed up scans by deleting whole bunches of files elsewhere.

[md usa spybot fan]

mile1024:

There is a registry tweak to disable the temporary folder cleaning (DisableTempFolderCleaning). The original documentation for this and other registry tweaks are in wiki.spybot.info at this URL:
http://wiki.spybot.info/index.php/Registry_Tweaks
Also see post #7 (http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?p=210587#post210587) in this thread:
new spybot
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=30618

[mile1024]

Thanks!

[cquirke]

1.) spybot does ask you. during startup of the program spybot it asks yes or no to delete temporary files. without a response from the user for about 6 seconds, it automatically deletes them.

See new thread on this in Bart context. There are several things wrong with this behavior:

1) Dialog box may be unreadable

This is a problem in my current Bart session (the first since trying 1.6). Bart graphics are often wonky, with low color modes, incorrect font metrics etc. because graphics hardware is not accurately detected or driven, some OS APIs may be unavailable, and resource limitations can cause some UI operations to fail (e.g. UI elements not drawn correctly)

2) 6 seconds is too short

One often starts up an app and walks away, knowing it will take a while to start. So, don't count on in-line dialogs being seen, and don't time them out.

3) In-line dialogs are a pain

I'd rather see an option in the "front door" dialog, than have to walk through a pop-up dialog on the way to the "front door".

4) Settings aren't always sticky

It's tempting to use a "don't ask again" checkbox, or other remembered state, to reduce the nag factor - but it's difficult to pre-load such remembered settings in the Bart CDR context.

5) Should default safely

Deleting material - no matter how "unimportant" you think it is - is not a safe default. Yes, it's a good way to de-bulk undetected malware, and it makes Spybot look faster as it short-cuts the work it must do.

But it's also a way to lose forensic info, and infection cues that some other scanner may have been able to detect.


What I'd suggest, at the least, is a command-line setting to suppress this behavior - i.e. no pop-up dialog when starting Spybot, and no automatic deletion of temporary files.

Both of those could be controlled separately, e.g...

/TempNag=Off /DeleteTemp=Off

...or /DeleteTemp values Yes, No, PromptYes, PromptNo (the last two setting the default behavior offered by the pop-up, to be effected if the dialog times out).

[mile1024]

With first time install S&D must !!!ask!!! the user if they want the temp files deleted. Yes or No answer, none if this countdown business. If the user later wants to change this, have it controlable under advanced mode - settings.

[md usa spybot fan]

mile1024:

The issue is addressed here:
Ask user if he wants temp folder cleaning
http://forums.spybot.info/project.php?issueid=278