Hosts Entry

[dharvey32]

Does anyone know what the purpose of the Hosts file entries are that the new version of Spybot dumps on your computer?

[spybotsandra]

Hello,

By the immunization of Spybot - Search & Destroy the baddies are blocked.
That means that the sites where the baddies come from are added to the restricted zones (host file) in order to block them.

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

[blues]

if you place forums.spybot.info in the hostsfile, then you are not able to visit it and no programs on your computer will be able to connect to the site unless the site is removed from the hostsfile. spybot places sites in the hostsfile to prevent you from visiting malicious sites, but malware can also place sites in the hostsfile to block security sites or updates to security programs.

here is some information about the hostsfile: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm


That means that the sites where the baddies come from are added to the restricted zones (host file) in order to block them.

i am sure that you mean the restricted zone AND the hostsfile:)

the hostsfile can not block ip adresses like the restricted zone can i think.

[md usa spybot fan]

dharvey32:

To avoid any possible confusion between the HOSTS file and Internet Explorer's restricted zones, I offer the following explanation of HOSTS file entries.

The HOSTS file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names and is loaded into memory at startup. The HOSTS file must contain one entry: "127.0.0.1 localhost". The IP address 127.0.0.1 is the local machine. Windows checks the HOSTS file before it queries any DNS (Domain Name System) servers, which enables entries in the HOSTS file to override addresses in the DNS servers. Adding an entry such as "127.0.0.1 malware.com" to the HOSTS file prevents the access of "malware.com" through a browser because any connection attempts are redirected back to the local machine. HOSTS file entries can also be used to block other applications from connecting to the Internet.

For more about the HOSTS file, see:
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

[dharvey32]

Thank you all for the edumacation on that subjet. Very helpful.