S&D 1.4 ALWAYS gives scan result 'Congratulations No current threats found'

[silver rocker]

I'm a new computer user (9months) so have very limited knowledge. I installed previous Spybot S&D 1.3 version OK and it worked fine. Then after 6months it picked up CWShredder 'coolwwsearch' on a scan and threw options I didn't understand at me and I fear I may have picked the wrong one. My pc is working normally though.

I subsequently upgraded and now have the S&D 1.4 version, but S&D now gives the message 'Congratulations! No current threats found' after every scan and has never picked up anything - not even cookies and a dialer picked up by Spysweeper and Adaware. I scan daily and always update before using. Help?!

[md usa spybot fan]

In the status bar, during a scan, you should see the display "Running bot-check(xxxxx/yyyyy:zzzzzz)". After the 2005-11-25 updates (without the ßDetection rules) the scan counts (yyyyy value) should be:
Without Usage tracks - 31725
With Usage tracks – 34324
If the counts are correct you are checking for everything. If the counts are not correct, look in Spybot > Mode > Advanced mode (say “Yes” to the warning if necessary) > Settings > File Sets. Make sure that everything is checked except the possibly the last two items. The last two items are "Usage Tracks" and should only be checked if you want to check for them (I personally don't). The first of these two items (Usage Tracking) lists IE Cache (temporary internet files), Common Dialogs, Cookies and some Logs. The second is other "Usage Tracks".

re: Tracking cookies.

If you are using Internet Explorer and have activated Spybot's Resident SD helper Browser Helper Object (BHO), it will block the same tracking cookies that Spybot's scan detects. Therefore you would not detect those tracking cookies. The other thing is that Spybot does not check of all known tracking cookies. The reason and an alternative are explained here:
Why do other anti-spyware applications detect so many more tracking cookies?
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/37.html

[silver rocker]

Thanks for the reply, md usa spybot fan. I checked the scan display and the value without usage tracks was correct. I then went into Advanced and all the correct boxes were checked, except usage tracks. So it all appears to be OK, except that S&D has not picked up a single, solitary thing in about two months now, when previously it did pick up items occasionally.

It worries me that Spysweeper picked up a dialer when S&D did not. Spysweeper was installed somewhere around the time that these problems (or lack of them!) started. Could there be compatibility problems? Or perhaps Teatimer is not working? (The S&D icon in my tray says '1173 processes blacklisted'.) Or am I just worrying needlessly because I have a clean system?!

[md usa spybot fan]

re: Missed dialer.

If you still have the information from the dialer that Spysweeper picked up, you could report it in the following forum and perhaps it will get added to Spybot’s detection data base:
New or undetected
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=17

A quote from:
The Spyware Warrior List of Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites by Eric L. Howes
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm


We recommend using at least two anti-spyware scanners regularly, as one will often pick up items that the other misses. (http://www.spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm) Even after you install an anti-spyware scanner, be sure to keep it updated because new spyware and adware appears on the Net almost daily.
re: Testing Spybot.

There aren't any easily reproducible false positives currently to test with. However, if you feel comfortable editing your HOSTS file you can add any of the following entries to the HOSTS and Spybot will pick up these entries as potential problems:

127.0.0.1 www.safer-networking.org
127.0.0.1 www.spywareinfo.com
127.0.0.1 www.wilderssecurity.com
127.0.0.1 www.1spybot.com
Results from scan:


--- Report generated: 2005-11-28 14:36 ---

CoolWWWSearch.SmartSearch: Redirected host (Redirected host, fixed)
www.1spybot.com=127.0.0.1

CoolWWWSearch.SmartSearch: Redirected host (Redirected host, fixed)
www.wilderssecurity.com=127.0.0.1

MySoft: Redirected host (Redirected host, fixed)
www.safer-networking.org=127.0.0.1

MySoft: Redirected host (Redirected host, fixed)
www.spywareinfo.com=127.0.0.1

[silver rocker]

Thanks once again for the info. The dialer info is still there, so I've posted it as you suggested. The Spywarewarrior link was also informative. As for the test you suggested, I don't think I have the knowledge or the competence to try that!

When S&D picked up CoolwwwSearch originally, I chose the delete option it put up, but as I worked through the moves there was a registry change warning, to be allowed or disallowed. I didn't know if this was S&D altering the registry entry to get rid of CoolwwwSearch, or something else as I could not understand the references, so to be on the safe side I clicked 'Deny'. Would that have been right, and if not, does that mean I still have this pest? Sorry to ask more questions, but this is all a very steep learning curve for me!

[smitty]

I have received the 'Congrats' message too, but the full version Spybot detected others, and I have been able to rid all by searches in my Registry except one----- [B]bonzibuddy...
The S&D free downloaded version is giving me the 'congrats' message, while this other spyware lives within. How do I rid what I can't find, and what the S&D don't detect ?

thanx for anyone's help

[matza]

I recently noticed the same problem.
The system in not immunized, nor is BHO activated.

Earlier, S&D would find cookies and stuff like CasaleMedia, TradeDoubler and some others. Now, a couple of days ago, it only found cookies from Firefox 2, none from IE6. And now it can't find anything at all.

I tried to uninstall and re-install it, but nothing :/

I'm clueless, because it's just started happening, and I know for a fact that there are cookies on my computer that S&D used to find! :(

Ok, I really don't care much about the cookies to be honest. BUT, if there's a problem with S&D, who knows... maybe it can't even find trojans or any other bad things anymore!

I'm using the Spybot S&D 1.4, with newest updates to date.