View Full Version : Gettin started
solarblast
2013-05-08, 17:47
I have a problem with an ad on my Google that is sponsored by Criteo. Someone suggested I install SB to get rid of it, so I installed it about 10 days ago. I think I ran something called immunization. It produced some report about browsers (FF, IE, TB, ...). Maybe 2-3 times the dialog appears on my screen. Apparently, it is on some schedule, and wants me to do something. This morning I ran it as passive. It offers to run it in UAC mode as well, but I've ignored it until I understand what that's about.
I have no idea if SB is running all the time, or I need to run it from time to time on my own volition. Just how does one operate SB in some useful way?
There's a first steps tutorial.You've already done a lot of them,but skipping down to the later numbers should give some explanation on Spybot. :)
http://www.safer-networking.org/support/first-steps-tutorial/
This page has some explanation on what Users Account Control is:
http://www.7tutorials.com/uac-why-you-should-never-turn-it-off
This shows how to get admin rights:
http://www.safer-networking.org/faq/how-can-i-get-administrator-rights-under-windows-vista7/
This is an explanation about Immunization(and sdhelper):
http://www.safer-networking.org/faq/what-is-the-immunization-feature-and-what-are-the-other-permanent-protection-options-2/
A little more about it here:
http://www.safer-networking.org/faq/why-are-there-some-items-left-to-immunize-2/
This helps explain what immunization does.It's from the Spybot 1.6 and below era,but the explanation of immunization and the hosts file(which is now included with immunization) still applies:
How Spybot Search & Destroy protects against the installation of Spyware/Malware
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
There are four levels of protection currently offered by Spybot S&D.
The first level of protection is immunization (a passive protection). When you “Immunize”, entries are added to the system Registry. This blocks cookies from some sites, places other sites in the restricted zone and blocks the download/execution of selected ActiveX scripts. Also Note: If you use Spybot S&D and other products like SpywareBlaster, etc. together, there is an overlap of some of the protection offered. If you undo or disable the protection in one product, it may remove some of the protection installed by the other. You should re-immunize or re-enable the protection in the other products as appropriate.
The fourth level of protection is through the addition of HOSTS file entries. This is a passive protection. 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. Adding an entry such as “127.0.0.1 malware.com” to the HOSTS file prevents the access of “malware.com” through IE 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.
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?281-How-Spybot-S-amp-D-protects-against-the-installation-of-Spyware-Malware
Spybot 2.0 doesn't have resident protection,so it isn't really running all the time:
http://www.safer-networking.org/faq/is-there-any-replacement-for-teatimer-resident/
The system scan should be scheduled to run from time to time(once a month,I think it is.),but to operate Spybot in a useful way,you can run a System Scan to check for and remove threats more than that,as needed.
solarblast
2013-05-09, 06:13
There's a first steps tutorial.You've already done a lot of them,but skipping down to the later numbers should give some explanation on Spybot. :)
http://www.safer-networking.org/support/first-steps-tutorial/
This page has some explanation on what Users Account Control is:
http://www.7tutorials.com/uac-why-you-should-never-turn-it-off
...
The system scan should be scheduled to run from time to time(once a month,I think it is.),but to operate Spybot in a useful way,you can run a System Scan to check for and remove threats more than that,as needed.
Thanks for the tips.
Did I miss simply "Reply" (w/o quotes)?
Did I miss simply "Reply" (w/o quotes)?
There is a blue "Reply to Thread" button on the top and at the bottom of a displayed thread for this.
daemon
solarblast
2013-05-09, 15:15
There is a blue "Reply to Thread" button on the top and at the bottom of a displayed thread for this.
daemon
It must be pretty tiny. I don't see it. I see "Reply to Thread" now under the banner (Forum->Software ...).
It must be pretty tiny. I don't see it. I see "Reply to Thread" now under the banner (Forum->Software ...).
You are right, it is only displayed when one is logged in. I wonder why vBulletin behaves differently for the two buttons. ^^
daemon
solarblast
2013-06-06, 02:42
Well, I'm back again after an unfortunately long layoff on this matter. Firefox and Win 7 user. Spybot 2.
I just spent about 30-45 minutes examining the suggestions on the thread. Trying to figure out how to *use* spybot is still troublesome. However, I roughly gleaned that one needs to get into advanced user mode via the Start Center. The next step seems to use the Settings icon. Logically, I would think that the Schedule tab would be something a useful place to begin; however, you have to be a paid subscriber, which I'm not. How to use the other tabs is a complete mystery. Somewhere in my travels I found reference to Help. On another travel via Google, I came up with an old user manual. That didn't fit me, but I would ask is there actually one (in pdf format) that gets a rookie started?
Continuing, it looks like the Basic Tools section of the Start Center is the place to go once you get the settings straight. I noticed a Help above SPYBOT, but it does not seem a guide to a beginner. I think I'm the Software Forum. Maybe I should be in the Malware Removal Forum.
Comments?
spybotsandra
2013-06-06, 09:21
Hello,
As you are running a free version of Spybot you have to run the scans and immunization manually.
Such features as the scheduler or live protection are only available in the Home Edition or higher.
Please see this comparison chart (http://www.safer-networking.org/private/compare/).
If you open the immunization or the scan from the Start Center please make sure you always do that with a right click and choose "run as administrator" (http://www.safer-networking.org/faq/how-can-i-get-administrator-rights-under-windows-vista7/).
About the "ad" I'm not sure that is something that Spybot can help with as Spybot is not an ad or pop-up blocker as such but an anti-spyware tool.
Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot
Criteo has this .pdf page explaining how to disable their ads,if you'd like to have a look at it. :)
http://www.criteo.pro/files/guides/process-to-manage-criteo-banners-via-browser-options-us.pdf
solarblast
2013-06-09, 20:58
Hello,
As you are running a free version of Spybot you have to run the scans and immunization manually.
Such features as the scheduler or live protection are only available in the Home Edition or higher.
Please see this comparison chart (http://www.safer-networking.org/private/compare/).
If you open the immunization or the scan from the Start Center please make sure you always do that with a right click and choose "run as administrator" (http://www.safer-networking.org/faq/how-can-i-get-administrator-rights-under-windows-vista7/).
About the "ad" I'm not sure that is something that Spybot can help with as Spybot is not an ad or pop-up blocker as such but an anti-spyware tool.
Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot
Thanks for the tips. I think you are right about the "ad". It appears that no one on the global set of forums mentions criteo. I'm assuming that if I do a search here, that it extends to all forums. Maybe. In any case, I'll pursue this elsewhere.
solarblast
2013-06-09, 21:00
Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I've been there, but no results.
You could also go here to try the opt-out cookie,and see if that stops the ad:
http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
Criteo is on that list.
If the cookie is flash based,Spybot should remove it,since it scans and removes those,if you have scanning for tracks enabled(which Spybot scans for by default.)
Or you could see if the Criteo cookie is present on this page:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html