Friend's Spyware Problem - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

sailor · 08-26-2004, 04:44 AM

OK... One of my friends is having a problem that I think it spyware related, but I cant for the life of me figure out how to fix it (other than nuking the machine, which needs to be done anyways).

His machine will connect to the UNC network here just fine. Get gets email, IM, and the like. But here is the big thing--only *some* websites work. Others, seemingly at random, return 500 errors that shouldnt be there or just come back "host not found."

Adaware and Spybot have been run and cleaned off everything they found. Im still pretty baffled about this one, though. The UNC network isnt blocking him due to virus traffic--if that happened, they turn of the ethernet port and he wouldnt get any connectivity at all.

Any help is appreciated.

Cynthetiq · 08-26-2004, 05:43 AM

my neighbor decided to use my wireless access that I left open to see what my neighbors would do. Sure enough he came onto my network, from the routerI MAC filtered him, and then disabbled HTTPS access, access to major websites like google.com, aol.com, nytimes.com, etc. I also disabled email sending, but kept email receiving.

Took him a bit, but eventually he got off my network.

sailor · 08-26-2004, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

my neighbor decided to use my wireless access that I left open to see what my neighbors would do. Sure enough he came onto my network, from the routerI MAC filtered him, and then disabbled HTTPS access, access to major websites like google.com, aol.com, nytimes.com, etc. I also disabled email sending, but kept email receiving.

Took him a bit, but eventually he got off my network.

What? Wrong thread?

mikec · 08-26-2004, 08:51 AM

did you check the hosts file?

yodapaul · 08-26-2004, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikec

did you check the hosts file?

The "hosts" files is in the windows directory and is ment to be a local machine listing of Ip address and Names. The "hosts" file only needs one entry for the tipical home user. Business users may have more entries check with your IT person/dept to be sure.

"127.0.0.1 localhost" Without the quotes.

The "hosts" file is in \windows\system32\drivers\etc directory, the file is simply called "hosts", it has no extention. Some viruses, spyware, adware edit the hosts file to make downloading patches to fix the system difficult.

By the way, any line in the "hosts" file that starts with a # is ignored by the OS and will not affect your internet access.

mikec · 08-26-2004, 09:26 AM

what's your point yoda? or were you just anticipating that sailor would ask what the hosts file is?

if an entry was in the hosts file...such as...

127.0.0.1 www.symantec.com

then that site would be unavailable.

yodapaul · 08-26-2004, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikec

what's your point yoda? or were you just anticipating that sailor would ask what the hosts file is?

then that site would be unavailable.

I was just trying to provide some information on what the host file was, I didn't mean to step on anybodies toes.

mikec · 08-26-2004, 09:38 AM

no prob. don't ever question me again!

j/k

08-26-2004, 04:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Friend's Spyware Problem OK... One of my friends is having a problem that I think it spyware related, but I cant for the life of me figure out how to fix it (other than nuking the machine, which needs to be done anyways). His machine will connect to the UNC network here just fine. Get gets email, IM, and the like. But here is the big thing--only some websites work. Others, seemingly at random, return 500 errors that shouldnt be there or just come back "host not found." Adaware and Spybot have been run and cleaned off everything they found. Im still pretty baffled about this one, though. The UNC network isnt blocking him due to virus traffic--if that happened, they turn of the ethernet port and he wouldnt get any connectivity at all. Any help is appreciated. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

08-26-2004, 05:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	my neighbor decided to use my wireless access that I left open to see what my neighbors would do. Sure enough he came onto my network, from the routerI MAC filtered him, and then disabbled HTTPS access, access to major websites like google.com, aol.com, nytimes.com, etc. I also disabled email sending, but kept email receiving. Took him a bit, but eventually he got off my network. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

08-26-2004, 08:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
mikec I flopped the nutz... Location: Stratford, CT	did you check the hosts file? __________________ Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality

08-26-2004, 09:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
mikec I flopped the nutz... Location: Stratford, CT	what's your point yoda? or were you just anticipating that sailor would ask what the hosts file is? if an entry was in the hosts file...such as... 127.0.0.1 www.symantec.com then that site would be unavailable. __________________ Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality

08-26-2004, 09:38 AM	#8 (permalink)
mikec I flopped the nutz... Location: Stratford, CT	no prob. don't ever question me again! j/k __________________ Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality