[DM-MUG] What is Spyware?

[Ray Bowler]

At 2:35 PM -0500 on 7/24/04, Bill Smith wrote about [DM-MUG] What is Spyware?:
>I just closed DMRegister site, and a pop-up screen appeared on my 
>desktop with: "Warning, we have detected your PC is infected with 
>Spyware . . ." Message goes on to describe Spyware briefly and then 
>offers a free download of a scanner to detect if your PC has been 
>infected. My iMac has the .Mac  antivirus software installed, but 
>not any of the other .Mac features. I did not accept the offer to 
>download the free Spyware scanner. Has anyone else received this 
>pop-up screen when exiting a web site, and is it legitimate or not? 
>Thanks. -- Smith

SPAM pure and simple. Spyware is PC software that is downloaded to 
your computer somehow, hides and sends information back to the 
mothership--passwords, IDs, Social Security numbers. The only think 
like it in the Mac world is that some commercial software will want 
to check for updates. As far as I have heard there is no spyware 
infecting Macs.

A clue here is that it says it detected spyware on your machine but 
didn't notice that it is a Mac.

If you get a little paranoid you might download Little Snitch. It 
will detect any program trying to call out (including your email and 
browser) and ask you what you want to do about it- allow, allow 
always or refuse.
-- 
Ray

Des Moines, IA Mac Users Group
Fourth Tues of the month.
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