Is Kazaa dangerous?
WIlliam G. Moore
Is it true that it plants virus type software to "spy" on your computer use, sending
reports to marketing agencies? Does Kazaa modify Windows to keep popping up
advertising while you work even on office type applications? If you remove Kazaa, does it
leave software installed and running anyway?
-- Bill
Dazza
Dazza..........
"WIlliam G. Moore" <willia...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:ljrfbv0ij3vsn2qrd...@4ax.com...
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.474 / Virus Database: 272 - Release Date: 18/04/2003
SleeperMan
If you use Kazaa Lite instead of standard one and have good antivirus
software with regular updates of virus files, it's perfectly OK.
--
Remove capitals for personal reply!
Ionizer
All of your fears about the official version of Kazaa are true. It comes
bundled with sneaky adware and spyware that won't go away once you uninstall the
main Kazaa program. Fortunately for us, some clever people have removed all the
nasty components from the Kazaa program: http://doa2.host.sk/index2.htm
(KazaaLite.)
An alternate site is http://www.kazaalite.com/ This site has a few pop-ups of
its own but the version of Kazaalite they offer is spyware-free.
Regards,
Ian.
Loco Jones
reprinted from
http://www.gmtoday.com/news/technology/computers/topstory19.asp
< begin paste >
"Popular software may be monitoring your habits and slowing your PC"
When Roger Olney used the KaZaA file-sharing service to download a utility
for his home computer, he got a rude introduction to the slippery world of
spyware.
First, he mistakenly downloaded and installed a file called eblaster.exe.
''I am aware now after some research that eblaster is a program that
monitors keystrokes (gulp) in super stealth mode (shiver, double gulp),''
Olney told members of the discussion group alt.privacy.spyware, where he
turned for emergency help.
But, as group members would later inform him, the KaZaA Media Desktop
program itself was already monitoring much of Olney's activity.
Unbeknownst to most users, Sharman Networks Ltd.'s KaZaA - the world's most
popular post-Napster file-sharing program - has built-in software that
spies
on its users.
KaZaA is partnered with Brilliant Digital, which makes software that is
downloaded and invisibly installed with KaZaA Media Desktop.
Also, Brilliant's software automatically hooks users into yet another
network, Altnet, which can track behavior as well as store and retrieve
targeted banner ads and pop-ups.
It even seeks to profit from siphoning off processing power from its
customers' computers.
Last year, the revelation that Brilliant's software had been piggybacking
on
KaZaA led to some consumer backlash. Technically, the Altnet program could
be called adware, tracking software that users agree to download as part of
the End User License Agreements. But EULAs are so filled with legal jargon
that they're largely unread.
Many KaZaA users protested that Brilliant's tactics qualify it as spyware,
software that monitors users without asking permission. The EULA language
is
5,000 words long and almost incoherent, they argue. One programmer even
developed KaZaA Lite (www.kazaalite.com), which is KaZaA without Altnet.
Still, more than 60 million users worldwide have installed the KaZaA Media
Desktop. Most are unaware that their machines can track their behavior and
hook into Altnet.
''The masses are being victimized all the time,'' says Grey McKenzie, CEO
of
SpyCop Inc. (www.spycop.com), makers of a program that detects spy- and
adware. ''I think you now have to protect yourself against these programs,
just like you scan for viruses.''
Spyware and adware are being increasingly used by programmers to make
money.
When McKenzie started his company three years ago, for example, SpyCop's
database recognized only about 30 commercially available spyware programs -
mostly monitoring software used by spouses, parents and corporations.
Today, after expanding SpyCop's reach to include adware, McKenzie's
database
encompasses more than 350 monitoring programs.
''It's a huge industry now,'' McKenzie saID. ''Let's face it. There's big
bucks in getting people's attention, and people willingly partake of these
programs. Then suddenly they notice they're getting pop-ups all over their
computers when they visit certain Web sites.''
McKenzie's company sells SpyCop for $49.95, but free adware/spyware
scanners
are also available. They include Ad-Aware by Lavasoft (www.lavasoft.de),
which last year won PC World Magazine's top award for software.
Ad-Aware has become an indispensable tool for many savvy computer
repairers.
Increasingly, users are complaining about problems directly attributable to
adware and spyware.
F. Lee Pyles, owner of Compyles Computers in Rowlett, Texas, says it has
become commonplace to find dozens of monitoring software installations on
machines he repairs. Often, these programs run in the background, invisibly
sapping processing power.
''I had one the other day that had more than 125 executable files that
Ad-Aware found,'' Pyles said. ''It was running like a dog. No sooner had I
removed all that stuff and it was like I'd released the emergency brake on
a
car. It just came back to life.''
Some monitoring software programs are almost impossible to uninstall. They
may contain fake uninstallation components that trick users into
reinstalling, rather than deleting them.
''Other times, you'll try to uninstall and they'll want you to take a
survey, or they ask you, 'Why are you leaving?''' said Pyles. ''Others will
try and take you to their Web site. And they'll never completely clean out
the directories they create. You've got to do that manually.''
Much of the modern adware and spyware programming is poor quality, says
McKenzie.
''It messes up your computer big time, and who's to know?'' he said. ''If
people realize that this kind of stuff is going on, maybe something will
happen.''
Perhaps popular spots such as Download.com will some day become spy- and
adware free zones, he says. But until consumers encounter widespread
identity theft or machinery problems, McKenzie holds little hope for
reform.
''You've got an epidemic here,'' McKenzie said. ''This kind of programming
gives an 8-year-old the ability to become a seasoned hacker. And that's
just
scary.''
< end paste >
- Loco -
(Now Playing: Trust - The Pretty Things)