[always_learning]

I find it despicable that keylogging programs have been invented to spy on your spouse, children, gilrfriend, boyfriend, employees, friends and enemies.

Why haven't these programs been outlawed? Just because national spy agencies are using them doesn't mean that everyone can have a licence to invade other peoples' privacy.

I must thank Fred for pointing me to using Spybot. I also use Lava Ad Aware and Norton, yet still my privacy is being invaded.

If I buy a program such as eTrust Pest Control, is there any guarantee that these unwarranted invasions will stop?

Please recommend any other good anti key logging programs you have found.

[Curlyben]

What makes you think you privacy is still beimg invaded ?
If you believe that you still have a problem you're best course of action would be a FULL rebuild of your machine, i.e. format and reinstall, then making sure that you use anti spyware and anti virus apps regularly.
I wouldn't bother with buying another app as there are some excellent online scanners that are worth a try.
Have a look at Trend Housecall.

Another thing you need to make sure of is surfing in paranoid mode, this is not clicking on links in e-mails (even from people you know) and being very aware of the sites you are ging to.

Hope this gives you some things to think of.

[fredg]

Hi,
There is a very, very good, free program I use; SpyWare Blaster. This program stops spyware, etc, from getting into the computer in the first place; doesn't require scans. It integrates with the browser, such as Internet Explorer, placing known definitions in Restricted Sites. It has weekly downloads, just like Norton, AVG, etc.
Since using SpyWare Blaster, I have not had one single Spyware issue, doing scans with AdAware. I finally uninstalled SpyBot... don't need it; but still have AdAware, just in case.
You can get it at:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html

Microsoft also has an anti-Spyware program, which I haven't tried... don't need it.

[ScottGem]

I have to echo what Ben asked, why do you think your privacy is being invaded? While key-loggers do exist it doesn't necessarily mean you have one. Using the anti-spyware utilities you currently use or the others mentioned should keep you clean.

In addition, you need to use a firewall that detects outgoing traffic as well as incoming like Zone Alarm. Such a firewall will prompt when a program tries to send out info. Unless the spy is on your LAN, this will help you block sending info out.

As to why they haven't been made illegal, for the same reason that guns are not illegal. They have a legitimate use. There are some places where installing them without permission is illegal and companies have been sued or prosecuted for doing it. The fact is, however, that most of the time when spyware is installed its because you agreed to it. You agreed by installing some software or visiting some site that installed it. You were most likely asked to agree to a license agreement that included permission to install such software buried in the fine print.

I can tell you that I have been using cyberspace for over 20 years. In all that time I have never had any of my personal machines infected with a virus or malicious spyware. I practice safe computing, am careful where I surf and what I click on. I use anti-virus (E-Trust Armor) and anti-spyware (Microsoft's and AdAware) and afirewall Zone Alarm and the hardware firewall on my router.

[always_learning]

ScottGem,

I have lost count of the number of times my personal information in emails and my passwords have been displayed in public chat room conversations and public forum posts. It is as if these hackers are taunting me.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are unwelcome guests perusing my private details.

It seems that 1984 is not so much a fictional story in these times. Employers argue that they have the right to spy on their employees to keep them honest. Jealous lovers argue that they are justified in spying on their partners to see if they are cheating. Over-protective parents secretly install keylogging programs to check up on their children. Then there is the government which spys on you without your knowledge to protect national security. Where will it all end?

Getting on the computer should be a fun and rewarding experience, not some mundane, time consuming chore. Yes I did give permission for spyware programs to be installed. I don't have the time to read the fine print in the EULAs. Most other people don't have the time either.

I want security that works quickly and silently in the background. Norton Utilities and Personal Firewall does this quite admirably. When I loaded eTrust, there was a conflict of programs, causing my computer to freeze up totally. This required a complete re-installation of all files.

I think I will take FredG's advice and put on SpyWare Blaster. It seems more logical to nip the malware in the bud before it loads up. Also I will trial Trend Housecall.

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post.

[Curlyben]

FYI Rather than installing another anti app, spybot already has the same functionality as spyware blaster, in it's immunize and teatimer features.
Immunize blocks malware processes and teatimer monitors your registry for changes in real time.
Spyware blaster does work well with a dial up connection, as Fred has, but Spybot works extremely well with a broadband connection and saves on system overhead of another app.
Also spybot is updated more often than spyware blaster.
In numerous test it has been found that by using a combination of Spybot and Adaware 99.9 % of spyware is removed, this is excellent.
After all there isn't an app on the market that will remove 100% of spyware

[ScottGem]

First, If this is happening to you, then I suspect you are using the wrong chat rooms and forums. There clearly are places where script kiddies hang out and grab enough details from what is posted or when you are in a room that can be used to get info about you. This is what I meant by practicing safe computing.

As I said I have been using cyberspace for a long time. I have taken some very strong stands on certain issues and have earned the enmity of several people because of that. Yet this hasn't happened to me. And I don't make it that difficult to find out info.

On the other hand, it is true that the Internet has inflicted some body blows on personal privacy. Try googling your name sometime and see what comes up.

In my opinion employers ARE justified in monitoring employee activity (notice I said monitoring not spying). Employees are using their equipment and they are entitled to establish guidelines on its use. If they don't they can be liable for that use.

I have publicly stated my opinion several times that people spying on their signifcant others or parents spying on their kids is wrong. If you have to spy on your life partner then the trust has gone out of the relationship so its over anyway. Parents spying on their kids doesn't help establish the right kind of relationship.

Government spying is a whole other matter. In a free society, govt NEEDS to justify any surveillance of its citizenry. As long as a system of checks and balances is in place to ensure the justification of such action then it becomes a necessary part of keeping the country secure.

Actually I disagree with you that "Getting on the computer should be a fun and rewarding experience". A computer is merely a tool. Its what you do on the computer that determines whether its fun, rewarding or mundane. Believe me, my sessions with Quicken fall into the mundane ;). Now if you said getting on the Internet... I would agree.

I don't like Norton. I've found it sinks its teeth too deeply into the OS for my liking. Norton AV and other parts of Norton security are frequently cited as being the root cause of other problems. I've been using E-Trust for more than 3 years and have never been infected.

Microsoft's Anti-Spyware also provides real time protection, catching the malware before its installed. And its free. I've been using it for over a year now and that also has kept my machine clean.

I'm not really trying to argue with you, but to present a more balanced view. I think your experience is the exception and more a function of your online activities then a pervasive problem.

[always_learning]

Thank you all for your suggestions for improving computer security.

I recently installed a program called Ewido Anti-Malware 3.5 which picked up 31 malware programs running. The only problem is that it is not free and has a 10 day free evaluation. Spybot, Lava AdAware and SpywareBlaster all do great jobs and are free.

My computer came with eTrust bundled and I had to uninstall it after it got in a shoot out with Norton installed, resulting in major freeze up trouble. So it's a choice of either one or the other, not both. Scott highly recommends eTrust but Norton is like an old pair of shoes that you have grown accustomed to wearing.

One thing I found with Spybot was that it picked up a browser hijacker where the other programs such as Microsoft Anti Spyware did not. Unfortunately Spybot is not compatible with eTrust on my computer.

Zone Alarm Pro is another option I could use. Why is it cheaper than Norton though?

[fredg]

Hi, Always,
I had Norton a few years ago, and finally ditched it.
AVG from http://www.grisoft.com is free and very, very good. It has almost daily updates of antivirus definitions, doesn't take up much running room on the computer, and I haven't had any problems with it, or any viruses get into the computer.
There is a free version as well as a "buy" version, which I bought, out of appreciation for $33 US for 2 years. Best of luck.

[ScottGem]

Zone Alarm Pro is another option I could use. Why is it cheaper than Norton though?

Why are KIAs cheaper than Cadillacs? Norton (Symantec) is the name in the field. You pay for that name (as Symantec did years ago).

Peter Norton is a nice guy and very smart (I've met him). But he got rich basically from discovering the fact that DOS didn't delete a file from the disk. All it did was change the first character of the filename in the FAT to a ? So it became hidden. He then wrote a program to detect those hidden entries and convert them back.

[toydajo]

I am also one of the go anywhere web wanderers and I have had a lot of problems get in because of my ignorance. I have dumped Norton even though I just bought it, because it just keeps shutting down my Java. This stops me from accessing my email accounts. And when I go to Trend it refused to allow it to run. Trend Id'd spybot as a worm and I deleted it. The windows Defender Beta2 has let in a lot of stuff that I find when I use my Adaware. So I would recommend adaware and trend.
But what do I really know? Is this really the Ask Me Help Desk OR have I been hijacked into some twisted maniacs cyberspace for their amusment??
Happy Computing!!
Have A Nice Day... unless you have other plans

[phillysteakandcheese]

AVG from http://www.grisoft.com is free and very, very good. It has almost daily updates of antivirus definitions, doesn't take up much running room on the computer, and I haven't had any problems with it, or any viruses get into the computer.

I can personally attest that AVG's Free version is a poor performer when it comes to actually stopping viruses. (See http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/artic...,124475,00.asp for just one test of AVG's detection capabilities.)

I trusted AVG for many years, only to find that when I switched to a commercial anti-virus product, it found malware that AVG had clearly missed. Yes, it's free and it's better than nothing, but...

I'm no fan of Norton Antivirus, but I no longer recommend AVG either.