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Spambots and other evil things.

Posted

I got hit with a computer virus.  It unknowlingly uploads itself to your computer.. It has a database with links, so if you come accross any of these words whether on a website or in email.  it changes the word to a blue font, and becomes a mouse over for a pop up box trying to sell you something.  

 

After googling 'bugs in Safari", I discovered exactlly what it is,  it also attacks the other browsers too.  I used Soppos anti virus.  it found some trojans, and 'email phishing' posts. 

 

I re-installed Little Snitch, so now I'm aware if computer is being forced to send something out a port.  I also downloaded this program called 'ghosties'.  Whenever you go to a site, it will tell hou how many and what kind of trackers are on the site.. it will also tell you about the cookies  (and they are not Keeblers). 

 

Some sites will have 5 - 8 tracking programs.. Pretty much any site that sells things will deposit one.. Google is notorius, it sometimes will sometimes try to put up to 6 cookies on your computer.  Some of these cookies are self - replicating, so unless you don't get them all, you're still in trouble (truth or fiction to scare us).

 

Anyways, when I log on Synfire; Google analytics tries to give me a cookie.

 

I got computer attacted amonth ago also.  Some guy had figured out how to make his spam look like it was coming from me..  I would get 40 = 100 email returns (not proper address).  I'm not sure, if the program was generating addresses, or was trawling them.  I emailed TIME WARNER quite a number of times, and also phoned them. They had me change password, to something much more complicated  #'s,  UPPERcase and LOWERcase letters for a password, Apple ID wanted me to change password too.

 

Now I realize a friend of mine is stuck with the same virus, cause generic emails are coming from him, trying to sell me something..

 

So I'm not  sure why Ghosties tells me Synfire has Google analytics on it.. I go to some sites with no cookies or trackers, others with  up to 10 cookies and trackers..

 

Just to let you know.. (Ghosties is free, but they do sell two other tracker programs)..  MacClean is another - if you go to any P2P sites,  your browser gets attacked with a full screen ad, that is hard to get rid of (force quit browser).  It sometimes leaves a period pop up message, telling you you better buy their program.  The program is trialware.  You run it and it finds all kinds of virus's and trojans.. Although other anti-virus software doesn't find these.

 

You of course have to 'buy the full version'.. They got hundred or feedback messages, from it's a total scam, to how it's saved their computer's life.. What's irksome about this, is it looks like an authentic APPLE 3rd party application.. 

 

Watch out kids,  there's nasty stuff out there and it's trying to get into your computer..

 

PS, after posting this I went to a few sites, some have ghostie warnings, others don't.. When I came back to Synfire, I didnt't get the Google analytics warning.

 


Sat, 2012-11-10 - 09:28 Permalink

Welcome to the 21st Century  :hello:

Google Analytics is nothing to worry about. It is a tool for site owners to collect and view usage statistics. I added this tracker to the site myself to be able to find out how it is being used, where visitors are coming from, where it could be improved, which other sites have links to synfire.com, etc. Google Analytics basically replaces the old Webalizer that was installed on pretty much every site on the net years ago.

Tools that promise to "Clean up your Mac" are likely a scam. There is nothing to clean up, except for deleting files you no longer need. Check out DaisyDisk. It's a great tool that visualizes the use of your hard drives and helps you find large files you no longer need. It doesn't "clean up" anything for you. This is your sole responsibility.