anyone else having problems w/'spyware'?

[jymm]

might be the wrong forum, but this is as close as I can find.

Our company is having a RASH of problems with the users hitting sites that are pushing down spyware or are changing the user's domain (in the registry) or even turning on the Windows Messanger service and 'lighting' up that user when they do almost ANYTIHNG. Some software products out there seem to help on certain occasions, but right now I am thinking it is more like a 50/50 situation (where they help about half the time).

pushing cookies to the user's box has NOTHING on these new things...

first - anyone else having these kinds of problems? How are you combating them?

Second - any recommendations for preventing the problems before they happen?

 

[carrr]

If you're online, you've got spyware problems. It's a matter of degrees.
I recommend SpyBot (

http://security.kolla.de/)

for cleanup, Spyware Blaster for interception (

http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html).

BHODemon is ok for identifying and disabling existing/installed BHOs (Browser "Helper" Objects), but little else (

http://www.definitivesolutions.com/bhodemon.htm).

Windows messaging, in a work environment, should be disabled and the employees instructed that they are not to enable it.
These are a few of the tools at your/our disposal. Not a comprehensive list, but the best IMHO.

 

[manarth]

So far, I'm not aware of any anti-spyware package for a centrally managed LAN environment (i.e. like AV software); most of the packages I've seen operate on a stand alone basis.

faq608-3482 gives instructions on a per machine basis for combating the bad.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[BiggsWolf]

Sorry to say I don’t know of any way to stop spy ware before it hits, but for the aftermath cleanup I would recommend LavaSoft’s Ad-Aware

http://www.lavasoft.de/

or PepiMK Software’s Spybot Search & Destroy at

http://security.kolla.de/

(as mentioned above). You best chance would be to set the programs to run each night after the users have gone home so you can at least start off with a clean slate in the morning.

Also try reducing to default setting in IE Tools->Internet Options->Security->Custom Level, not sure if it will help much but it’s worth a try.

 

[Msharkey]

We ask all of our users to run Ad-Aware once week since there is no way to prevent spyware. Try that.

 

[jymm]

These are most definetly not like any adware that I have ever seen.

any time when things change the domain info in the registry it is very interesting --- and things like Outlook do not like it when that happens.

most of the software we have tried does not clean these bad boys out - so watch it.

thanks for the suggestions though