Another AVG 8 observation

"Victek" <Victek.DeleteThis@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:g6gt9k$3i0$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>> When installing AVG 8.0.138, (minus the toolbar and email scanning) it
>> arbitrarilly uninstalls the AVG Anti-spyware, with the pretence that AVG
>> 8 includes an anti-spyware function. It might have it, but it doesn't
>> work on the free version. I found that out by checking the history. All
>> scans showed no spyware found and none removed. I have since
>> re-installed AVG anti-spyware 7.51.43 and found and removed the usual
>> spyware. Both programs work great--they just have to be updated and run
>> separately.
>>
> What is the "usual spyware" is AVG AS 7.51.43 finding that AVG 8.0 does
> not?

Mostly tracking cookies: Atdmt, Casalemedia, Coremetrics, Doubleclick,
Hitbox, Mediaplex, Realmedia, Tribalfusion, etc. Cookies like this show up
on every daily scan, but they weren't with just AVG 8--it kept reporting
none found and none removed. After several days of running daily scans of
AVG alone, I installed AVG Anti-spyware and had 36 tracking cookies (this
was 30 minutes after the AVG Anti-virus had finished scanning.)

Annie Woughman wrote:

> "Victek" wrote:
>>> When installing AVG 8.0.138, (minus the toolbar and email scanning)
>>> it arbitrarilly uninstalls the AVG Anti-spyware, with the pretence
>>> that AVG 8 includes an anti-spyware function. It might have it,
>>> but it doesn't work on the free version. I found that out by
>>> checking the history. All scans showed no spyware found and none
>>> removed. I have since re-installed AVG anti-spyware 7.51.43 and
>>> found and removed the usual spyware. Both programs work
>>> great--they just have to be updated and run separately.
>>>
>> What is the "usual spyware" is AVG AS 7.51.43 finding that AVG 8.0
>> does not?
>
> Mostly tracking cookies: Atdmt, Casalemedia, Coremetrics,
> Doubleclick, Hitbox, Mediaplex, Realmedia, Tribalfusion, etc.
> Cookies like this show up on every daily scan, but they weren't with
> just AVG 8--it kept reporting none found and none removed. After
> several days of running daily scans of AVG alone, I installed AVG
> Anti-spyware and had 36 tracking cookies (this was 30 minutes after
> the AVG Anti-virus had finished scanning.)

Ah, as I thought when reading your original post. Cookies. Cookies
aren't malicious spyware, they are just annoying. Why not set your
browser to simply ignore them in the first place?

Use a HOSTS file as well.

--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Windows

"Beauregard T. Shagnasty" <a.nony.mous RemoveThis @example.invalid> wrote in message
news:g6hmep$sca$1@registered.motzarella.org...
> Annie Woughman wrote:
>
>> "Victek" wrote:
>>>> When installing AVG 8.0.138, (minus the toolbar and email scanning)
>>>> it arbitrarilly uninstalls the AVG Anti-spyware, with the pretence
>>>> that AVG 8 includes an anti-spyware function. It might have it,
>>>> but it doesn't work on the free version. I found that out by
>>>> checking the history. All scans showed no spyware found and none
>>>> removed. I have since re-installed AVG anti-spyware 7.51.43 and
>>>> found and removed the usual spyware. Both programs work
>>>> great--they just have to be updated and run separately.
>>>>
>>> What is the "usual spyware" is AVG AS 7.51.43 finding that AVG 8.0
>>> does not?
>>
>> Mostly tracking cookies: Atdmt, Casalemedia, Coremetrics,
>> Doubleclick, Hitbox, Mediaplex, Realmedia, Tribalfusion, etc.
>> Cookies like this show up on every daily scan, but they weren't with
>> just AVG 8--it kept reporting none found and none removed. After
>> several days of running daily scans of AVG alone, I installed AVG
>> Anti-spyware and had 36 tracking cookies (this was 30 minutes after
>> the AVG Anti-virus had finished scanning.)
>
> Ah, as I thought when reading your original post. Cookies. Cookies
> aren't malicious spyware, they are just annoying. Why not set your
> browser to simply ignore them in the first place?

My browser is set to block third-party cookies that do no have a compact
privacy policy, etc. but if I move it up a notch, then I am not able to
properly access my banking information or credit card sites.

> Use a HOSTS file as well.
I don't know how to do that. Can you explain it to me? Would it get around
the cookie problem at banking sites with the browser set to high?

> --
> -bts
> -Friends don't let friends drive Windows

Annie Woughman wrote:

> "Beauregard T. Shagnasty" wrote:
>> Annie Woughman wrote:
>>> Mostly tracking cookies: Atdmt, Casalemedia, Coremetrics,
>>> Doubleclick, Hitbox, Mediaplex, Realmedia, Tribalfusion, etc.
>>> Cookies like this show up on every daily scan, but they weren't
>>> with just AVG 8--it kept reporting none found and none removed.
>>> After several days of running daily scans of AVG alone, I installed
>>> AVG Anti-spyware and had 36 tracking cookies (this was 30 minutes
>>> after the AVG Anti-virus had finished scanning.)
>>
>> Ah, as I thought when reading your original post. Cookies. Cookies
>> aren't malicious spyware, they are just annoying. Why not set your
>> browser to simply ignore them in the first place?
>
> My browser is set to block third-party cookies that do no have a
> compact privacy policy, etc. but if I move it up a notch, then I am
> not able to properly access my banking information or credit card
> sites.

Most modern browsers allow you do block by domain. If you are using
Internet Explorer, you might want to look into a modern browser. Firefox
and Opera are good choices.

>> Use a HOSTS file as well.
>
> I don't know how to do that. Can you explain it to me? Would it get
> around the cookie problem at banking sites with the browser set to
> high?

This should help:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

--
-bts
-Friends don't let friends drive Windows