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Download the beta of Microsoft anti-spyware software

Discussion in 'Security and Privacy' started by BenMcDonald[MS], 2005/01/06.

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  1. 2005/01/09
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    BillyBob,

    SearchSquire is a False Positive if you're using SpyBot's immunize feature.

    I've been reading this all over the net, so decided to check for myself. I don't use SSD's immunize feature. I turned it on and afterwards ran the AntiSpyware beta. Sure enough, the beta flagged SSD's 2 reg entries.

    Regards - Charles
     
    charlesvar,
    #41
  2. 2005/01/09
    BillyBob Lifetime Subscription

    BillyBob Inactive

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    I think the fact THAT IT DID FIND THREE things on my machine is great. I also makes me think about POSSIBLE defects in other products that I have been using FOR YEARS.

    Alias. MS found breaches that the others missed. And one of the items had File dates of 2001.

    And by finding things on this machine prompted me to search the other two machines Which resulted in some of them being found there also And the SAME products that missed them on this machine ALSO missed them on the other machines.

    charlesvar is correct. This is still a Giant product. And unless I am 100% wrong was developed by Giant as a separate and independant Company not MS.

    Last but certainly not least. Since I used the new Product my machine is quite a bit FASTER and MUCH, MUCH smoother. I wonder if removing three ( 3 ) PRINTED pages of TRASH from the REG and System floders had anything to do with it ?

    BillyBob
     
    BillyBob,
    #42


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  4. 2005/01/09
    BillyBob Lifetime Subscription

    BillyBob Inactive

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    Also According to the site I got my info from there is more than one version.

    Anyhow it is not anything that I need.

    Got my info here

    BillyBob
     
    Last edited: 2005/01/09
    BillyBob,
    #43
  5. 2005/01/09
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    Hi BB,

    You're going to get it back as soon as you re-immunize - if you do.

    The beta is treating SSD's inserted reg string as the real thing.

    Regards - Charles
     
    charlesvar,
    #44
  6. 2005/01/09
    BillyBob Lifetime Subscription

    BillyBob Inactive

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    Thank you.

    If that becomes the case then I will know where it came from. And with the help you have given not worry so much about it.

    I may just go re-immunize and see what happens. Will let you know.

    BillyBob
     
    BillyBob,
    #45
  7. 2005/01/09
    BillyBob Lifetime Subscription

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    charlesvar

    Thank you again for the warning.

    It did come back.

    BillyBob
     
    Last edited: 2005/01/09
    BillyBob,
    #46
  8. 2005/01/10
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    Well, I don't agree with you here. For the insane amount of systems that have Windows installed, there are only a few problems. And in most cases those problems aren’t caused by Windows itself.

    Considering the great diversity of hardware Windows gets installed on, it’s a wonder it is working so good most of the time!

    And as to Spyware, it is NOT Microsoft’s fault that people try installing all kind of BS on their systems (Kazaa just to name one), and getting invested/infected with Spyware/malware in the process.
     
    Arie,
    #47
  9. 2005/01/10
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    Again: Total BS! This is not a "new" Microsoft product. This was GIANY anti-spyware, and it (apparently) always had the upper hand in identifying items.

    Again: They are not holes in Windows. We're talking (mostly) about 3rd party programs. Stand-alone applications who change settings on a PC they are installed on.
     
    Arie,
    #48
  10. 2005/01/10
    Arie

    Arie Administrator Administrator Staff

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    Most of the time it takes advantage of user’s ignorance. Other times it will use widely published & long ago fixed security holes. I can’t blame Microsoft if people never check Windows Update.

    Yes, Windows isn’t perfect. It was designed before the Internet. It was never meant to be connected to a giant OPEN network most of the time (if not 24/7).

    The Internet itself is also a big part of the problem, because it was never designed with security in mind.

    It’ll take a while before both these issues will be fixed. In the mean time, you’ll need to have some basic knowledge about your system & security if you want to be connected to the Internet.
     
    Arie,
    #49
  11. 2005/01/11
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    I downloaded, installed and configured Microsoft AntiSpyware to not run Real-time Protection (enabling me to compare Ad-aware and Spybot) and to not AutoUpdate (to have nothing running in the background). I also killed the icon in the Notification Area.

    Still, gcasDtServ.exe appear in TaskManager and gcasServ in msconfig > autostart. What, despite my efforts, is running in the background and why?

    I updated and ran Ad-aware, it found a few tracking cookies which I had it take care of.

    Next, I updated and ran Spybot, it found a few tracking cookies that Ad-aware missed but nothing else. I had it take care of those additional tracking cookies.

    Finally, I ran Microsoft AntiSpyware > full system scan and it found nothing.

    Quoted from post #23 by James:

    I use Internet Explorer and chalk it down to me surfing the web like a choire-boy ...... ;) ...... !

    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #50
  12. 2005/01/11
    James

    James Inactive

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    Surfing like a choir-boy, eh?! Good.... so do I. Actually, I'm going to remove this beta software. I see no use for it on my system and like you there's something running in the background and that should not be given the manner in which I configured it. Besides.. I just don't need it.
     
    James,
    #51
  13. 2005/01/11
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    Hey Christer,

    Still, gcasDtServ.exe appear in TaskManager and gcasServ in msconfig > autostart. What, despite my efforts, is running in the background and why?

    Yeah, it is a PITA, the first thing I complained about (1st page in this thread). But, I don't get an auto start entry.

    What happens for me is, start the main module > gcasDtServ.exe starts in the NA, shut it down, run the scan, and gcasDtServ.exe starts up again, shut it down.

    gcasDtServ.exe running in and of itself doesn't mean that real time protection is running, that's a gcasDtServ.exe right click option, aside from the one in the main options area.

    BTW, asked Giant users whether gcasDtServ.exe is a MS add-on, the answer is no, it's original from Giant.

    EDIT: That right click option for real time protection in gcasDtServ.exe must have been set to "yes" by default and I unchecked it, I just don't remember.

    Regards - Charles
     
    Last edited: 2005/01/11
    charlesvar,
    #52
  14. 2005/01/11
    -User-

    -User- Inactive

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    Application Compatibility

    In the "Application Compatibility" section of the "Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) Newsgroups" (http://communities.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.asp?ICP=spyware&sLCID=us), there are quite a few mentions of AntiSpyware permanently(?) taking down the Windows Firewall. I've done some BetaTesting before, but this is enough to scare me off this one. Any comments?
     
    -User-,
    #53
  15. 2005/01/11
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Charles,

    Under the "General Tab ", have I checked the box to "Hide the Microsoft AntiSpyware icon on the system tray ". When I start the program, the icon doesn't appear but when I start a scan, it does and stays even after exiting the program.

    I don't understand what You mean ...... :confused: ...... right-click where?

    I'm still confused ...... :eek: ...... if not more so!

    -User-,

    I don't use the Windows Firewall but if that should happen, someone would have noticed and alerted us in this thread. If I remember correctly, Newt has it running.

    It hasn't messed with my Norton Firewall anyway.

    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #54
  16. 2005/01/11
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    Christer,

    Un-hide and right click on gcasDtServ.exe when it's running in the NA.

    I think you'll find that the run the real time protection option is checked - uncheck it, I'm pretty sure that's why you're getting the startup.

    When I start the program, the icon doesn't appear but when I start a scan, it does and stays even after exiting the program.

    That icon is not the main module's. it's gcasDtServ.exe. If you right clicked on the tray item and shut it down, the main module would still scan.

    Regards - Charles
     
    Last edited: 2005/01/11
    charlesvar,
    #55
  17. 2005/01/11
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    Sorry Christer, had to boot into the installation where the beta is installed.

    Ok, when you right click on the NA icon, which is gcasDtServ.exe, the following menu comes up:

    Open up Microsoft Anti Spyware - that's the main module

    Run a Spyware scan

    Security Agents (this is either enabled - default or disabled) and this is the real time protection agent. Hover the mouse and you get:
    Enable real time protection
    Disable Real Time protection.

    Another option: Shutdown Microsoft Anti Spyware.

    I hope that I've made it cear.

    Regards - Charles
     
    charlesvar,
    #56
  18. 2005/01/12
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    I've attached an image of the beta's NA icon when right clicking. So anyone not wanting the real time protection running, that's where it has to done, not in the main modules setup.

    Regards - Charles
     
    Last edited: 2005/01/12
    charlesvar,
    #57
  19. 2005/01/12
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    If I, according to Charles' screenshot, Disable Real-time Protection, then Open Microsoft AntiSpyware and immediately close it - Real-time Protection is automatically Enabled.

    I have run MSAS scans a few times, both "Quick Scans" from the "System Summary" page and "Run Scan Now" from the "Spyware Scan" page (more comprehensive?).

    Of course, the scan results differ but they are a bit confusing:

    Memory locations > QS = 36 > RSN = 1106
    Drives/Folders > QS = 17873 > RSN = 12535 (fewer! - not expected)
    Registry locations > QS = 8868 > RSN = 8868
    Cookies > QS = 0 > RSN = 0

    On each occasion, 0 (zero) cookies were scanned ...... :eek: ...... and subsequent runs of Ad-aware and Spybot found tracking cookies.

    (It doesn't matter in which order Ad-aware and Spybot are run, the second will always find a few tracking cookies that the first missed.)

    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #58
  20. 2005/01/12
    charlesvar

    charlesvar Inactive Alumni

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    Hi Christer,

    If I, according to Charles' screenshot, Disable Real-time Protection, then Open Microsoft AntiSpyware and immediately close it - Real-time Protection is automatically Enabled.

    Haven't been able to duplicate that, the Security Agent Status remains disabled.

    I run the scan from the main module after bringing it up from a shortcut. From my 1st post on this page: What happens for me is, start the main module > gcasDtServ.exe starts in the NA, shut it down, run the scan, and gcasDtServ.exe starts up again, shut it down.

    Regards - Charles
     
    Last edited: 2005/01/12
    charlesvar,
    #59
  21. 2005/01/12
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

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    Well, Charles, it's still in Beta 1 ...... :p ...... I suppose we should expect some buggyness!

    What about Your scans, do they get Your cookies?

    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #60
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