Jay T. Blocksom wrote:

> On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 20:59:19 +0930, in <alt.privacy.spyware>, "NiC"
> <port_power@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
>
> > I installed a program today called TechfactsXP that checks and
> cleans the > registry, among other things, is the same as the
> HijackThis program? [snip]
>
> What makes you think it would be?
>
> > I used the Spybot program and (I'm not kidding here) as soon as
> I'd > finished using it and closed the program, up popped the ad!
> [snip]
>
> Were you connected to the internet at the time? Allow me to answer
> that question for you:
>
> All of your posts to this thread so far have originated at the same IP
> [203.134.67.67], despite being over a period of ~25.5 hours. This
> implies that you are using a DSL or "cable modem" line, as opposed to
> a dial-up (which would give you a new, and near-certainly different,
> IP each time you connected). Hence, your connection to the 'net is
> probably live 24/7.
>
> Given that, and especially considering the implication from above that
> you're running WinXP, a proper hardware-based firewall is ABSOLUTELY
> MANDATORY. Are you running such a device? If not, I rather strongly
> suspect that the "pop-ups" you're seeing are using the Windows
> Messenger service. If your web browser was not open at the time ANY
> of the pop-ups appeared, that is solid confirmation.
>
> For the time being, follow the instructions you'll find here:
>
> <http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/>
>
> to turn that service OFF.
>
> But please understand, this will cure the symptom, but NOT the
> "disease", which is the fact that your computer is sitting thre,
> wide-open and exposed DIRECTLY to the internet. If it has not
> already been "r00ted" or "ow3ned", it will be a minor miracle. (Have
> you perhaps heard the news reports about MS.blast and SoBig.F?) You
> NEED a proper firewall. It is NOT optional. And by "proper", I mean
> NOT some pseudo-firewall software running on the same (still exposed)
> box it's ostensibly trying to "protect" -- that very concept is an
> oxymoron.
>
> > If the TechfactsXP is
> > the same as HijackThis, could I send in a screen capture or
> something > similar from that?
> >
> [snip]
>
> Why do you keep trying to "get creative", when it is patently obvious
> that you don't know what you're doing? You've been given some
> half-decent advice by several folks here -- FOLLOW IT.

Hi Jay,

Funny that the system that I was writing (running XP Home btw) about in
a reply to a message of yours in a different thread was completely
sealed and couldn't be infected after such a "pseudo firewall" as YOU
call it was installed... Now, could it be that these programs do more
than you might expect from them, Horatius ... ehhhh Jay? When did you
yourself test fw programs the last time...? Or are you a follower of
"Lead, Follow or get out the way" yourself? (sounds familiar?).

Sure a hardware FW is the best... but compared to an open system such
as XP (even with the LAN firewall "up") a decent software FW as a
protection is better than nothing!!!

Regards
Dick