How to determine if Spector Pro Spyware is running on my computer?

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Sebastian G." <seppi@seppig.de>

| David H. Lipman wrote:
|
>> I think you are COMPLETELY wrong.
>>
>> Gain/Gator is adware spyware and it is malware.
|
| Aside from some few spurios claims, there's currently no indication for
| that. I'd still consider it as typically undesired software, since it
| implements functionality which actively breaks the normal usage of its
| hosting software.
|
>> NYB is a simple boot sector infector.
|
| Which implies that it had root privileges.
|

No, it does not.


>> The data and the system is NOT compramised. We are
>> not talking about a Backdoor Trojan, Password stealer or a multi-facted Trojan using
>> rootkit techniques.
|
| Wrong, we're talking about exactly this, since such software has most likely
| compromised the system due to the very same security vulnerability NYB had
| used, or has even dropped NYB in first place. Even further, until you do a
| complete comparison against a trusted base, there's no indication that the
| malware is exactly and solely the known variant of NYB. Thus, the system
| should be clearly considered as compromised.
|
| But considering that you're abusing MSOE as a newsreader, it's painfully
| obvious that you have no clue about security.

Your POV is all wrong. It is not the ssytem of concern, its the data. The system has no
value, the data on the system has worth and value. You said "...since it's not in a
wel-defined state anymore..." but legitimate software can also change the state. it is the
data's safety that leads to the conclusion that a system is compramised. If a system is
compramised the dat, not the system, is at risk.

I am not abusing MSOE. I use it in combination with Fidolook and it makes up for MSOE's
short comings. Don't change the subject! What you are doing is redirection.

NYB is well defined, constrained and finite. The system is NOT compramised, it doesn't have
"priveledges". It is easily removed and the data is is not at-risk on an infected media. A
system with NYB does not get compramised. On the otherhand a system with a password
stealing trojan is indeed, compramised.

--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
Multi-AV - http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp

[Sebastian G.]

David H. Lipman wrote:


>>> NYB is a simple boot sector infector.
> |
> | Which implies that it had root privileges.
> |
>
> No, it does not.


It does. Writing to the boot sector requires either write access to
\Device\PhysicalDriveX or \Device\VolumeX\DR0, both of which imply
Administrator group membership, or SeRestorePrivilege, which is granted only
to Administrator group, or would be equivalent to Administrator privileges
(since one could change ACLs or overwrite system binaries on the raw disk).

> Your POV is all wrong. It is not the ssytem of concern, its the data. The system has no
> value, the data on the system has worth and value.


The system integrity has direct implications on all data, both the stored
ones and the processes ones. Where exactly is access to my private Pr0n
collection a bigger issue than the system forwarding my entered online
banking password to some Ukraine stranger?

> You said "...since it's not in a

> wel-defined state anymore..." but legitimate software can also change the state.


Hint: What's the difference between "state" and "well-defined" state?

> it is the data's safety that leads to the conclusion that a system is
> compramised.

Nonsense. A system can be compromised without having changed any data yet,
though the data are still in danger that such a thing happens in the future.


> I am not abusing MSOE. I use it in combination with Fidolook and it makes up for MSOE's
> short comings.


Such, like, a header line longer than 8192 byte triggering a direct buffer
overflow and therefore immediate compromise just by marking (not even
reading) a posting?

> NYB is well defined, constrained and finite.


The necessary circumstances aren't, unless you're discussing purely
artificial setups.