EarthLink Finds Rampant Spyware, Trojans

[jerryctx]

From Symantic:

Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. and Webroot Software Inc. released a report last Thursday that said an average of almost 28 spyware programs are running on each computer. More serious, Trojan horse or system monitoring programs were found on more than 30 percent of all systems scanned, raising fears of identity theft.

Full report here:

http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.c...532548&EID=625

[A31Chris]

From what I've heard, Earthlink may be responsible for putting some of those spyware programs in place.

[VerLux]

an average of almost 28 spyware programs are running on each computer. More serious, Trojan horse or system monitoring programs were found on more than 30 percent of all systems scanned, raising fears of identity theft.

This makes no sense. I don't believe they are defining spyware programs properly. Those who've been hijacked who post their logs here don't have more than 4 or 5 concurrent spyware/BHO/trojan programs installed.

Originally posted by A31Chris
From what I've heard, Earthlink may be responsible for putting some of those spyware programs in place.

I may be remembering wrong, but we had a thread some time back that discussed an ISP's offering free scans to their customers and a lot of stuff being found. I think it was Earthlink. Someone said they wouldn't willingly submit because they thought the ISP would be doing bad things to their computer, I expressed my belief - after examining the scan - that they wouldn't do that.

[A31Chris]

I don't know if this was how you took my statement or not for sure, but I was referring to actual Earthlink subscribers who use Earthlink's software. Not that Earthlink would install spyware during the scans.

Rumor is Earthlink's software is one big
parasite program like AOL. And Juno I'm starting to think now.

[VerLux]

Originally posted by A31Chris
I don't know if this was how you took my statement or not for sure, but I was referring to actual Earthlink subscribers who use Earthlink's software. Not that Earthlink would install spyware during the scans.

Rumor is Earthlink's software is one big
parasite program like AOL. And Juno I'm starting to think now.

Oh. Hmm.. I don't know about that.

I'd guess Juno is definitely spyware. Their software is very weird and buggy - sometimes I wonder if it's intentional. One time I was helping someone download an email, it took forever and a lot of data was transferred, and there was no email. Umm..

[markp62]

One time I was helping someone download an email, it took forever and a lot of data was transferred, and there was no email. Umm..

That wasn't email, as you suspect, I was once a Juno user. They download surveys, upload the results. Download VBS files commonly named Click.Vbs and Pop.Vbs, with the intent of tracking where you go. It is all in the EULA.
Their browser connects as a server app, for what purpose is only known to them. They didn't like it too well when I figured out how to get a straight dial up connection out of them, so that their browser was not running.

[A31Chris]

Mark is correct. Juno does ask for server rights from ZA. But when I had GRC scan the port it's using as server, it is stealthed. This is damn peculiar. Which leads me to believe it's a server for a very specific origin/destination only and all other packets are consider alien then dropped and not responded to.

[Luv2Learn2]

Earthlink's software is absolutely NOT needed for an earthlink connection.

And it's a booger to get rid of if you ever install it. Causes all sorts of problems with the pc when you try to get rid of it. Stuff keeps popping up here and there no matter how many times you delete it!

l2l2

[Ridgerunr]

I just finished working on a friends computer that had 'Earthlink' installed. Biggest mess i've come across in a' long time. In the first place,he had to go the 'rent to buy' route because of low income. The hardware in that machine was all generic junk! From the ECS mobo to the untitled CD-RW that crapped out to the HDD that was 'labeled' Generic! And the guy that put it together insisted that the WinME he had installed was the very best operating system available! Took me several days to get it straightened out and I purchased and installed Win98SE for him in the end. But I digress,,He could only afford the free offering of Earthlink 'til he gets his divorce out of the way,so I did a basic install just to get connected. Explained to him why he should leave the 'full' CD install alone, but I have the feeling I'll be seeing that machine come back before long...