It seems each time I download from a site that requires Active X installation, I get a ton of viruses on my computer.
Detected by Avast; and then i do a pandasoftware scan.
Spybot detected 70 problems
Adaware found 156 objects.
Do I need Active X?
Anything else I could be doing?
Last edited by Sal_gal; January 28th, 2005 at 01:14 AM.
ActiveX is a way for a website to install and run a program on your computer with all your privileges. In terms of what it can do, it's no different to if you downloaded and ran a program from the website yourself. For that reason, it's a really common method for spyware distribution.
Good practices:
Just say no. The worst thing that can happen then is that a web page won't display properly (and that's what the reload button is for). If nothing breaks, you didn't need it.
If you decide that you do want to install an ActiveX control, think about its source. Is the website you're at really the sort of place you want to be trusting software from? Is the company name in the warning box a company you trust? If not, you probably don't want it after all.
Just to add a couple more thoughts to Tuttle's post...
Do you need ActiveX? As Tuttle noted, most of the time no. But sometimes you have to have it. One key example is Windows Update. You must use ActiveX or it will not work. Other examples would be some banking sites require it. I have even seen that some live webcasts use it too for training and such.
What can you do?
Look at the screen shot I uploaded. Make sure your Internet Explorer has unsigned ActiveX and ActiveX not marked as safe, "DISABLED". All the rest of ActiveX settings should be at least set to prompt. (Find these settings under the Tools/Internet Options/Security Tab.) Making these changes will always give you a warning if ActiveX is going to run. Then you can decide what you want to do.
The other thing that WILL help is to run an alternative browser like Firefox or Opera. They don't use ActiveX at all. (Which means you'll still need IE for those sites you go to that require ActiveX like Windows Update.)
Lastly, Tuttle could not have said it better. Nowdays, it is dangerous to safely surf and/or download programs without using some user discretion in where one is going and what one is doing. It's often called practicing "safe hex" and while it is a hassle sometimes, doing some research on an unknown site before going there can save a lot of troubles.
The other thing that WILL help is to run an alternative browser like Firefox or Opera. They don't use ActiveX at all. (Which means you'll still need IE for those sites you go to that require ActiveX like Windows Update.)
Lastly, Tuttle could not have said it better. Nowdays, it is dangerous to safely surf and/or download programs without using some user discretion in where one is going and what one is doing. It's often called practicing "safe hex" and while it is a hassle sometimes, doing some research on an unknown site before going there can save a lot of troubles.
Got to thinking and thought it might help you if you added Startup Monitor and Startup Control Panel. (Can be found here.)
Startup Monitor (SM) is a very teeny tiny little program that alerts you to when something is trying to add itself to your PC's bootup/startup routine. (Be aware it can't help if something is added as a browser helper or the like.) SM is very quick and gives you the chance to decide that it's ok to add the new item or that it's NOT ok.
Startup Control Panel (SCP) is a powerful tool that works in conjunction with SM. SCP shows all of the startup locations that SM monitors and lets you review, deactivate/activate or even delete startup related items. (Of course, use caution when deleting something!)
As I mentioned above, SM can't catch all the nasties. But lots of them are often added to a PC's startup. And for those, it can make a very big difference...
Last edited by HAN; January 29th, 2005 at 10:29 AM.
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