Sunbeltblog comments
Whether or not it "spies" on anyone, DirectRevenue (er, Aurora, Ceres, ABetterInternet) certainly behaves like a virus or rootkit.
The files DR drops are not put into an application directory, but instead are dropped in Windows system directories. The files themselves are not marked as belonging to DirectRevenue or any of its brands, but instead are deceptively named as things like "System Startup Service". One of the files is given a random name, which seems to be intended to evade detection.
To me, the most incriminating thing is that it uses a Print Monitor DLL even though the application seems to have no print-related functionality. It sure is a mighty good place to conceal code though.
Does anyone find it strange that DR cryptographically signs the uninstaller file at MyPCTuneup.com, but doesn't even put its name on the executables it drops on a user's system? Why is that?
Don't get me started about DR's distribution through porn. Release 1.0 reported that about 10 percent of their revenue came from porn bundles.
So if the worst they can say is that you are calling them spyware, I would say you're letting them off too easy!
Ahaha! The best part is where they think they're getting a better deal by getting called Adware! Ladies and gentlemen, common sense has left the building!
Right because I wouldnt be as upset by having adware installed on my system. I just love having games freeze-up or minimize when one of the lovely ads pops-up out of nowhere.
/endsarcasm
Hoist them on their own petard!
They want to be known as such and such, label them as such and make a user selectable list of same. Probably the user is going to do a "Select All" and go on with the cleaning. This way SunBelt SoftWare and any other adware / spyware removers are protected because you have labeled them as they wish to be labeled. And the user decides which products/services they want. You will have to have some way to delineate the obnoxious ones from the desireable ones but that's just labeling or categorization issues.
I don't think they should be called "spyware" either. I think they should be called "inmate AZ123456" at Leavenworth Prison, serving a thirty year sentence.
Dave - I would like to "get you started" on your comment about DR and distribution with porn. When did you become the moral police? Should every advertiser in Playboy, Penthouse, or Hustler also be "exposed" and subject to your moral code? Yeah, I would like to get you started because I cannot wait to hear you justify this? Free speech pal, 1st ammendment. Go - start. Let's hear how your moral, religious views somehow become "content law" online. Please, consider this an invitation to get started.
I deal with infected PCs about 4 times a week on the average. I find it ironic that Aurora will also run and have IE windows popping up in safe mode, just as it happened to me last week.
Jack, DR is being distributed with content that was stolen from web sites such as SapphicErotica.com. Is it right for a DR distributor to make money off content they stole? In another case, the content is from a Russian site and the girls appear to be under 18. Is it right for a DR distributor to spread content considered to be child porn in the USA and in Canada, where the distributor is based? This isn't about "durty pictures" and I'm not the Moral Majority, but I do see an injustice in DR paying distributors that commit illegal acts.
But David you didnt say that before. You said "Don't get me started about DR's distribution through porn." This comment alone was intended to slam DR for purely the content - not whether it was illegal, or stolen. All you said was "porn - dont get me started." So, again, and politely I'd like you to explain why you take issue with pornography when it's covered under constitutional law in this country. Are your moral positions bleeding into what should be non-objective work? Someone in your position should approach the work from a fact based standpoint. Just the facts David, just the facts.
As to the subject of porn content. We are not police but I would like to refer you to direct-Revenue's own Ad Policies:
http://www.direct-revenue.com/Ad.../
AdPolicies.pdf in their Advertising Content Restictions part of the PDF file
Quote:
"...Ad must be decent- Ads or linkable pages must be acceptable for people under 18 and cannot contain content that may be considered...Libelous, pornographic, obscense, or defamatory, under any applicable law..."
So if the Transponder (vx2,direct-revenue,abetterinternet) online adwawre marketing group allows for porn popup ads, then they are running false advertising in their ad policies and also going against what they preach. I have over the 3 years of installing and testing their adware variants come accross many ads from their client traffix that ranged from semi porn to porn.
They also used to have their own adware files that also were used to install porn star wallpaper after they installed their BHO variants.
Within the last hour, I clicked on to a pc gaming website and immediately was infected by Abetterinternet.
Whatever these people like to call themselves they are right down in the sewer among the lowest of the bottom feeders.
Their program loaded without permission, getting past Microsoft Antispyware (which tried to block it) and Spyware Doctor.
Instantaneously one of the company's 'reputable' sponsors called FreeFone tried to intall itself.
I sent an ugly email to FreeFone suggesting that if it had a worthwhile product it wouldn't have to use the sort of approach that abetterinternet uses. As for companies like abetterinternet, its tactics of forcing traffic are such dinosaur crap. Companies like this need to be put out of business.
It took the usual hour to clean out all their infectious garbage using both manual and software methods.
I think a great idea would be a directory of sponsors who support these creeps with their advertsing. If there were such a directory, there would be a handy reference for any discriminating shopper in order to be able to determine quickly which companies to boycott.
Stick by your position. The way these creeps at abetter internet infect computers without permission and with clear intent to take control away from the computers' owners merit them no standing among the legitimate business community.
They certainly don't make it easy at all for blind people to deal with their software. I'm trying to help a bright young twelve-year-old who is blind with his access technology and just spent two and a half hours trying to get rid of it. The uninstaller was useless since it requires a graphically displayed code that Jaws couldn't make sense of to be entered before it agrees to get rid of the software. The damned popups made it nearly impossible to even get to the site to retrieve that oh so helpful program in the first place. AVGfree seemed to be able to detect and stop the trojan but I think the software keeps reinstalling it after AVG gets rid of it. It's caused the child and his family no end of grief. The kid's more computer literate than they are. they'll likely clamp down on his exploring the Internet which is absolutely vital for a blind person in this day and age. You'd think they'd make installation difficult and uninstallation easy. After reading others' comments here, I realise that spyware is quite irritating to sighted folks as well. If this is an American company, would section 508 come in to play against them legally? I'm Canadian and have very little knowledge about law on either side of the border and spyware. Frankly, I think people who make a living cranking out this stuff don't deserve to live at all. You'd think their relatives would be on their case about their career choice.
aurora is a terrible cancer on my pc
abetterinternet (laughs) seems like a wacky scheme dreamed up by the joker on the old batman tv show
to the owners of these VIRUSWARE programs i'd like have caugh your mom and dad conceiving you and smacked them with a rolled up newspaper "NO!..BAD!"
why not get everyone on the net to send them trashmail to their company contact addy, maybe that will get their attetion. If they can fill our pc with crap lets fill theirs with enough to stop their servers. In my book turn about IS fairplay
just put a made up addy into the e-mail field. and lets see how long it takes them to get the message!!!
Commenting by HaloScan
