Cognitum Co-Citer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Graydogg
  • Start date Start date
Graydogg said:
Regarding Cognitum Co-Citer...
This app (http://www.cogitum.com/co-tracker-text/more.shtml) looks like a
useful tool.
However, the support dll (CogitumHelpers.dll) seems to contain a lot of html
and javascript.
It references the site http://www.rword.ru in an hta resource and this
triggers Script Sentry
which I have installed.
Does anyone know if this thing contains malware?
Click to expand...

That's interesting, to look at that file. I see where you're looking too,
and exported the hta. I can't offer enlightenment (don't know how to read
jscript)... but at least that first line in the hta, maybe someone can
confirm about it? I'd say that given its placement, it's surely harmless,
more or less just a signature, (but I don't consider my guess the most
qualified).

<HTML xmlns:CogTracker="http://www.rword.ru/tracker/">
<HEAD>
<TITLE>
Cogitum Co-Citer
</TITLE>

By the way, there has never been previous suspicion about Cogitum Co-citer.
I don't know what kind of things Script Sentry doesn't like? I mean, that
the Co-Citer program uses scripting locally is quite fine to me. Does
Script Sentry attempt to distinguish different kinds of scripting actions?

Oh, and one extra thought. If they were to have put sneaky actions in the
DLL, I'd surely think they'd have compressed it and even also otherwise
locked/encrypted it ...
 
Graydogg said:
Regarding Cognitum Co-Citer...
This app (http://www.cogitum.com/co-tracker-text/more.shtml) looks like a
useful tool.
However, the support dll (CogitumHelpers.dll) seems to contain a lot of html
and javascript.
It references the site http://www.rword.ru in an hta resource and this
triggers Script Sentry
which I have installed.
Does anyone know if this thing contains malware?
Click to expand...

http://www.cogitum.com/co-tracker-text/faq.shtml#2-1

"Does the program collect information from the user’s computer?
No. Co-Citer allows you to collect texts and related information
from the Internet in a relatively secure manner."

I say they're telling the truth. Also, while I don't read/write j*sript,
I did export and look through the texts from the DLL, and it's overall
well-commented, with nothing looking suspect in my eyes. Finally, the
rword.ru site apppears solidly respectable (despite the .ru (corruption
is not 100% yonder)).

Regards Script Sentry, I don't know anything about it, its triggers, tastes,
judgements ... (?)
 
Graydogg said:
It references the site http://www.rword.ru in an hta resource and this
triggers Script Sentry
Click to expand...

"Not Found
The requested URL /tracker/ was not found on this server."
Therefore harmless?

Co-Citer has a help file (TCTHelp.chm) but clicking on the ? in the
program does not have any effect (at least not here).

Quodesto
 
Thanks for the input, folks.
(Particularly omega/Karen)
I take the point(s) about well commented code, lack of
compression/encryption, etc.
I think I was just being a bit paranoid, 'cos I was in too much of a hurry
and installed
the code without using Total Uninstall (!) It does seem O.K. I wondered
about the RU
but reading the stuff on the base URL (which IS up) I think it's benign.
Script Senrty is a useful tool (that intercepts the RUN command to VBS JS
etc) so you
can take a look at scripts before you commit yourself. It's probably just a
bit too catch-all.
 
Cre8 said:
IE Text Archiver, found here:
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/tweaks/scripts9.html
does pretty much the same thing and is a lot more painless.
C8
Click to expand...

Text archiver is only text and writes each saved entry to a different
file (for better or worse), but it is fast. IIRC, Cognitum Co-Citer
preserves links, etc.

Also take a look at other research/bibliographic tools and at eNotes.
Setting eNotes up for IE6 was slightly tricky and the product is no
longer supported, but it does preserve the portion of the page
selected (including links and graphics) and writes everything to one
file (for better or worse). To be honest, I've forgotten what I had
to do to get eNotes to work for me with Win2k and IE6, but it couldn't
have been too hard.

www.my-enotes.com

FWIW, I use both eNotes and Text Archiver. I'm squirreling away
several tools for comparison. One of these days I'll make a project
of comparing several of them. I'm sure there is a better solution by
now.

Regards,
BillR
 
Back
Top