SPECTOR

[Dave]

My installed, licenesed copy is no longer working...

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Can you elaborate a bit more about why this is relevant in these groups?

 

[Ron Chamberlin]

Spector be a keylogger. Couple of professional paid versions have been
around for a few years.

Ron Chamberlin
MS-MVP

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I spotted that, and figured that the issue is that Microsoft Antispyware has
disabled an intentionally placed keylogger, perhaps in a home or business
environment.

For me, this issue is analogous to the KB article about Microsoft
Antispyware allowing users to disable administrative scripts. That's how
the beta works, and, in the beta, there are no provisions for keeping that
from happening.

I suppose if this were a significant enough issue, users could ask Microsoft
for the sort of preventative key that allowed them to keep SP2 from being
downloaded for some months, for example. However, I doubt that this is the
only product freely available and capable of doing this job--assuming I've
hypothesized with any accuracy.


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[plun]

Hi

And after this one I really hope that all keyloggers are dead !
and that all users installs real firewalls.

http://netrn.net/spywareblog/archives/2005/08/12/update-on-id-theft-keylogger/

If someone has legitimate needs for a keylogger something else must be
invented.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

A firewall is not going to stop the user from clicking on something and
installing a keylogger. It might enable the user to spot the outbound
traffic sending the log files outbound, but somehow I suspect that between
the mentality of the user who allowed the install in the first place, and
the ability of a smart malware writer to disguise his work, that those logs
may get out anyway.

I wouldn't depend on a firewall, even a good two-way firewall, to prevent
the damage done by keyloggers. Antivirus and Antispyware are key.

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[Robin Walker [MVP]]

And after this one I really hope that all keyloggers are dead !
and that all users installs real firewalls.

Firewalls are no defence against keyloggers. The latest keyloggers run
within the iexplore.exe process, which everyone grants internet access to,
so the keylogger traffic cannot be spotted by firewalls.

 

[plun]

Hi Bill And Robin

A strong firewall with a user that understand his/hers firewall
puts a "muzzle" on this keylogger/trojan so it cannot communicate
with anyone except 127.0.0.1 (maybe boring for this keylogger)

The user can then easily take help from a technical forum and remove
it.

Block out all of this stinking, not needed rubbish.
Same situation with Tracking cookies, not needed !

 

[Ron Chamberlin]

Bill,

The name just came back to me! One of your local 'goodfellas' J. Merlino was
nabbed due to a court ordered and FBI placed keylogger.

Ron Chamberlin
MS-MVP

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I recognize that name--may even have eaten in some of the same
restaurants....

I don't expect to see keyloggers placed by competent law enforcment
authorities flagged by Microsoft Antispyware.

I do expect to see standard commercially-available keyloggers flagged,
though, including the one which (maybe) started this thread.

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