Figure that anyone who wants to and has $99.00 to do it with can destroy you. or vice versa... Non detectable, installs through an e-mail, will not be stopped by spyware programs or other utilities and it seems able to get past all firewalls. Can anyone here tell us it isn't the threat it appears to be?

Do the programs mentioned in the thread below not take care of this?  I would be badly surprised if they didn't.

..they have to be able to install it on your computer. If you don't give your wife "install" (Power User/Administrator) privileges on your computer, you shouldn't have a problem.

I can't imagine how they'd pull off the "remote" install if you have a firewall or your emailing from your work computer, but maybe Webbie does.

Update: I read about the "remote install"... the program emails an EXE attachment to the target computer, and the recipient then has to open/run the exe for it to install. Needless to say but, if you're dumb enough to run EXE attachments you get via email, it's not likely you would survive long in this hobby anyway.

-- Modified on 8/23/2005 4:04:47 PM

Re: This is SCARY!!!!

Wow!  This is scary!  Imagine people having instant access to all your private emails?  Does this software really work?  Any techies out there with technical advice/preventative measures????   Thanks, Lisa of Boston

-- Modified on 8/23/2005 4:13:16 PM

Don't run the your computer as an admin.
Set up limited accounts for yourself and anyone else that uses the machine, and only log into the admin account when you absolutely have to, to do installs etc.
With a limited account you can't install anything on purpose or accidentally.
So even if someone did send you a email with an installer, you wouldn't have the permissions required for it to install.
If someone wanted to physically install it, if none of the accounts they have access to, including trying to do it theough your personal account, again, not allowed.

Also, don't open email attachments.  
That is rule one for avoiding all kinds of nasty things.
I am not sure how they can make the claim of installing remotely through a firewall, unless they somehow make it look like your email client, or another application is what is accessing, and that would have already been given permission to access the internet, or try and "piggyback" on something you have allowed, most software firewalls ask about access on a per application basis, and a good software firewall will alert if the application information has changed since you last gave permission so spoofing another app wouldn't work in that case.
If it is just through a router and Hardware firewall, I guess they could use the ports that are already open, like 80, to do the install.
Me I always go with the "belt and suspenders" approach to firewalls, hardware and software.  

To stop something like this...don't open email attachments (especially not exe.s -and always set your folder options to "show extensions for known file types, this keeps anyone from sending a "nekkid.jpg.exe" where it then looks like Nekkid.jpg, so you don't know it is actually an exe, if the file type is shown you will know what you are getting) and log into a limited account for all your general computing stuff and only log into admin acoounts for admin type stuff.

To set the show extensions:
open "My Computer"
Click on "Tools"
Go to "Folder Option"
"View" tab
scroll down and remove the check from the
"Hide extensions for known file types" check box,
click "OK"

Besides the sales hype, read what the anti-spyware companies say.

that it's being addressed and there are viable solutions. Whew!!

there are many stealth logger programs.. cheaper than 99.00

Memory hogs of course..

Dont compute from home. And you havent much worries.

but this is not new and you're starting to understand my paranoia. lol

Welcome to my world

btw WT gave very good info which will help protect you including firewall software and hardware.

Actually I was just referring to how insecure the net really is along with all electronic messaging. Its frightening to say the least.

I'm not discounting your argument for your need for safety and I hope you understand that. My concerns are with false senses of security today and the people we deal with. Same as women don't intentionally marry a man that will hurt them or abuse them I doubt providers ever see it coming either. Maybe it's just me but how can you pick out a vilolent tendency in anyone by knowing what he does for a living, where he lives or asking him for a drivers license?

Here's an example of a guy you wouldnt believe would hurt a woman for any reason. It was in NY Daily News (not sure but think it was Monday) he was a fairly young guy 30ish , good looking, well dressed, wealthy, intelligent and sophistciated. Apparently he developed some sexual problems and couldnt cum anymore. Problem is he became violent over it and beat up 3-4 women badly before he was put away for a few years. It was in the news because this sick bastard has been released after only two years and most think its just a matter of time before he does it again. I'm being very serious when I ask you, how can you screen this man without knowing his history?

ya see thats my concern with screening is it doesnt protect providers from the biggest threats. For me it just sounds like a false sense of security. I still think the best security comes from providers that have seen that new customer. LE can set up a new business line at anytime. Having the business number doesnt offer security , it offers you a recourse which may just put you in more danger.

To be honest only two providers I have seen have even asked me for ID. All others either knew me from TER boards and we had talked for awhile before I met them or I gave them other providers that had been with me for a reference(to the best of my knowledge they never contacted them). I'm not being funny when I say this because I really dont understand what checking an ID does to protect providers. Anyone can get a fake ID and its the criminals that best know where to get them.

I was living with a woman and she was a suspicious sort

BTW I had never cheated on her...I got into this hobby AFTER we had broken up because I knew it would be some time before I could deal with a real life relationship after her

Anyway...she had used MY CC to buy that exact program and installed it on my computer without me knowing

For about eight months it was emailing her EVERYTHING done on my computer...I was never busted since I hadn't done anything but after we had broken up and she moved a 1000 miles away all of a sudden as a prank she began sending me the emails my computer was sending her...this was my first inkling my computer was compromised

I was royally pissed...she thought this was funny...I know a bit about computers and even so it still took me a month to clear the damned program out...it changes file names...breaks them up so you can't ID them by size and has a million other tricks to hide from you..removing 90% of it still doesn't stop it from emailing the person everything you do

I even contacted the company that makes eBlaster telling them their program had been purchased using MY CC without my knowledge...they were profoundly disinterested...in essense I was told to go piss up a rope...tough noogies

I now have more security programs than most banks and no one is allowed to use my computer except for me...this is NEVER going to happen to me again