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Sneaky Spyware has Nowhere to Hide!
by Steve Gibson, Gibson Research Corporation
The Index of Known Spyware
The OptOut web site contains two Spyware index pages: This 'Known Spyware' page for cataloging and describing the various captured, analyzed, known and proven spyware systems. And the next Suspected Spyware page, where this site's visitors can check to see if a 'might be nasty' suspect has already been submitted for inspection or has been determined to be benign.

iMesh Warning!

We do NOT endorse the iMesh File Sharing System.

An erroneous page on the iMesh web site: www.imesh.com/SpyWare.html points to this page and misleads people into believing that we are somehow endorsing the spyware-free nature of their software. This is not true.

We have received reports that iMesh is infested with nasty, self-interested, spyware-style software of several known varieties that will infect and can damage personal computers. It is the LAST THING we would ever endorse.

It may be that you will need to tolerate this sort of invasive and intrusive low-life software in order to use any of today's "free" file sharing systems. But please don't do so under the belief that we have said that any of them were free from this sort of hidden nightmare.

The following table graphically presents the characteristics of spyware systems we have studied (to varying degrees) and provides links to each system's details page.

  Each numbered category refers to an article of the Code of Backchannel Conduct. Please see that page for detailed descriptions of each article.

  Each entry's "dual sphere" graphic shows the degree of past and current compliance of each known spyware for each article of the CBC.

  Additional descriptions for each known spyware are available by clicking the spyware's name on the chart.

  The spyware names shown in gray are identified spyware systems that have not yet received detailed examination.

  Please see the "CBC Compliance Chart Key" below the table for an explanation of the chart's elements.

Code of Backchannel
Conduct Compliance
Aureate / Radiate
Conducent / Timesink
TransCom's BeeLine
Comet Cursor
GoHip
Web3000

CBC Compliance Chart Key

PLEASE NOTE: This web site, and the chart above, presume "not guilty" in the absence of absolute proof to the contrary. For example, despite all rumors to the contrary, after extensive analysis I have no reason to believe that the Aureate spyware system is sending out unnecessary information. Therefore, as you can see above, Aureate receives a double-green rating under article 2 (no unnecessary information gathered) of the CBC.

To continue, please see: Suspected Spyware

You are invited to browse these pages for additional information:

1  OptOut Homepage 
5  Suspected Spyware 
9  Privacy On The Net 
2  Code Of Conduct 
6  The OptOut Program 
10  GRC Privacy Forums 
3  Spyware Analyzer 
7  OptOut User's Guide 
11  Keeping Informed 
4  Known Spyware 
8  OptOut User's FAQ 
12  GRC Privacy FAQ 

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Last Edit: Oct 06, 2003 at 13:29 (7,796.58 days ago)Viewed 7 times per day