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Grokster And Limewire File-Sharing Utilities Contain Trojans!
Posted by: NewsFactory on: 01/03/2002 01:51 PM [ Print | 2 comment(s) ] · 780 views
NeoWin Popular file-sharing software from Grokster and the Limewire Gnutella Client contain the W32.DlDer Trojan, Symantec revealed last week.
The Trojan here is a spyware application masquerading as a lottery game called ClickTilUWin. When installing the Grokster or Limewire software, and some versions of KaZaA, the user is given an option to enable the ClickTilUWin feature. Regardless of whether one accepts or declines, the Trojan is installed.
Grokster has offered an explanation of this embarrassing oversight on its Web site!!!!!!!!! LOL
Some of you may be wondering why this Trojan was in our installer at all," the company speculates wisely.
"We sometimes bundle advertiser applications with our installer in order to help pay for our costs here at Grokster. We are normally given an installer from the advertiser which we run during the installation of Grokster. We have no access to the source code of these third-party installers and so we rely on what our advertisers say these programs do. To the best of our knowledge, this particular advertiser simply placed a link to a free online lottery on the desktop. We were never informed that it installed or was a Trojan."
The company has released a utility which it says will remove the Trojan, and promises to have a clean version of its software available in a matter of days.
Those who prefer to see to their own Trojan removal need only search for a hidden directory under their Windows directory called Explorer. Simply delete the WindowsExplorer directory, along with the companion file Dlder.exe in the Windows directory.
The Trojan is not destructive, but does phone home to the ClickTilUWin Web site with user data which, presumably, is used for marketing purposes, or is perhaps forwarded to RIAA headquarters to assemble a database of copyright scofflaws.
Download: Grokster - Trojan remover
View: Symantec - Information on W32.DIDer Trojan
The Trojan here is a spyware application masquerading as a lottery game called ClickTilUWin. When installing the Grokster or Limewire software, and some versions of KaZaA, the user is given an option to enable the ClickTilUWin feature. Regardless of whether one accepts or declines, the Trojan is installed.
Grokster has offered an explanation of this embarrassing oversight on its Web site!!!!!!!!! LOL
Some of you may be wondering why this Trojan was in our installer at all," the company speculates wisely.
"We sometimes bundle advertiser applications with our installer in order to help pay for our costs here at Grokster. We are normally given an installer from the advertiser which we run during the installation of Grokster. We have no access to the source code of these third-party installers and so we rely on what our advertisers say these programs do. To the best of our knowledge, this particular advertiser simply placed a link to a free online lottery on the desktop. We were never informed that it installed or was a Trojan."
The company has released a utility which it says will remove the Trojan, and promises to have a clean version of its software available in a matter of days.
Those who prefer to see to their own Trojan removal need only search for a hidden directory under their Windows directory called Explorer. Simply delete the WindowsExplorer directory, along with the companion file Dlder.exe in the Windows directory.
The Trojan is not destructive, but does phone home to the ClickTilUWin Web site with user data which, presumably, is used for marketing purposes, or is perhaps forwarded to RIAA headquarters to assemble a database of copyright scofflaws.
Download: Grokster - Trojan remover
View: Symantec - Information on W32.DIDer Trojan
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Comment
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unknown Junior Member Posts: 2 Joined: 2002-11-11 |
#34896 Posted on: 01/03/2002 03:35 PM
duh!! we just put anything in our installer...were not smart enough to check...we trust anything that is told to us....ok I have a bridge in San Fransico to sell...and It puts a link on the desktop if you want to bid on it...geeeeesh..they got busted and now act dumb.... |
Comment
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unknown Junior Member Posts: 2 Joined: 2002-11-11 |
#34912 Posted on: 01/03/2002 10:49 PM
This is the reason I only use Morpheus, they guarentee to be 100% spyware free, and only use web based ad banners for revenue. Too many of the other file sharing apps include unknown or untrusted spyware software. |
