Drive-By Shooting and You being the Target.

[Phoenix56317]

Hello everyone. I would like to bring a potential problem up for discussion here if that's possible.

First, am a member of Stumbleupon where users gather and search the Internet and make friends, we also share what we find on the Internet with others and this lies the problem.

For those new to this, this is what occurs when a member signs on the service.

1. Member signs in, he/she might have links to pages that other friends have shared with the member.

2. Member clicks that SU button and is sent to that web page that a friend had sent him/her. Often, I find that the majority of web sites are Clean and some are not.

For those sites that are deemed not cleaned, MY WOT plugin becomes active and Malwarebytes ip protection pops up telling me that this site is not safe.

3. In my encounters of an Unsafe site, I click that SU button as fast as I can to travel away from that site and I believe that no matter what or how fast I do this, I think am being a CARRIER .

Potential problem I see or am maybe aware of is this :

A. If said user has taken all necessary steps to protect himself from these sites, is it possible to become a carrier of any code that may latch on in his browser, and is he infecting others by sending other links ?

Even if COOKIES are disabled, how do we know if we have become a carrier of code that latched on to said browser and is leaving a trail behind to infect others ?

Any ideas on this ?

[GT500]

A. If said user has taken all necessary steps to protect himself from these sites, is it possible to become a carrier of any code that may latch on in his browser, and is he infecting others by sending other links ?

Normally, if such things install themselves as addons to your browser, then there will be obvious signs (new toolbars, odd advertising, search engine redirects, etc). The intent of malicious software is normally to get something out of you, and the spreading is left up to other people accidentally stumbling upon those same links.

Even if COOKIES are disabled, how do we know if we have become a carrier of code that latched on to said browser and is leaving a trail behind to infect others ?

There are various logging tools, like HijackThis, RunAlyzer, Autoruns, etc. that can show you information about what BHO's, ActiveX controls, etc. are installed.

[Phoenix56317]

@ GT500, Your answers are very well valid and to the point but how many of us are really sure if WE are running 100% clean at any time ?

I mean no offence to the creators of ANTI this and that but there have been many employees who have been fired and they in turn get back at the company who fired them by manipulating code of the software they were working on. Wasn't Malware's signature database stolen a while back and employed by another competitor? I know it's hard to stay diligent and up to speed on everything regarding ANTI-Virus, Spyware and Malware.

As always, the only real safe practice is NOT to be on the Internet but that's not going to happen in this day and age of Information Technology.

Just a question but wasn't WEB-BEACONS used and perfected many years ago and if thats the case, Have they become a greater threat ?

[Baz.]

Just a question but wasn't WEB-BEACONS used and perfected many years ago and if thats the case, Have they become a greater threat ?

Privacy risk?

Yes

Threat?

No

You can set your browser and email client not to automatically load images if you so which, and also disable scripting and reject cookies which will mean web trackers will fall flat on their faces.

[GT500]

I mean no offence to the creators of ANTI this and that but there have been many employees who have been fired and they in turn get back at the company who fired them by manipulating code of the software they were working on. Wasn't Malware's signature database stolen a while back and employed by another competitor? I know it's hard to stay diligent and up to speed on everything regarding ANTI-Virus, Spyware and Malware.

While we have had a couple guys leave, we have never had to fire anyone. The last guy who left is still on good terms with us, and still reports malware to us. The first guy was about three years ago, so if he had any malicious intent when he left, then anything he might have done would have been noticed by now, and nothing is the same as when he left.