Adware Alert FP

[Jimxl]

Hey Guys,

I've personally used Adware Alert from someplace to clean over a 100 computers and found it to be a very effective spyware removal tool.

I've just added Malwarebytes a couple of weeks ago to a list of scanning tools that I use and noticed that it was reporting it as a Rogue Antispyware cleaner. The only reference on this site about Adware Alert I found was here:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.p...te=adware+alert

I can't find anywhere on the web to confirm that It's a Rogue Spyware tool.

Hope this helps to make your decision to remove it from your list as a Rogue

Take care

Jim

ADMIN EDIT :

Spam obscured

[JeanInMontana]

http://www.ca.com/us/securityadvisor/pest/...px?id=453137703 There is one place it's called rogue. I'm sure I can find more if I spent more time.

[nosirrah]

Sorry , still no way to check detections (no jump to) , no way to save log (would allow users to post scam logs) and no way to test removal without giving them $ .

Its just as rogue as it was before .

If these guys were serious about helping people all three problems would get fixed , ask them to fix them and see how far it gets you .

[Jimxl]

We'll not everyone is as nice as you guys to offer a free version to clean. Thanks for that!

To me Rogue means to be deceptive, dishonest, not getting what you are paying for.

If they gave you the ability to check detections, save a log file or remove files without paying for the product, then there would be no reason buy it.

I purchased Adware alert approx a year ago to remove a vundo variant that 15 other spyware removers could not remove. It still continues to work great today. I don’t feel I’ve been deceived by my purchase of Adware Alert.

The spyware warrior site de-listed Adware alert back in 2005:

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/de-listed.htm

Thanks for your time!

Take care

Jim

[nosirrah]

A lot of people buy the pay version of our software , we do not need to force it on them to get sales .

Adware Alert is just one of a large family of rogue apps that all use the identical tactic (and are from the same maker) :

No trial (to test removal)

No way to check if a detection is real (jump to)

No way to save a log (so you can show an expert online and ask its a real detection)

I just did some reverse IP checking against their server and in about 5 seconds found a new scam domain they are using :

http://movieadvanced.com/ <- copy and paste into browser , interesting that a legit company would use that domain as a trap for their antimalware software huh ?

[AdvancedSetup]

File: setupxv.exe

Status: INFECTED/MALWARE

MD5: 87ede0d2c77ae24f41b7a3b448fab68d

Scan taken on 11 Oct 2008 04:08:24 (GMT)

• A-Squared Found nothing
  
• AntiVir Found nothing
  
• ArcaVir Found nothing
  
• Avast Found nothing
  
• AVG Antivirus Found nothing
  
• BitDefender Found Spyware.1116, Adware.SpyClean.Z
  
• ClamAV Found nothing
  
• CPsecure Found nothing
  
• Dr.Web Found nothing
  
• F-Prot Antivirus Found nothing
  
• F-Secure Anti-Virus Found nothing
  
• G DATA Found Spyware.1116
  
• Ikarus Found nothing
  
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus Found not-a-virus:FraudTool.Win32.AntiSpyware.ii, not-a-virus:FraudTool.Win32.SpywareStop.gp
  
• NOD32 Found nothing
  
• Norman Virus Control Found nothing
  
• Panda Antivirus Found nothing
  
• Sophos Antivirus Found nothing
  
• VirusBuster Found nothing
  
• VBA32 Found nothing
  

It might not be Malware but it certainly is not trying very hard to be helpful.

No public forum for assistance. All the small to big players have a public support forum

Simply going to their DOWNLOAD link and not clicking on anything will attempt to download and install it (not a very legitimate practice by anyone)

hxxp://adwarealert.com/download.php Do not copy / paste or try link unless you know what you're doing

[nosirrah]

BitDefender Found Spyware.1116, Adware.SpyClean.Z

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Found not-a-virus:FraudTool.Win32.AntiSpyware.ii, not-a-virus:FraudTool.Win32.SpywareStop.gp

^^ The fact that it is detected as other fake antimalware applications means that it is the same code as them .^^

Might be interesting to see if SpyClean and SpywareStop are still around and if their applications (and web sites) look the same as AdwareAlert .

[sho-dan]

Bruce, your on the money with this one.

hxxp://spywarestop.com/

http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md...f7cb1884a745800

http://www.virustotal.com/analisis/a0e420d...26dccf7d54a0600

SpyClean domain is up sale, site nowhere to be found, is this the info in question.

hxxp://www.netcom3.com/?hop=googni

http://www.virustotal.com/analisis/1d495c8...aa2ea623d4eda55

http://www.castlecops.com/s16688-SpyClean.html

Updated report:

http://www.threatexpert.com/report.aspx?md...c0e1a48f65c42e2

[Bill22]

Hey Guys,

I've personally used Adware Alert from someplace to clean over a 100 computers and found it to be a very effective spyware removal tool.

I've just added Malwarebytes a couple of weeks ago to a list of scanning tools that I use and noticed that it was reporting it as a Rogue Antispyware cleaner. The only reference on this site about Adware Alert I found was here:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.p...te=adware+alert

I can't find anywhere on the web to confirm that It's a Rogue Spyware tool.

Hope this helps to make your decision to remove it from your list as a Rogue

Take care

Jim

ADMIN EDIT :

Spam obscured

I agree Jim

I have been using Adware Alert for one year now and my clients really dont care how I get these things out as long as they come out.

I have even contacted them about a support issue using their chat and they were more than friendly and helpful.

I am in agreeance however about the self downloading page and the more than questionable EULA but this thing worked and the results are all I care about.

I wish they would come completely above board because it is a good product.

Bill

[nosirrah]

I wish they would come completely above board because it is a good product.

I'm sorry , the two are inextricably linked . All good antimalware applications sell themselves with results , the others use dirty tricks to fool people into buying because real world performance does them more harm then good .

[exile360]

I'm sorry , the two are inextricably linked . All good antimalware applications sell themselves with results , the others use dirty tricks to fool people into buying because real world performance does them more harm then good .

No kidding, in fact, as I recall aren't these apps often downloaded and installed by trojans like zlob, vundo/virtumonde, and fakealert and once installed they tell you about the trojan and then ask you to pay for their software so you can remove it? If I'm right then even if it does remove the infections after purchase then you are probably paying the makers of the trojans for software made to remove the trojan. It's like your doctor infecting you with a disease deliberately just to sell you a cure. Not only that, but most often these rogues detect hundreds of infections that aren't even there and after I finish cleaning out the infections on such a system (including the rogue app), I can look back at my logs/detections and see that the only detections the rogue identified accurately were the trojan(s) that downloaded the rogue in the first place (and sometimes the keylogger they installed on your system to snag your info and credit card numbers in case you don't decide to pay them).

[Bill22]

I have had much success with and based on what I have seen in my travels, I have as of to date seen on zlob that was caused by Adware alert and when used to clean the "zlob trojan" I have as of yet to have any residue remaining to inhibit the performance of the machine I installed it on.

Bill

[nosirrah]

Anyone feel like doing a spam obliterating side by side of MBAM and Adware Alert against current zlob , VAC and vundo ? Once I get back from my trip it might be time for that and then a lock on this thread . VAC installs TDSS currently , will be hilarious watching what Adware Alert does against that let alone VAC policy restrictions .

If anyone is let me know and I will link you up with the freshest links I have . Links will be unbiased as well because I have no control over what the bad guys do to change the installers or fallout so no one can complain about the results .

[JeanInMontana]

I have had much success with and based on what I have seen in my travels, I have as of to date seen on zlob that was caused by Adware alert and when used to clean the "zlob trojan" I have as of yet to have any residue remaining to inhibit the performance of the machine I installed it on.

Bill

Bill your being quite naive about rogues. When you use one there is often nothing ever removed because there was nothing there to start with, or they plant it and then play the hero and remove it. If your relying on this particular rogue to clean, most likely your doing nothing in your travels. Or your infecting 100's.

[exile360]

A lot of people buy the pay version of our software , we do not need to force it on them to get sales .

Adware Alert is just one of a large family of rogue apps that all use the identical tactic (and are from the same maker) :

No trial (to test removal)

No way to check if a detection is real (jump to)

No way to save a log (so you can show an expert online and ask its a real detection)

I just did some reverse IP checking against their server and in about 5 seconds found a new scam domain they are using :

http://movieadvanced.com/ <- copy and paste into browser , interesting that a legit company would use that domain as a trap for their antimalware software huh ?

Perhaps slightly unrelated, but based on your 3 criteria listed here that identify an app as rogue, then both Webroot SpySweeper and PCTools SpywareDoctor are rogues.

[Bill22]

Bill your being quite naive about rogues. When you use one there is often nothing ever removed because there was nothing there to start with, or they plant it and then play the hero and remove it. If your relying on this particular rogue to clean, most likely your doing nothing in your travels. Or your infecting 100's.

Thank you for your reply but I beg to differ. Generally there are issue before I get there and none when I leave! The zlob trojan which i come across most often is not removed by a number of spyware removers including Spybot S&D. I am aware that there are those that plant malware in an effort to get your money and remove them however I have yet to show up and fix a healthy PC and put this in and have a sickly one that barely runs. It usually happens in reverse. While I question their over zealousness to put their program on a pc, I dont question the results that it has given me. Again I will add I have chatted with their Tech support and they were most helpful. try that with AVG free.

[exile360]

Thank you for your reply but I beg to differ. Generally there are issue before I get there and none when I leave! The zlob trojan which i come across most often is not removed by a number of spyware removers including Spybot S&D. I am aware that there are those that plant malware in an effort to get your money and remove them however I have yet to show up and fix a healthy PC and put this in and have a sickly one that barely runs. It usually happens in reverse. While I question their over zealousness to put their program on a pc, I dont question the results that it has given me. Again I will add I have chatted with their Tech support and they were most helpful. try that with AVG free.

Naturally Spybot won't find it. They are way behind now with current malware as they update their definitions very infrequently, understandably so as they don't charge for their app. But if you put MBAM, SUPERAntiSpyware, Kaspersky, or Avira to the task, they will most likely find it, delete it, and remove your useful rogue as well. By the way, if you're using the software on many PC's to remove infections, does that mean you are charging your client for it each time it's used, or do you pay for it yourself? It only removes stuff if you pay for it after all. Personally, I'd much rather have a tool like MBAM in my toolkit.

[JeanInMontana]

Personally I think the guy is an affiliate for the rogue. No one with any sort of credibility would endorse it. Nice call on the pay to remove exile360, that convinces me he is from or associated with the rogue. At any rate it will not be removed from the data base because it is indeed a rogue.

[exile360]

Personally I think the guy is an affiliate for the rogue. No one with any sort of credibility would endorse it. Nice call on the pay to remove exile360, that convinces me he is from or associated with the rogue. At any rate it will not be removed from the data base because it is indeed a rogue.

I was thinking the same thing Jean, that's why I pointed it out.

[bjt133]

I was thinking the same thing Jean, that's why I pointed it out.

This thread is a few months old, but as a newcomer to the forum, I wanted to add my comments and experience.

A friend said Adware was the best free program out there, so I went to Google to find it. Well, long story short, I ran the free scan and they came up with hundreds of malware on my 'puter. However, for $19.95 or thereabouts, I could get a year's subscription, all would be cleaned, blah blah blah. Sounded cheap, I thought, why not?

Bet most of you know the story already. She had said AdAware, I found the Adware site first (hmmm) and thought it was the one she'd mentioned.

When I ran Malwarebytes for the first time, it found over 3000 incidents of "Rogue Spyware" droppings left thanks to Adware.

I don't know a hell of a lot, but I know enough to be dangerous, now having informed myself a little better about AV and AS. Adware Alert may be a good product after all. My paranoia and distress may not be justified. But I never was comfortable after being dumb enough to buy the subscription after being told my machine was infected then learning that this has been an operating procedure for them in the past, even after being "delisted" as a rogue by another source.

I simply don't think that's the best way to do business.

[mountaintree16]

@ Exile:

eak I hope Spyware Doctor isn't a rogue :/

[mountaintree16]

Bjt:

Oh no! I'm sorry that you mixed up the two names! AdAware is indeed real & useful, but Adware... oh my. I hope you contacted your bank and had your card canceled and got a new one with a new number issued.

I used to use AdAware but then it stopped updating... a coworker uses it on his personal computer, its an anniversary edition and its free.

I would suggest posting an MBAM log and a HiJackThis in this forum:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=7

to have someone double-check and see if you are clean or not, since you had that awful rogue on your computer :/ over 3,000 incidents? eak! I am willing to bet that there is something leftover on your system now :/

Lesson learned for us all: If it pops up and says you have infections and then have to buy it to remove it, its probably either fake and/or only wants $$. I found out with Spyware Doctor... I downloaded it, scanned, then found out I had to buy it. I bought it of course but as far as I know its legit.

::sigh:: thankfully an online friend directed me to Malwarebytes