If you use M$'s spyware tool read this

[McKenzie]

Seems M$ isn't being entirely open with its customers. Go to this M$ page and scroll down to Q21.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=890830

<snip>

Q21: Can I prevent this tool from sending information back to Microsoft?

A21: Yes. The reporting component can be disabled by setting a specific registry key. For additional information, click the

following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

891716 Deployment of the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool in an enterprise environment

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891716

<snip>

Follow that link and scroll down to Q4

<snip>

Q4. How can I disable the infection reporting component of the tool so that the report is not sent back to Microsoft?

A4. An administrator can choose to disable the infection reporting component of the tool by adding the following registry key

value to computers. If this registry key value is set, the tool will not report infection information back to Microsoft.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MRT\DontReportInfectionInformation with the value of "1". Note that this value

should be of type REG_DWORD.

This functionality is automatically disabled if the following registry key value exists:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\WUServer

This registry key value indicates that the computer is connected to a SUS server.

<snip>

"An administrator can choose to disable the infection reporting component"...WTF? The component needs a registry hack to disable
it? Excuse me? Oh, I forgot, everyone who has a computer can mess around with Regedit without even thinking about it (sarcasm) Typically sneaky. Read the small print methinks...always

edit: Looking at it some more. Not yet sussed whether this applies to networks only. But if it works on a networked 'puter it's likely to work on a stand-alone box. If anyone has the utility on their home PC look in the Registry; I don't have it installed.

[Berserker]

1. This is to be expected

from microsoft, They have been doing it for years with XP.

Hidden Connections--Microsoft Windows XP connects with other computers, or expects to be allowed through the user's network protection firewall, in more than 16 ways. Network security is something the computer user and the operating system supplier need to do together, but Microsoft seems to show little sensitivity to the user's security needs.

The issue is not that the connections are always bad for the user. The issue is that Microsoft has moved from making operating systems that are independent to making operating systems that try to connect to Microsoft's own computers, and are somewhat dependent on new ways of having access through the software firewall. Windows XP is the first Microsoft operating system to challenge whether the user can have control over his or her own computer.
http://www.hevanet.com/peace/microsoft.htm

[McKenzie]

2. saved as an .html file for later thnx

these sorts of tricks are difficult to prevent. By definition, port 80 has to be open to allow htt communications through. Firewalls are then pointless because the spyware just piggybacks out through the browser. That makes it easy for spyware as you will know, judging by your list of good security sites.

regards

edit: spelling

[ezod]

3. I haven't tried the MS spyware tool...

but I do have XP-Antispy installed:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2062.html

From Major Geeks:

XP-AntiSpy is a little utility that let's you disable some built-in update and authentication 'features' in WindowsXP. For example, there's a service running in the background which is called 'Automatic Updates'. I don't know what this service transfers from my machine to other machines on the internet, especially the MS ones. So I play it safe and disable such functions. If you like, you can even disable these function manually, by going through the System and checking or unchecking some checkboxes. This will take you approximately half an hour. But why waste time when a little neat utility can do the same in 1 minute? This utility was successfully tested by lots of users, and was found to disable all the known 'Suspicious' Functions in WindowsXP.

I've been using 3.92 for a while and took the time to run through the options checking and unchecking to what seems optimal for my system.

[Berserker]

4. There are so many

Unknowing users of XP that don't realize what is going on. And then comes the next OS (Longhorn) this is a real beauty. You will no longer have control of your computer.