HiWire regkeys in AdAware scan

[Jane]

I just scanned my WinME computer with AdAware and found 10 regkeys from Hi-Wire . The only thing I did was to install Mozilla/Firebird browser . And as far as I could find on Google, this would have to do with streaming media , so I suspect some plugin or ? :unsure: Anyway , strange thing is that I also installed Firebird on my laptop XPhome and I also run AdAware on that :wacko: no Hi-Wire regkeys there . :doh: Is this a spyware ? and should I delete the regkeys ? TY

[Ranger Bob]

Do you have the latest reference file installed? Reference file 01R21426.08.2003 is the latest one.

[Amie]

Jane

Here is a thread from the Lavasoft forum all about Hi-Wire, the first post in it is very long, but there are some interesting replies after it;

Hi-wire Data Miner (http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?showtopic=10632)

Have you looked at any web cam sites recently.

[Jane]

Yes RB , I have the latest reference .
Amie , I always go to the Orca site and also look at some webcams in Europe . I guess I did , but I'm not sure when . I also did one more thing . I never use MusicMatch jukebox, and I wanted it out of my System tray so I went to the Options and took it out . I don't know if that would make all the keys to popup ? I can't open the link you gave me but I already posted at Lavasoft , so I hope someone will help :unsure: Will keep you posted . I just kept the darn things , for now :blush: Thank you for trying to help :amie: love this smiley :clap:

[Amie]

Originally posted by Jane@Aug 26 2003, 11:50 PM
I can't open the link you gave me :
Jane,

What is the problem with the link, does it just not load or do you get an error, as it works fine for me.

If you go back to the Ad-Aware forum, you should be able to find that thread, it was posted on Aug 22 2003, 08:24 PM by caliroze

Amie :amie:

P.S That is my favourite smilie, as it is named after me.

[LeRoi]

>>The only thing I did was to install Mozilla/Firebird browser .<<

I will bet my last dollar Firebird doesn't contain any type of spyware. It isn't a finished product but it does not contain spyware of any kind.


:amie:

You're link works fine for me, Amie.

[Jane]

LeRoi :) I didn't mean to imply that Firebird had a spyware :blush: it was just an info of what I did and installed prior to this . you might remember that I fiddled with my Orca site , not being able to see it . And tried to download those plugins. It would take me to that japanese site . Goes to show you that you should stay away from strange places . No telling what you might pick-up :lol: :lol:

Amie :amie:
I posted my log and got a prompt help :thRt: It's all cleaned-up now . Although I never found out what the pest was or how it got there :doh:
I will try to search Lavasoft some more . Thank you :)

[LeRoi]

Sorry, Jane, I didn't mean to sound abrupt. I didn't think you were implying that. I've been taking things way too seriously lately. World events keep me so upset. I take things to heart all the time. You might say I grieve all the time. I need to break this cycle badly.

[Amie]

Jane.


Always a pleasure to help you, pleased that it is all sorted now.


Amie :amie:

[Jane]

Wow :wacko: it did have to do with MusicMatch Hi-Wire regkyes in AdAware scan (http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?showtopic=10582)


LeRoi :) I know what you mean . Just watching all the bad things that go on in this world can make you very sad. Try to get some joy from nature and beautiful things that are still abound all around us . And just think of all the people you are helping on this forum . We would not be able to enjoy and do all of this, were it not for you and your generous help . And for that we are very grateful :kiss: :blush: :lol: to you and all the other moderators who share their free time so we could have a good time and learn something new every day . Thank you all :)

[LeRoi]

Reading your kind words made me feel much better, Jane. :)

I will take your advice. :jig:

[Jane]

We are all in the same boat , my friend :think: and share the same worries and feelings . Only at different times , maybe .

[carolj100]

Originally posted by Jane@Aug 26 2003, 08:24 PM

LeRoi :) I know what you mean . Just watching all the bad things that go on in this world can make you very sad. Try to get some joy from nature and beautiful things that are still abound all around us . And just think of all the people you are helping on this forum . We would not be able to enjoy and do all of this, were it not for you and your generous help . And for that we are very grateful :kiss: :blush: :lol: to you and all the other moderators who share their free time so we could have a good time and learn something new every day . Thank you all :)

Jane, you said that so perfectly. To Leroi and all the mods, we really do appreciate all that you do. :kiss:

[Jane]

Thank you Carolj :) that is how I feel . I'm forever grateful to all the mods because without them I would never learned all I did about computers . Which is next o to nothing by some standards :blush: but I'm happy with it :jig: :P

[amb141]

Back to Hi-Wire.

I ran an AdAware scan (with the latest detection file) and it found many, many (many) references to Hi-Wire. I quarantined them and a problem I was having with data transfer that I had been blaming on my ISP was largely (not completely) alleviated.

I don't know if the two are related. Maybe they are. Maybe it is a coincidence, and maybe, since the problem has been intermittent, it is just an illusion that the problem has been lessened.

I don't know where the Hi-Wire entries came from since older AdAware definition files did not look for it (and Spybot still doesn't.) But I do listen to all kinds of streaming media -- using RealPlayer, WMP, and Winamp.

Neither Real One, Winamp nor WMP seems to be broken after removing the Hi-Wire entries. But Radio@Netscape Plus has had trouble connecting. But that software has always been buggy.

I would suggest quarantining Hi-Wire and seeing if anything breaks before deleting it altogether.

alan

[mikey]

Hey Jane, nice words. I just butted in to say for the benefit of other users that I believe you did exactly the right thing here. I believe all users should question every item found by any malware scanner. F/Ps are a common prob and users can sometimes get into a lot of grief by removing the wrong item.

When your same question about these HiWire items was asked at LH, my response was; "Have you checked the location, values, and properties of the items found? Untill you confirm the items, I'd ignore them."

Sadly, often times, there just isn't enough testing done before code is released for many products in this industry. Some of that is justifiable because of the severity of the threat and some not. Either way, I think it's always best to find out what you are doing to the sys before you do it. Getting in a hurry or blindly trusting a removal routine is IMO a mistake(sometimes costly).

So much for today's sermon... :)

[amb141]

mikey

Indeed. In fact, my understanding is that Lavasoft is now rethinking whether Hi-Wire is spyware at all. Fortunately, AdAware will allow the restore of wrongly removed items.

Still, I did see some noticeable improvement in data transfer when I 86ed Hi-Wire. Just the sort of change you would expect when adware/spyware is prevented from calling out. So I still don't know.

alan

[Jane]

Hi guys :) I have those regkeys in quarantine for now . And if need be will reinstall them . Thanks :)

[mikey]

Originally posted by Jane@Aug 28 2003, 06:18 PM
Hi guys :) I have those regkeys in quarantine for now . And if need be will reinstall them . Thanks :)
That brings up another related point if you guys will bear with me. I see many folks with the attitude that 'it doesn't matter cause I have the backups'. Well the backups are great and I have lobbied much so that they would be there but they simply are NOT 100% as thousands discovered when the wsock stack was manipulated by bot killers with faulty routines. IMO backups should be considered as a last ditch effort to save a crippled sys...a safty net...not as a cache.

Simply put, all I'm saying is; folks should not use a blind eye when using these tools. Just because an item is identified as HiWire, EZula, Gator, etc, etc, or whatever, doesn't mean it actually is. Today's SSD beta definitions identified three F/Ps as EZula when in fact, none of the items were related to EZula at all. F/Ps happen and backups fail...I can point to hundreds of instances of both in every malware scanner on the planet. Caution and attention to details can save a ton of grief.

[Jane]

In that case it's very good to have you on board Mikey :clap: And I shall not delete :nono: till you say so :thRt: :jig: