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- BOFH2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Alexa is malware. it sends back data
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pest/pest.aspx?id=453085326 - MacGregor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7All my spyware utilities identify alexa as malware. Maybe they're right.
- grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Inaccurate, title should be
Windows_Defender_Correctly_Identifies_the_Alexa_Toolbar_as_a_Trojan.
I mean if you want to be pedantic, it isn't a trojan, but it definately is spyware, and I am pleased that Defender is waving some flags about it. - grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The concept of spyware does not equal simply phoning a remote server to report on something. It is more to do with how it gets installed and whether the end user knows about the implications. For you, Alexa may not be malware. You opted to have it record your surfing habits which is what they use and sell to make money from advertisers and marketers etc. Of course, you are happy that this happens because in return, you get rankings.
Historically (and I don't know if it still happens), it used to get installed by OEMs and through third party software like media players etc. I presume the third party got a few cents for every install, which adds up, and you usually had to go into a thousand advanced settings in the installer to make sure it does not install. The fact is that lots of people using Alexa don't actually realise what it is sending. - mworthen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree that if the Alexa Toolbar is downloaded to a person's computer and he or she installs it without really undertanding what it does, that's not good. I'm not sure if Alexa still has that type of arrangement. I hope not.
- mworthen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It depends on your definition of "spyware." There's sneaky spyware, where they never tell you they are harvesting data about your surfing habits, etc. And then there are programs like Alexa that tell you right up front that they record data about your web surfing. They couldn't gather their statistics if they didn't!
If would be like someone agreeing to be a Nielsen TV rater and then complaining that Neilsen knows what TV shows they watch. If you don't want Alexa to know where you surf, don't download the toolbar.
In my case, I *want* Alexa to record my surfing because it helps the Alexa ranking of my web sites and other sites I care about. Now, we could argue all day long about Alexa's sampling method and how accurate it's rankings are, etc., but that's not my point here.
My point is that Windows defender *does not tell you what it has identified* as a "Severe High" threat. Unless you are technically savvy--and most people aren't--you don't know what it's referring to. You just know you don't want something that dangerous on your computer. It's only later that you (might) figure out why your Alexa Toolbar isn't working. - DarknessGP, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Defender Sucks. Turn it off. It blocks UPnP ports among others.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2,----[ schestowitz ]
| You
| are
| a
| *****.
`---- - schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Funny. IE7 does exactly the same thing as Alexa. How come IE7 isn't flagges as dangerous? Ha. That's right. Microsoft turns away competitors while endorsing its own tools that do the same thing. Is Firefox fully compatible with Vista yet?
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