wildtangent

My friend gave me this link. http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/library/wildtangent/index.phtml Also, from my investigations, i have found out that AOL instant messenger actually bundles spyware/adware along with it. the spyware that AOL instant messenger bundles is mentioned in the above link.



link repaired==bigc

 

Wildtangent came preinstalled on my hp pavalion. It didn;t take long to realize the phone home nature of it and less time to delete it .

 

You will also find Wild Tangent in games. Also your HP will have another piece of spyware called BackWeb or BackWeb Lite which sends information out. Logitech mouse, keyboard, cameras all have BackWeb or BackWeb lite installed into the drivers. A spybot scan will bring it all up for you. As for AOL, I suspect & have read somewhwere they sell your addy to spammers. When I was on AOL the spam I received was staggering but on cable I have not had a piece of spam for almost 2 yrs. now. Cannot be that I live a charmed life either!!

 

Hi....one consistent error message that I get upon startup is that I have a "backweb error..."it has always been a mystery to me where that comes from...could it be that my spyware has removed a backweb spy which would send my info out..?

 

Just get Trillian to chat on AIM. AOL CDs make good frisbees, but that's the only good use for an AOL product IMO.

 

Wildtangent has been removed from ad-aware's target list. A new reference file (01R300 28.04.2004) is now available.

Here is a breakdown explaining what is included:

New Items
--------------------------------------------------------
Enigma.SpyHunter
SideFind
UTWente-NL

Updated Items
--------------------------------------------------------
ClientMan
CoolWebSearch (3 variants)
GetMirar
GlobalDialer
istbar (2 variants)
Jeired
Lop.com
NetPal
PeopleOnPage
Rads01.Quadrogram
RiverSoftware
Roings
SexFiles.nu
StatBlaster
WinFavorites (2 variants)

Removed
--------------------------------------------------------
WildTangent

Changes
--------------------------------------------------------
SexFiles.nu was split from Dialer Family
SCAM.NoAdware.Net is now known as SCAM.Enigma.NoAdware
__________________


(A real disappointment from you, Lavasoft.)

 

Hi Nick ... I have a Logitech mouse also but did not use the CD to load the drivers ... I let WinXP find default drivers. I also have a Logitech Internet keyboard which had BackWeb installed. Actually Logitech also installed an updater which reported back to them. Got rid of it all and keyboard works just fine. I do not have their webcam yet but have read on another forum where they discovered spyware.

The best way to determine if you have Backweb or BAckweb Lite installed is to do a search ... if you have it, the search will list it and from there you can remove it from your system. Was going to private em you but can't see an icon from which I can do this. Anyway, here is a copy of my letter to Logitech:

This is the Spybot report on Backweb lite which was installed from the CD
and not BackWeb:
Threat: Adware/Spyware
Company product URL
http://www.backweb.com/products/html/backweb .eaccelerator.htm
Company privacy URL: http://www.cameocast.com/legal/privacyplicy.asp
Functionality: Instals unknown items and advertising popups on your system.
Description: Comes with Western Digital Data Lifeline as well as with HP &
Compaq systems. If you intended to install the normal BackWeb, please add
BackWeb to your exclude list. But if you know nothing about installing
BackWeb, chances are good that it is the 'lite' version. This one connects
to a Cameocast server [Source: http//www.cexx.org/dlghi.htm] and you can
read Cameo's privacy statement.

Prvacy Statement: Backweb stays in the loop with BackWeb's reporting
capabilities, you'll know who received each delivery, when they received it,
and how they interacted with it. CameoCast: CameoCAST pushes content to your
hard drive while you are online. This information is such as the type of
browser being used, its operating system, and your IP address is gathered in
order to enhance your online
experience.

...........................
This is what cexx.org sez about backweb:

BackWeb / Western Digital DLGLI.EXE - Installed by Western Digital Data
Lifeline among others. Purports to monitor your hard drive for problems, but
is suspected of being a vehicle for displaying unwanted advertisements as
well. More recently, Backweb was caught installing along with Logitech mouse
drivers (!) (Do you really need web-update for ****ing mouse drivers?)

http://cexx.org/adware.htm
.......................................
This is what I found out about WildTangent off an internet site:

WildTangent
One of the little gems included with some OEM software packages is an array
of several games from WildTangent Inc. If you have these games on your
system there are a few things you need to be aware of.

I had been experiencing strange hang-ups when first connecting to the
internet, and one of the first things I usually do in such a case is to use
Control-Alt-Delete to bring up the running tasks window. When I did so, I
found a curious app listed there called "wcmdmgr.exe" and was able to trace
it to the WildTangent folder.

If you dig deep into the recesses of your Windows or boot folder, you'll
find a folder named simply "wt" tucked unobtrusively away there. In this
folder is an "open letter from Alex St. John, CEO of WildTangent Inc."...
This so-called open letter has a header that reads "THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT A
CONTRACT, LICENSE AGREEMENT OR LEGALLY BINDING IN ANY WAY. "

If you laughed at the two quoted statements above, I did too. The textfile
they came from is in my installation called "_privacy.txt"... if it's not a
contract, license, or legally binding in any way, then it would seem
everything else said there is totally useless. And 'open letters' should be
in the open, not hidden away.

But the real worry, as far as I am concerned, is that this is yet another
one of those apps that are put on your system in an underhanded way, and
routinely 'phones home' to WildTangent.com, allegedly to check for updates.
The actual WildTangent games are in my Program Files folder, and are quite
nice games, I have to admit, but the phone home app is hidden deep in the
Windows directory.

Other references in this so-called open letter make claims that the software
uses very little system resources, but I found a .dll file of 652 kb and a
Java .jar file of 311 kb, not to mention the 16 or 17 other .dll files it
uses. This is no minor use of sytem resources.

If you have any WildTangent software (games, music, etc) or if you have ever
gone to the WildTangent website then you may have this in your system. You
can uninstall the wcmdmgr.exe, but if you do so, then the games will not
work again until you reinstall it.

There is another option, if you like the games and if you don't mind the
thing running on your system. The free ZoneAlarm firewall will warn you if
wcmdmgr.exe tries to access the internet to phone home and you can set the
preferences in ZoneAlarm to corral it so it can't get out. You can download
either the free or Pro version Here.
http://www.zonelabs.com/
I have been told in an email by a person who identified himself as an
ex-employee of Wild Tangent that in the latest version of the games, there
is an option to turn the phone-home "update" feature off.

If you have this software installed on your system and you want a real
lesson in smooth-talking, please do read text files in the Windows/wt
folder. The writer of these slick little files gets the Silver-tongued award
in my book.

Privacy Index
.................................................................

 

Just to add on in brief, I say i don't find wildtangent useful. Yes, it does provide some good games, but overall, it just turns out to be a piece of spyware crap.

 

Hi Nick ... that was the same recommendation I had was given here at Wilders was to get the drivers from the Internet and not from the CD but someone else also advised me that WinXP will find default drivers and the mouse will work ... it does. I am looking at a Webcam tonight and it will probably be a Logitech as their products are good but again, I will not load drivers from the CD should I opt for their product. Cheers.