I am new. I would like to ask if a certain website or software contains spyware. I would like to know about 24/7downloads.com before I log in to their website. What is sb1.trbrgns.com? are they spyware purveyors? Also; what is a web bug? what is a web beacon?
Hi eingram, Web-bug and web-beacon are different names for the same thing. Web beacon Also called a Web bug or a pixel tag or a clear GIF. Used in combination with cookies, a Web beacon is an often-transparent graphic image, usually no larger than 1 pixel x 1 pixel, that is placed on a Web site or in an e-mail that is used to monitor the behavior of the user visiting the Web site or sending the e-mail. When the HTML code for the Web beacon points to a site to retrieve the image, at the same time it can pass along information such as the IP address of the computer that retrieved the image, the time the Web beacon was viewed and for how long, the type of browser that retrieved the image and previously set cookie values. Web beacons are typically used by a third-party to monitor the activity of a site. A Web beacon can be detected by viewing the source code of a Web page and looking for any IMG tags that load from a different server than the rest of the site. Turning off the browser's cookies will prevent Web beacons from tracking the user's activity. The Web beacon will still account for an anonymous visit, but the user's unique information will not be recorded. I will mention the source but you will get a doubleclick cookie there, if you are not blocking them: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/Web_beacon.html Regards, Pieter
That's very interesting about web bugs! BTY I don't asess doubleclick as very much of a threat. Do you agree? Also, do you know of a site where a web address can be checked to see if they are reputable? I am looking into some software from 24/7downloads.com that claims to find movies, and music that are available for download. I was wondering if I should trust them, or will they put spyware or maybe a back door trojan on my computer?
Hi eingram, Cookies provide DoubleClick with your IP address (a unique number assigned to every computer on the Internet), geographic location, company, type and size of organization, domain type (.com, .net, .org or .edu.), type of browser, operating system, service provider and which pages you viewed when you visited a DoubleClick client's site. For a complete explanation of what DoubleClick collects, view its privacy policy by going to hxxp://www.doubleclick.com and clicking on "Privacy." Source I found a list of software that comes with spyware: http://virgolamobile.50megs.com/spyware/spyware.htm The category you are looking into has a high risk factor. Regards, Pieter
