Haven't You Had Enough?

Discussion in 'other anti-malware software' started by eburger68, Apr 10, 2002.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. eburger68

    eburger68 Privacy Expert

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Posts:
    244
    Have you just about had it with sneaky spyware installations, pesky third-party cookies from big advertisers and marketers, and the unending blizzard of popups and popunders from web sites? Haven't you really had just about enough of these obnoxious, invasive practices that violate your privacy?

    Then it's time you said, "Enough is Enough!"

    Enough is Enough! is a lockdown utility for Internet Explorer 5 and 6. When you install Enough is Enough!, it will:

    * Lock down your Internet and Restricted sites zones with restrictive settings for dangerous options like ActiveX, Java, scripting, and a few others.

    * Severely restrict the use of cookies (but not completely disable them for trusted web sites or for single session use).

    * Disable AutoComplete and the Profile Assistant, and clear existing AutoComplete data.

    * Disable several Advanced settings, including Install on Demand and Third-party Browser Extensions.

    * Install Microsoft's IE PowerTweaks WebZone Accessory, putting two new options on your Tools menu: "Add to Trusted Zone" and "Add to Restricted Zone."

    See the ReadMe for complete details on the settings Enough is Enough! configures for Internet Explorer.

    You can download Enough is Enough! here:

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.zip

    - or -

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.exe

    You can peruse the full ReadMe.txt for Enough is Enough! here:

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.txt

    With these new Internet Explorer settings you will be protected from the more dangerous elements of the web without having to worry about putting known nasties into your Restricted sites zone. You'll be protected from rogue crapware installations (e.g., Gator, BonziBuddy, Lop.com, and the like). You won't be accepting cookies from direct marketing outfits who seek to monitor and track your travels around the Net. You'll also put an end to annoying, useless popups at most sites by default.

    In short, Internet Explorer will start behaving as YOU want it to behave, not as direct marketers and spyware pushers want it to behave. What you do with Enough is Enough! is enforce your very own "opt-in" policy: no web sites get to use permanent cookies, ActiveX, Java, JavaScript and other dangerous Internet Explorer options until you explicitly give them the go-ahead by putting those sites into your Trusted zone.

    ** Caution! **

    A word of warning: the severely restrictive IE settings that Enough is Enough! uses will break many web sites until you add them to your Trusted sites zone.

    Keep in mind that you can always tweak IE's settings through the Internet Options box after installing Enough is Enough!

    And of course, Enough is Enough! installs Microsoft's Power Tweaks WebZone Accessory so that you can quickly and conveniently add sites you visit frequently (and which require permanent cookies or certain active content) to the Trusted sites zone.

    ** More than Enough? **

    Enough is Enough! isn't for everyone, however. If taking the time to add sites to your Trusted sites zone is too inconvenient and frustrating for you to deal with, then Enough is Enough! might be "more than enough" for you -- it might be too much.

    There are also several uninstallation options, so you're not stuck with Enough is Enough! by any means, should you decide that it's not for you (see the "Uninstallation" section below for more details).

    If Enough is Enough! isn't for you, you might consider downloading and installing IE-SPYAD. IE-SPYAD will add a long list of known advertisers, marketers, and crapware pushers to your Restricted zone, giving you a large measure of protection from the nastier elements of the web while still allowing you to keep your Internet zone settings fairly loose.

    You can download IE-SPYAD here:

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm

    Note that Enough is Enough! doesn't have its own page on my web site yet. I wanted to see how useful folks thought it was before I made it available for general download. So, I'd appreciate any comments, questions, or other feedback you might have.

    All the best,

    Eric L. Howes
    eburger68@myrealbox.com
     
  2. Mr.Blaze

    Mr.Blaze The Newbie Welcome Wagon

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2003
    Posts:
    2,842
    Location:
    on the sofa
    LOL IT SOUND LIKE WORK
     
  3. Lost_Soul

    Lost_Soul Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2002
    Posts:
    15
    Location:
    OH
    Thanks Eric for keeping us updated & I will try this out myself  :).
     
  4. eburger68

    eburger68 Privacy Expert

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Posts:
    244
    Hi All:

    Some users of the first version of Enough is Enough have reported problems with the My Computer Zone settings, which disable ActiveX controls in My Computer. Reportedly this will cause that familiar ActiveX disabled warning to appear when opening folders on the desktop. As one user put it: this is guaranteed to send any sane person over the edge in no time flat.

    I didn't run into that problem on the two boxes that I tested on, but then I have Active Desktop/Web Content completely disabled on both -- I use the "classic" desktop exclusively. I'm wondering if this could have caused problems?

    In any case, I've posted an updated version of Enough is Enough! The new version does NOT make any changes to the My Computer zone. Included with this new version is a RESET-MZ.REG file that will restore your My Computer zone settings to the defaults. Just doubleclick on it to install it.

    This new build also backs up the AutoComplete cache stored here:

    HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\IntelliForms

    ...making for 5 backup files now that are generated. If you choose to uninstall (complete or partial, options 1 or 2), that backed up Registry key will be restored. In case you'd like to restore it yourself, the key is backed up to BACK-5.REG.

    If this becomes a major annoyance, I can remove it entirely.

    You can download the new version at the usual locations:

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.zip   (40,982 bytes)

    - or -

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.exe   (79,872 bytes)

    The ReadMe has been updated to reflect the changes.

    Please let me know of any other issues you may encounter.

    Best,

    Eric L. Howes
     
  5. eburger68

    eburger68 Privacy Expert

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Posts:
    244
    Hi All:

    Back once again with yet another update to Enough is Enough!

    Here are the major changes:

    1] Completely removed all configuration options related to AutoComplete and the Profile Assistant. They were causing too many problems. EiE will no longer disable AutoComplete and the Profile Assistant or clear cached AutoComplete data.

    2] EiE now installs R2's IE Toolbar zone buttons along with the WebZone Accessory. If you don't like them, then you can either customize your IE Toolbar (right-click on the toolbar >> Customize) or uninstall only the Toolbar zone buttons by running INST-BUT.BAT in the \WEBZONE sub-dir.

    If you'd like to install ONLY the WebZone Accessory or even just the Toolbar zone buttons (i.e., you don't want the IE Security and Privacy configurations), then you can also do that by running INST-BUT.BAT in the \WEBZONE sub-dir.

    You can download the new version at the usual locations:
     
    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.zip   (47,172 bytes)

    - or -

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.exe   (86,016 bytes)

    As always, I'd appreciate hearing of any problems you encounter or questions that pop up.

    All the best,

    Eric L. Howes
     
  6. eburger68

    eburger68 Privacy Expert

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Posts:
    244
    Hi All:

    There's a new update of Enough is Enough! ready for download:

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.zip   (53,040 bytes)

    - or -

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.exe   (91,648 bytes)


    Here's a quick summary of the major changes:

    * The INSTALL.BAT now has a clear warning about changes to IE's settings on the Install menu.

    * Re-worked and expanded INSTALL.BAT's SUCCESS! notifications -- they're now much more detailed.

    * Fixed the problem with CHOICE.COM in the INST-BUT.BAT WebZone & Button installer. This batch file is now located in the same directory as INSTALL.BAT.

    * Greatly expanded the ReadMe:

    - added a clearer discussion of the two different installers (INSTALL.BAT & INST-BUT.BAT).

    - added a note about CHOICE.COM.

    - expanded the 'What "Enough is Enough!" Really Does' section to give a better description of the options handled by Enough is Enough!

    - added a new section: "Coping with Problem Web Sites & Browser Add-ons" to give advice on dealing with broken web sites and browser add-ons.

    - expanded the "For More Information" section to provide links to more helpful info and related software.

    - added a "Why Enough is Enough!" section towards the end to explain the reasons why I made this utility.

    You can peruse the updated ReadMe online here:

    http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/enough.txt

    I think we're getting close to the point where I can add Enough is Enough! to the Resources section on my main web site. If you discover any problems or have any questions with this new version, please do let me know.

    Eric L. Howes
    eburger68@myrealbox.com
     
  7. Lost_Soul

    Lost_Soul Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2002
    Posts:
    15
    Location:
    OH
    Eric the first "Enough is Enough" I installed worked great :) on my Active Desktop (with a some tweaking) using IE6, but OutLook Express  with IE-SPYAD wouldn,t receive the 27 messages from my pop server (no big loss) . When I get time I'll try your 3rd "Enough is Enough" . Thank you for posting the updates  :) :) :).
     
  8. eburger68

    eburger68 Privacy Expert

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Posts:
    244
    Lost Soul:

    Thanks for taking a look at Enough is Enough!

    As for the problem you encountered with IE-SPYAD and Outlook Express, this is a new one that I've not heard of before. If OE is set to use the Restricted zone, IE-SPYAD's Restricted sites list should affect the display of HTML content in HTML emails that you might receive, but it shouldn't prevent your receiving the emails from your pop3 server.

    If you can provide a bit more detail, perhaps I can help. Feel free to email me at eburger68@myrealbox.com, if you'd rather not go into detail here.

    Best,

    Eric L. Howes
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.