i am completely useless at computer stuff and generally my 'go-to' is to 'ring the guy' from the IT warehouse but this problem he apparently cant help me with.
my AVG virus scanner keeps showing i have tracking cookies (i have no idea what that is but it doesnt sound good), and theyre not seeming to go away. my internet window sometimes closes for no reason and often when i click on a link on google, a 'windowclick' website pops up instead (i researched that and found out its an IP address tracking thing but i dont know if it means theyre tracking my address, or its just some form of advertising...)
i dont really know what im asking for :/ hopefully someone on here knows something i can do to make this go away. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
thanks so much in advance, love AK x
Posts: 563 | Registered: Feb 2009
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posted
cookies (any one can correct me if i'm mistaken) are "tags" of sorts that sites leave on your computer. the purpose, to store some form of information to make your viewing experience smoother.
example.. I don't log into every site I visit. I ask the site to remember me. In order to do so, the site leaves a cookie on my computer, that way when I visit, the site knows it's me.. and I don't have to log in.
sadly, that feature is exploited a lot. Some folks use it to track and monitor your web activity not just to tailor advertisement (like google does) to your viewing, but to find ways to find security flaws that will be advantageous to them.
most anti-virus software that are good will catch many of them and let you know and quarantine the harmful ones (i catch a few every scan I do)
generally speaking, regular cookies don't get flagged.. but tracking cookies are a bit different.
my initial question, did you have a complete scan of your system? some malware can slip into the system and generate tracking cookies to attract other malware to your system.
I've started using Firefox and Safari as browsing platforms instead of InternetExplore for sites i'm a bit more wary about or not sure of their content..(i still use IE for Wu's cause I trust you folks.. lol)
there are a few more things I can recommend, but for today,this is where i stop (for now.. let someone else add wisdom). the other stuff I hope to recommend is how to get rid of stuff that can possible attract more "junk" to your system while online
quote:Originally posted by mclaren f1 2003: i would start using firefox as a browser and i also suggest installing a spyware program like spybot search and destroy.
posted
my woes stopped when i switched from Norton (was a great program too) to SpySweeper by Webroot.
by woes.. i only had one major security breech that brought my system to it's knees slowly. but after the switch of software, things the first was missing was being caught.
just another idea before i come back with my last tidbit later.
posted
one more thing... do a search on your pc for temporary files. sometimes those also harbor malware.
how?
open up the search dialogue in windows. that can be found in the windows menue. click search. in the search all, type *.tmp
then click enter.. that should pull up all your temporary files, all your temp internet cookies... anything that you really don't need that is stored on the system temporarily, but never got deleted by the system.
once it's done it's search.. highlight all by hitting control A. then hit delete. (the results pops up in a seperate dialogue box most of the time)
that also speeds up the system having less junk to filter through. i try to do this a few times a year.
posted
First of all for any of you that have had a computer for over 6 months you are going to need to download CCleaner to wipe your temp information accumulation. Through simply using your computer to perform day to day tasks we accumulate a wide variety of "lint" that should be wiped every once in a while.
CCleaner is freeware which you can use to perform the purge of temporary info on your comp. Be careful though make sure to do your research if using anything but the default settings as you will be permanently deleting sectors of your hard drive which may contain software critical to the processes you use...I.E. You will lose the ability to login to Wu's if you fuck with something someone meant you not to fuck with! On that note stay within your knowledge and you will be chill.
Regarding the closure of your browser, it could be a number of things, but to diagnose the cause try uninstalling the browser...reinstall/or use firefox (it is the best)...Make sure your Anti-Virus is up to date.
posted
First of all, the browser you use has absolutely nothing to do with viruses, malware, worms or trojans. As to Tracking Cookies, it is not the browser that sets or plants them, it is the websites you visit.
The first problem you mention ... Tracking Cookies detected by AVG may not be a problem at all. Not all Antivirus programs identify tracking cookies as potential threats, and in fact, they are generally not.
Tracking cookies are set by websites you visit, and are generally neither virus-laden nor malware potent. Your particular antivirus product (AVG) cleans them from your system automatically, unless you have altered the default detection settings.
The reason they may seem to not go away, is because they are replenished and replanted every single time you visit a website on the internet. You can set your browser to shut-out all cookies, by customizing the settings in your browser, but this will sometimes keep you from being able to see certain sites at all.
You can also avoid tracking cookies by using a simple (and free) firewall program such as Comodo or Zonealarm. Some prefer to cleanse their systems manually each time they shut down the browser by use of such programs as Winclear or Ccleaner.
If you are using Internet Explorer and wish to do this manually without the use of a third-party solution or software, just do this after you have finished your surfing session:
- Click "Tools" near the top of your screen - Go to "Internet Options" - Go to "Browsing History", and you will see these words ... "Delete temporary files, saved history, cookies, passwords and web form information" ... put a check in the square box then click "Delete".
Now close the browser and you are done. If you happen to run a scan with your AVG then, you should find no tracking cookies. If you still do, then you've got some issues to address.
-------------------- Respectfully,
Ben
Malory in Signature Posts: 5772 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Every Personal Computer that runs Windows needs to have the following Maitenance folder on their desktop consisting of these programs to maintain their computer.
- NAT (Firewall) ROUTER such as Linksys - Crap Cleaner (To remove Cookies, History, and temporary internet files) - AVG (Virus Protection) - Spybot Search and Destroy (to prevent spyware from getting on your machines) IMMUNIZE IT! - SPYWARE BLASTER - Again prevents Spyware from getting on your machine - O/S CRITICAL UPDATES from Microsoft is essential. - If you want to spend some money Malwarebytes is a great program.
I run all of these tools weekly. I start with the updates from Microsoft Then I run Crap Cleaner Then I update and run Spybot I then update and run AVG
This generally keeps my Computer Safe and Sound.
My IT set this up for me and I have not had a Virus or Spyware in some time (over 2 years now)
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