Softpanorama (slightly skeptical) Open Source Software Educational Society

May the source be with you, but remember the KISS principle ;-)

How to add spyware sites to the host files

You can modify the hosts file to control DNS name resolution. Here is the initial hosts files shipped with Windows:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1    localhost

If the entry exists in the host file it is used first, before DNS. This way you can block spyware sites pointing them to the address 127.0.0.1 which is so called local host --address pointing to your PC, for example,

127.0.0.1    abetterinternet.com

 To edit the hosts file, follow these steps:

Getting History from IE

The crude way of getting IE history is using strings utility on files from folders in

C:/Documents and Settings/username/Local Settings/history

But there is also programmatic way to do that as describes at CodeGuru Getting the History from Internet Explorer:

I just wanted to access the history of Internet Explorer. I found no code anywhere to get it directly, but somehow I managed to combine some of code and get this working application. The code isn't very great, but it is somewhat useful, you can say. I am not a great writer, so don't expect a good explanation. My coding style is self-explanatory. If you open the IEHistory.h file, you will get to see everything.

[
  #include <atlbase.h>
  #include <comdef.h>
  #include <mshtml.h>
  #include <UrlHist.h>
  #include <afxtempl.h>

  BOOL  GetHistory(CStringList & list)
  {
    STATURL url;
    CString strUrl;
    ULONG uFetched;
    IUrlHistoryStg2Ptr history;
    IEnumSTATURLPtr enumPtr;

    if(FAILED(CoCreateInstance(CLSID_CUrlHistory,
          NULL,
          CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,
          IID_IUrlHistoryStg2,
          ( void**)&history)))
          {
            return false ;
          }

          if(FAILED(history->EnumUrls(&enumPtr)))
      return false;

    while(SUCCEEDED(enumPtr->Next(1,&url,&uFetched)))
    {
      if(uFetched==0)
        break;
      strUrl = url.pwcsUrl;
      list.AddTail(strUrl);
    }
    return true;
  }
]

Download demo project - 28 Kb
Download source - 11 Kb
 

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block_ips free list

Feel free to circulate this list, use it to block unwanted or malicious activity, and/or incorporate it into anti-spyware software. However, please do not delete any rules from it. If you think something should be added or deleted, please email me at yospongeP@yahoo.comP. Remove the two capital Ps before emailing. You can, of course, quote part of it relevent to a specific spyware. My official site is www.geocities.com/yosponge and you can obtain updates there. Thank you!
 NOTE: Entries for spyware which are new or changed will say so.

Risk key:
C = Common                   H=High
O = Occasional               M=Moderate
R = Rare

Spyware Free Spy Software Blocking Tool

Tired of all that Spyware and Adware crap being installed by ActiveX ? But don't want to lose out on functionality? We have created a system that blocks all known "bad" ActiveX controls from running inside Internet Explorer by setting the "Kill bit". When a page tries to install a component from our list, it will fail. When a page tries to use a component from our list that was already present on your system, it will fail too! Other, "friendly" components are not affected. For a full technical explanation how this works, look at this Microsoft article.

Recommended Links

***** Spyware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -- general spyware information

***** Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File contains very useful information including Various Troubleshooting Articles

• Options for Using the Ipconfig Diagnostic Utility (XP)
• WinME users - Start | Run (type) "winipcfg" (no quotes)
• "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message (XP) [more info]
• Error Message: The Page Cannot Be Displayed (98\ME)
• "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message (2K)
• Repairs Winsock 2 settings (usually spyware related)
• How to Reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP
• How to Troubleshoot TCP/IP Connectivity with Windows XP

• HOSTS Manager 1.4 [freeware]
• HOSTS File Manager [freeware] (MVP site)

Resources Ad Blocking Resources

IE-SPYAD adds a long list of sites and domains associated with known advertisers, marketers, and crapware pushers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer. Once you merge this list of sites and domains into the Registry, the web sites for these companies will not be able to use cookies, ActiveX controls, Java applets, or scripting to compromise your privacy or your PC while you surf the Net. Nor will they be able to use your browser to push unwanted pop-ups, cookies, or auto-installing programs on your PC.

Please note that IE-SPYAD is not an ad blocker. It will not block standard banner ads in Internet Explorer. What this Restricted sites list of known advertisers and crapware pushers will do, however, is

AGNIS contains a set of customized ad block lists for AtGuard, Norton Internet Security 2000/2001/2002/2003, and Norton Personal Firewall 2003. These block lists are much more extensive than the default ad block lists shipped with all of these programs. AGNIS includes both a "full" and "lite" version of this customized ad block list for each application:

Spyware Warrior Rogue-Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites

Last modified: June 02, 2008