PC Audit - threat or fake ??

[spudkat]

Hi guys,
just found an interesting website with a few free tools obviously geared towards pushing their main product PCInternetPatrol, which costs MONEY :eek: :eek:

Anybody ever heard of or used this product ???

I d/l their free tool PCAudit from
http://www.isa-llc.com/downloads/audit.php
and received an email containing the password I had typed and a display of all the folders in My Documents (which is not in the W98SE default location, I might add) :mad:

I was running OP(free) in blockmost mode and it never blinked an eye.

Is this a con of some sort or a real threat............. friendly conversation required please :D :D

Searching for enlightenment, and hoping not to stir up those hornets again :D :D :p

Dave.

[rikos]

Originally posted by spudkat
Hi guys,
just found an interesting website with a few free tools obviously geared towards pushing their main product PCInternetPatrol, which costs MONEY :eek: :eek:

Anybody ever heard of or used this product ???

I d/l their free tool PCAudit from
http://www.isa-llc.com/downloads/audit.php
and received an email containing the password I had typed and a display of all the folders in My Documents (which is not in the W98SE default location, I might add) :mad:

I was running OP(free) in blockmost mode and it never blinked an eye.

Is this a con of some sort or a real threat............. friendly conversation required please :D :D

Dave.

The program did exactly what it was intended to do. It is in essence - a trojan.
You chose to run it. It is another cheap scare tactic by unscrupulous vendors.

[root]

It is simple trickery to get you to buy their product. Any test that says you need to download a file first, is like saying, would you please install our little trojan on your system, and then activate it. Then they come back and say, oh you failed out test, you need our product.
Best thing to do is delete it from your bookmarks and get the program off your system. :p

Darn. David!!!!!

[spudkat]

Oh crickey, I can't believe I fell for that one :eek:
How daft can I get, I just didn't see through the hype :(

I will punish myself in a suitable manner by typing out "I will not download stupid files from vendors that supposedly test my system for vulnerabilities" a hundred times in every available font :D :D

Seriously, thanks guys for pointing out the obvious............guess I'm not the first and won't be the last ;) ;)

I guess I should be demoted back to 'junior member' :(

Dave.

[root]

Spudcat, you did the intelligent thing. You thought about it and then asked.
That site and many like it can be very convincing to people that are concerned about their security. They mean to mislead and confuse and in many cases they are very good at it.
I have had several people concerned about that site and for some, it is difficult to believe it is all smoke and mirrors. After you have seen most of the hype and the tricks it gets a little easier to know what to take serious.
I always stress to people that find themselves in similar situations. No one is born with the knowledge it takes to know and understand security on the internet. We all have to start at the beginning and learn. We will go to our graves learning.
The smart ones ask when they don't know. Others assume. ;)

[meneer]

Let's just make a black list for all to see, let's call it FAM, Frequently Asked Misses :D