How do I get rid of this dang spyware?!

[nj908]

I keep getting cookies sent to me from adtmt.com, doubleclick, scorecardresearch, quantserve, chitka, vizu, and more sites. All of this is some sort of spyware, mostly for market research companies. I recently "erased and installed" my Mac, so I started over. I've only been to a few sites, all of which are legitimate (Yahoo, Facebook, Cnet, this site, and maybe CNN). I did, however, download "Little Snitch" from cnet.com, and Clamxav from their website. Clamxav is not finding any of this, nor did any of the other anti virus programs (Sophos, and iAntivirus) before I restarted my machine.

How do I stop this? Are these sites really a big threat and can be ignored? I would really appreciate responses, as it is driving me nuts. Thanks!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

That's the normal tracking cookies that sites like CNN, Macrumors, CNet, and Google use to track you for ad purposes.

How did you manage to find cookies burried so far down in your syste, and yet not have any idea what they are. That's like a musician playing in a concert without having any idea what a Major or Minor note is.

 

[nj908]

Ha, "Little Snitch" is a good program, thats how. I thought it was just normal advertisement stuff, considering I haven't done anything strange on my computer, but I just wanted to make sure (very bad PC experiences in the past).

I have also noticed an oddity. Since I re-installed my OS, I have noticed the "Security" section on my system preferences is odd. Not like before. Under "Firewall" I do not have an option to simply turn it on or off, but only to "allow essential services" or "allow all."I know this isn't a virus issue, but just weird. Hm.

 

[GGJstudios]

I have also noticed an oddity. Since I re-installed my OS, I have noticed the "Security" section on my system preferences is odd. Not like before. Under "Firewall" I do not have an option to simply turn it on or off, but only to "allow essential services" or "allow all."I know this isn't a virus issue, but just weird. Hm.

Take a screen shot and post it. It can't be a virus, since none exist in the wild that can run on your system.

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.

Mac Virus/Malware FAQ​

1. Make sure your built-in Mac firewall is enabled in System Preferences > Security > Firewall
   
   
2. Uncheck "Open "safe" files after downloading" in Safari > Preferences > General
   
   
3. Disable Java in your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox). This will protect you from malware that exploits Java in your browser, including the recent Flashback trojan. Leave Java disabled until you visit a trusted site that requires it, then re-enable only for the duration of your visit to that site. (This is not to be confused with JavaScript, which you should leave enabled.)
   
   
4. Change your DNS servers to OpenDNS servers by reading this.
   
   
5. Be careful to only install software from trusted, reputable sites. Never install pirated software. If you're not sure about an app, ask in this forum before installing.
   
   
6. Never let someone else have access to install anything on your Mac.
   
   
7. Don't open files that you receive from unknown or untrusted sources.
   
   
8. For added security, make sure all network, email, financial and other important passwords are long and complex, including upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
   
   
9. Always keep your Mac and application software updated. Use Software Update for your Mac software. For other software, it's safer to get updates from the developer's site or from the menu item "Check for updates", rather than installing from any notification window that pops up while you're surfing the web.

That's all you need to do to keep your Mac completely free of any Mac OS X malware that has ever been released into the wild. You don't need any 3rd party software to keep your Mac secure.

 

[nj908]

Here is a screen shot of my "Firewall" preferences. Its odd. I don't think I'm having potential spyware issues anymore, but I just think this is weird.

 

[GGJstudios]

Here is a screen shot of my "Firewall" preferences. Its odd. I don't think I'm having potential spyware issues anymore, but I just think this is weird.

Your firewall screen looks completely normal. Click the "?" icon in the lower right for an explanation of your options.

 

[Dave Braine]

Try installing Do Not Track. It's an extension avaiable for Safari, Firefox and Chrome. Stops you being tracked by sites.
http://abine.com/dntdetail.php