pussyluver

Does anyone know what those fake Codecs do or down load. Assume it is more than one isssue. I mean specifically. Who are the mofos behind it. Bout time to out 'em all. Maybe a search over at askdamagex might shed some light?

Not gonna down load any of the bastards to findout and fuckup a working machine. I am considering setting a box aside and go ahead and fuck it up to see what the shit does first hand.

poto

I don't know much about the code of the fake codecs... but I think most of the peeps behind em are the russians...

pussyluver

I've decided to commit a box to testing this shit. I'll make it an xp box. Test with and without McAfee

poto

good luck with it... and keep us posted

Trixxxia

Hi pussyluver,

Let me give you a briefing of what the codec does. I'm assuming it's the one being discussed on other boards and which I've commented on a few time.

The one I got was MovieCommander (read some more here ->Beware of Trojans Masquerading as Movie Codecs or Players ~ usrbingeek’s musings)
What it does is resets your DNS and basically they have control of your computer.

Now I got it installed via an MGP gallery - the gallery had a video and when you click to watch the video, you could hear the sound but not see the image, or sometimes it's the opposite. Once it's installed, when you go to a sponsor or TGP/MGP what it will do is overwrite the affiliate's code. So basically, if I click your gallery and your affiliate code is ?pussylover by the time I hit the join page, it will say ?crooksusername. This is when the sponsor hasn't caught on. IF the sponsor caught on & killed the account, well then what they do is try to find a similar program until the other program doesn't catch on. If they have nothing to match, well they 'launder' the traffic through trades and cj'ing and then resell it to search engines & traffic brokers.

I've taken many videos of it in action when I had it on my scrap computer, but I had to remove it this week cuz I wanted to install Zango. When I would get to Zango's page, it actually prevented it from showing. Anyhow, the two did not mix. But it must have left some other shit there cuz Zango cut the computer off the net totally.

If I manage to figure out how to make it work again without having to format it, I'll show you samples of it working on your galleries or promos. It's crappy for you & for the sponsor because your clicks are there - but the sales are not so conversions look crap but it's really someone stealing your traffic from the sponsor. *depending on whether the sponsor cut them off or not*

poto

hi Trixxxia,

great first post... very informative...

and welcome to the board

Trixxxia

Hi poto and thank you - your avatar intrigued me and I followed you around LMAO. I didn't think I'd see so many familiar places

poto

glad you liked my avatar itto was the one who whipped up the awesome toon of me in my avatar and the header here... he's got mad skillz like that...

this place is just a little board that a handful of us slapped together to talk some biz, share some ideas (without the massive bullshit and prying eyes of the other boards) and hopefully make us all some more money...

pussyluver

Thanks for the information!

I'm in the process of cleaning up a PC to use as a test bed for Zango and other malware. It will be an xp box. I still have a needed app on it that has to be moved.

Since a build takes a while with all the service packs and updates, I plan to do a mirror of the fresh install so I can reset the PC to a working condition after I fuck it up with scum. That will give me the ability to test one piece of sheeet-ware after another fairly easily I hope. I will be doing screen caps. Don't know about filming the screen, but could.

My purpose is not necessarily to file a suit, but to try to figure out how to avoid the scumware. A definition of the damage should be usefull in that effort.

Welcome to the board!!!

pussyluver

Assume that no known Virus scan software suite blocks the fake codec download. MS Vista and/or firewall should atleast warn about the download??? Fear testing till I get that test pc in place.

McAfee (Trend Micro, Kaspersky etc.) should be addreassing the issue since it affects mainstream and the porn world.

This assumes the suffer is smart enough to have up to date virus scan software.

Someone has prolly already posted info on one of the boards.... One of the items on my list to research. Need more hours in a day.

Trixxxia

I think my system was still equipped with McAfee when I clicked the codec *on purpose* In the case of the codec, it's 'hardly' detectable, meaning I had a hard time finding something to get it off other than HiJack It and removing manually.

If you need to 'record on video' the action - I suggest Snag-it. That was the simplest software.

If someone is savvy enough to help me figure out what the Zango/Codec combo has done to my DNS on that PC - I can definitely help gather more info.

As for my point - I've been saying it for a few years now. If sponsors would cut their 'ad budgets' from 'shows' to invest in an 'educate the surfer' fund - we'd all be making more money. If a surfer has a clean PC - he surfs more 'enjoyably', he buys happily and we will accept those joins gladly.

Trixxxia

BTW thanks for the warm welcome

poto

well, other than reformatting your PC or checking your hosts file, I'm not sure how to fix a DNS hijack...

yea, surfer education about spyware is one of the issues...

but imho, I think surfer education is a double edged sword... cuz a surfer tech savvy enough to keep his system totally clean is probably smart enough to get all his porn for free from rapidshare and the like

as an example I've got one site that gets a lot of hardened 'free porn' surfers from surfer boards... almost 50% of them are running Firefox -- another site I have gets pure SE traffic and over 90% of the surfers are running IE...

pussyluver

That sure tells a story!! Hey my sites look better in Firefox. So many IE W3C issues.

I was looking at my trading partners and who they traded with. Looked at the sites and found many with the codec down load problem. Some by accident (scam gallery submitters etc.) and others prolly on purpose. So I start deleting and banning. Checking cheaterhell... the usual.

Then search google, I get a bit of SE traffic. By far the largest source of of scum downloads. Stop by myspace or bout any social network site you can mention and more fake downloads. The real answer is not to avoid the sites with 'em, but find some protection.

Those IE users like you have idicated are more likely to convert.

pussyluver

If the sponsor makes money either way, there isn't much in the way of motivation. That is unless he/she thinks beyond today. Affiliates are getting smarter, Damn I hope the surfer is too! Maybe Zango is a good thing in a perverse way. As it opens the eyes of a sponsor a bit when they are attacked by a competitor.

We are going to go where we can make $. Constantly looking and $/click on traffic I send. And I do notice and take note when a sponsor has a big promotion and my conversion rate goes to hell for them.

poto

yea, my sites always look better in FF than IE... I hate IE sooo much...

I'm with ya on that... google's index is probably the #1 source of spyware infections considering how much spam is in there

yep, those IE users make me far more money than the freeloaders... which is why I try to spend the bulk of my time promoting my SEO sites...

exactly... most sponsors don't seem to care since their numbers stay the same either way... it's mostly the affiliates that get screwed... tho, this latest bit with the processor join page popups seems to have stirred some shit...

really, it's about time... this has been ignored for far too long...

me too... and I hate when a sponsor I'm doing well with starts a big promo, cuz I know my ratios are going to turn to shit with them - personally, I think the spyware people notice when the promos happen and crank it up a notch which may contribute to the rest of us getting fucked...