TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ
|  Wild Tangent in new AOL IM ver. 5.5
Well, downloaded the latest version of thaat wonder AOL IM...............SUPRISE!! First hint of problem: WinPatrol detected a program wanting to load*DENIED*
Next, ran AdAware(01R255 06/02/04
!NOTHING!
Reboot, run SpyBot:
!!WILDTANGENT!!!!
Folder and registry entries.*ALL REPAIRED*
Reboot, ran SpySweeper:
!!AdWare: WIldTangent!!!Over 900 traces!!
*Removed*
Reboot, rescan with SpyBot: All Clean
Everyone beware!!! |
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ahulett
Life Without Walls
Premium
join:2003-02-02
Bellevue, WA
| I was waiting to see if they did this... I'll have to run a TAC Assessment now. Did they inform you of this installation in the EULA or on the webpage prior to it happening?
--
Aaron Hulett - Chief Research Officer | Lavasoft Research & Development | »www.lavasoft.de |
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exocet_cm
In memory of dadkins
Premium
join:2003-03-23
New Orleans, LA
clubs:  
 ·Cox HSI
·Suddenlink
 ·Cingular Wireless
 ·AT&T Southeast
·Charter Pipeline
| reply to TeMerc
When I installed aim a while back it also installed wild tangent, which then tried to connect to the internet but ZAP caught it and I stopped it. Spybot found and removed WT and PestPatrol found a few more traces that SBS&D didn't find.
You might want to also look in your C:\Windows folder and remove the folder labeled WT - was where wild tangent was sleeping.
I think there was a settings option in the Control Panel for wild tangent too, if I'm not mistaken.
--
He that feeds a disease, feeds an enemy. Some diseases are starved. Starve your sins by fasting and humiliation. Either kill your sin, or your sin will kill you. - Thomas Watson Harmless as doves 131 |
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Bubba
GIT-R-DONE
Premium,MVM
join:2002-08-19
Around, Us
·Comcast
| reply to TeMerc
Unfortunately....companies have to look at the bottom line when offering free programs and as such AOL Time Warner chooses to be in bed with Wild Tangent. Does this make it right ?....I reckon it depends on what view one has about using free software and the possible extras that are bundled.
 Wild Tangent.com link
Excerpts from "AOL Adds Online Games To Instant-Messaging Service,"
September 25, 2003 - The Wall Street Journal
By Robert A. Guth
"AOL Time Warner Inc.'s America Online unit is tapping videogame maker WildTangent Inc. to combine online games with instant messaging as part of a broader effort to generate revenue from its popular free chat service."
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"It's 5 o'clock somewhere" *Team Z* Member |
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brandon
Some truth included in this post.
Premium
join:2003-03-31
Hurley, MS
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to TeMerc
I was shocked when I decided to upgrade my AIM last night and immediately following installation, WildTangent installer tried to access the internet (said Sygate). Because I knew WT was spyware, I denied it and got to work. Adaware turned up nothing, but Spybot did pick up a registry entry, which I fixed, and I deleted the WT folder in the Sysfiles folder of AIM.
It may be a bottom-line issue, but AIM has never had spyware before and it really bothers me that they would sell out now. (On second thought, wondering why AOL would sell out is probably not the most logical line of thought after all.) |
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too lazy to register
@66.98.x.x
| reply to TeMerc
This is disturbing indeed. I haven't upgraded AIM since I found out about those video ads that the newer versions are running. Use an old version (one of your friends should have an installer sitting around on his hard drive) or a 3rd party AIM client like Trillian. |
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TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to ahulett
OK, well, altho I did scan the EULA, I DID NOT read it as closely as I normally do, with other things I DL, primarily, because AOL hadn't stooped quite this low, and felt I was ok with a quick read, my bad. So, now to find an older version of AIM, or back to Trillian. |
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TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ | reply to exocet_cm
Wish you had posted about that when you found it!! LOL
I looked in my C;\Windows, and did not find any folder labled WT, but thanks for the tip. And yes, there was also an 'ADD' in the control panel as well, found that last nite, and removed it. |
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TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ | reply to Bubba
Well, Bubba, bottom line or not, its just another way of a company adding things, we, as people who DON'T want such things, sneaking them in at times. Wish someone had posted that link regarding the online gaming thing, or maybe I just missed it. |
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TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ | reply to TeMerc
Also, when I awoke this morning, my normally scheduled scan with SpySweeper found an additional 9 traces of WT.*REMOVED*
I rebooted and rescanned wit SpyBot again, no traces. |
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digital k
Premium
join:2003-12-25 | reply to TeMerc
Just did a Spybot scan after reading this and sure enough, WT was everywhere in my pc; I upgraded AIM last night. Thanks for the heads up... |
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Random Nut
Premium
join:2002-11-29
Mosh Pit | reply to TeMerc
Just get Trillian Pro,It's the best IMO, And none of that bloated crap!
--
Fight Club |
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NyQuil Kid
8f The Nyquil Kid
join:2001-01-06
Brick, NJ | reply to TeMerc
Hehe - yeah I noticed a Wild Tangent Control Panel Icon after I installed AIM 5.5 - severely lame on AOL's part.
Thank God for Trillian.
[8F] The NyQuil Kid |
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LoPhatPhuud
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-01-06
Albuquerque, NM | reply to TeMerc
The really "nice" part is that AOL says nothing about waht is being installed! Even the AIM website is quiet about "add-ons". |
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Randy Bell
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Santa Clara, CA
| reply to TeMerc
This sort of thing is nothing new: WT came preinstalled on my new Compaq Presario four months ago; first thing I did was to disable it; but I have not uninstalled WT or the Games that Compaq preinstalled, which WT is designed to update .. I just left it in harmless {disabled} state, told SpyBot S&D to ignore it. 
--
"But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13) |
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computerman2
Premium
join:2002-04-20
Rockwood, MI | Hi,
so should I remove the spyware, and not play the games on AIM 5.5, even though some of my friends want me to?
How bad is Wildtangent spyware anyhow? |
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lrusso
If It Aint Broken Dont Fix It
Premium
join:2004-01-09
Albertson, NY
clubs: | reply to TeMerc
hmm interesting im using 5.5.3553 no Wild Tagent Here. I downloaded from AIM FTP. Spybot 0 Adaware 0. |
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mrchris
We don't miss you Bush
Premium
join:2002-10-01
North Babylon, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Optimum Online
1 edit | reply to TeMerc
said by TeMerc  :
So, now to find an older version of AIM, or back to Trillian.
Try »www.oldversion.com
I'm using AIM 5.2.3292 |
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TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ
2 edits | reply to TeMerc
Heres link I was directed to about Wild Tangent, and its supported Viewpoint Media Player, tho, I'm not sure if they come together or not, thanks but no thanks, I don't want anything to do with it
»forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php···pic=4298
Theres quite a bit of reading there, regarding regedit entries and so forth. The smart ones will read on, and remove all traces, anyone else who don't care whos checking their surfing habits..........you can not bother reading it.
PS..........Thanks Mrchris for the link of old version of AOL IM....former Long Islander here!!! LETS GO RANGERS!!! |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
 ·Vonage
| reply to TeMerc
Wild Tangent is one of those "iffy" things...spyware to some, not to others.....FWIW, here is a letter comes with it. I have it on my machine, but never actually installed it.
THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT A CONTRACT, LICENSE AGREEMENT OR LEGALLY BINDING
IN ANY WAY.
Hello, this is an open letter from Alex St. John, CEO of WildTangent
Inc. This file is for the benefit of folks out there who may have
missed the WildTangent privacy statement when they installed our
product, and later discovered that our Web Driver updates itself
automatically. If you are worried about what kind of information our
product is collecting and reporting to us, or delivering to your
computer, please check out the privacy statement on our web site at
www.wildtangent.com. We are not "big brother" or a Trojan horse, we
have the utmost respect for your privacy, we don't know who you are
unless you tell us, and our updater has essentially no impact on your
computers performance.
WildTangent is working very hard to pioneer game and multimedia
content delivery over the Internet, but there are two enormous
challenges associated with this problem that our updater resolves.
1) Support: DirectX drivers, which we depend on, are frequently
broken or unstable. Support problems associated with DirectX drivers
are typically 3-7% for most video game developers. Game developers
have large support staffs to deal with these issues but the web
developers using our technology will not have the same resources. In
order to make it practical to enable web developers to author leading
edge multimedia content and deliver it online WildTangent must try to
cope with the support problems associated with DirectX. Our updater
is part of a sophisticated support automation system that allows us
to detect driver problems and fix them automatically.. hopefully
before a user ever encounters them. We track system configuration
and driver information in an effort to detect problems and fix them
before our users ever encounter them in content.
2) Size: Multimedia applications are usually huge. The updater
allows us to deliver content users request in idle bandwidth rather
than forcing users to wait for a long download. We keep our driver
current with new technology using the updater to avoid asking users
to take a download hit every time they want to see WildTangent
content. We also stream content. If our servers know your system
configuration then they can tune the content they are delivering to
suit your bandwidth and multimedia capabilities. All of this makes
our multimedia content delivery much faster and more reliable.
Lastly we track information about how WildTangent content is used.
This allows us to bill publishers that are using our technology for
commercial applications. This billing mechanism also makes it
possible for us to make the technology available to a large community
of small content developers for free, while generating revenue from
the larger folks who use our technology to make money. We don't know
who you are, nor do we try to figure it out unless you want to tell
us.
We try very hard to make our technology as reliable, responsible and
unobtrusive on your machine as possible. An interesting side effect
of our effort to be unobtrusive is that some folks think that there
is something sneaky going on because we don't plaster our logo all
over the desktop or start menu. Our sincere intention here is to
avoid cluttering your desktop with stuff you shouldn't have to deal
with.
That said, the updater can be disabled at anytime from the
WildTangent control panel applet.
If you found this file and have any questions about its contents,
please email us at info@wildtangent.com. I hope this letter has
successfully addressed any concerns we may have raised, and I hope
you will continue to enjoy our content. If you are computer savvy,
then you may be interested in learning how to create WildTangent
content yourself. Our FREE SDK can be found in the developer section
of our web site at www.wildtangent.com.
Sincerely,
Alex St. John
President & CEO
WildTangent Inc.
I think I picked it up when my son installed AIM...a LONG time ago. I should probably just delete the folder at this point as we no longer use AIM and I've never used AOL.
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SB2K »www.sarah-brightman.com |
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