Reply to: New powers for police to hack your PC

[pmeswani]

Sorry, corrupt is not quite what I meant.

Anyway, I was only asking regarding McAfee. I've never had a new app ask that I remove spyware before.

And McAfee does run like a dog, the interface is carpe, and their website is sometimes incomprehendable. Is it easy to remove?

Easy to remove McAfee? I believe so. The uninstall string should be in the registry (under the mcafee keys). Because most AV software install drivers / filters (can be found in Device Manager under the hidden devices), this would need to be removed before installing any new AV. Some AV products, like TrendMicro, will scan the registry to see if any AV are installed. Don't know if they do manual uninstalls. I use to have to manually remove McAfee from corporate workstations remotely in order to reinstall it. Use to be able to do it blindfolded.

Don't know if this helps...

http://www.techspot.com/vb/all/windo...ve-Mcafee.html

or

http://www.pchell.com/virus/uninstallmcafee.shtml

[Doggy Styles]

Not quite what I said. What McAfee do (and TrendMicro) to 3rd party Antispyware products is their perogatives. I moved to Kaspersky from TrendMicro (and not moved to McAfee as it is carpe) because Kaspersky is a better rated product. If a bill is passed through parliment, then there is nothing corrupt about getting some viruses whitelisted.

Sorry, corrupt is not quite what I meant.

Anyway, I was only asking regarding McAfee. I've never had a new app ask that I remove spyware before.

And McAfee does run like a dog, the interface is carpe, and their website is sometimes incomprehendable. Is it easy to remove?

[Purple Dalek]

The police are allowed to wiretap a line if it is in the interest of national security or if they have obtained a warrant by the home secretary. Therefore if the wiretapping is accepted as evidence, you would have to consider it, regardless of your personal point of view.

I don't have a problem with a wire-tap, per se, if they're only listening, but if they're injecting calls/information into a wire-tap, then I do have problems with any evidence they gather.

[pmeswani]

It gets better: as often as not the American plod outsources the installation to the ISP and people have found out by a call from their ISP's call centre that they're due to have it installed and would they please switch their computer on...

Another one I read about was a guy who was having problems changing his telco for a normal landline phone and essentially got told they'd installed a wire-tap on it, at police request, so it was difficult for them to move his account.

Nah, if I was a juror and I heard that the police had installed something I'd discount any evidence they got that way. There again we, the gathered congregation, work in IT, so we know as soon as they open a back door the bad guys will be in it as well within a few hours. Just wait and see for another Guilford type debacle to happen. Thinking on that we all visit this board and work in IT so probably on a list already.

The police are allowed to wiretap a line if it is in the interest of national security or if they have obtained a warrant by the home secretary. Therefore if the wiretapping is accepted as evidence, you would have to consider it, regardless of your personal point of view.

[Purple Dalek]

Possibly true. But I wonder if the Police would be able to sue for breach of copyright?

It gets better: as often as not the American plod outsources the installation to the ISP and people have found out by a call from their ISP's call centre that they're due to have it installed and would they please switch their computer on...

Another one I read about was a guy who was having problems changing his telco for a normal landline phone and essentially got told they'd installed a wire-tap on it, at police request, so it was difficult for them to move his account.

Nah, if I was a juror and I heard that the police had installed something I'd discount any evidence they got that way. There again we, the gathered congregation, work in IT, so we know as soon as they open a back door the bad guys will be in it as well within a few hours. Just wait and see for another Guilford type debacle to happen. Thinking on that we all visit this board and work in IT so probably on a list already.

[pmeswani]

And as soon as they do that the virus writers will look at the signature and make theirs do the same. As has been found in America.

Possibly true. But I wonder if the Police would be able to sue for breach of copyright?

[Purple Dalek]

Not necessarily true. The police have developers in-house and will inevitably work with the Antivirus and Spyware companies to ensure that their code is not in their database as a virus.

And as soon as they do that the virus writers will look at the signature and make theirs do the same. As has been found in America.

[pmeswani]

Believe me, they are all bloody useless.

Anyway with a hardware firewall, a software firewall, usernames and good passwords on an updated clean system, they aint getting anywhere.

Not that I have anything to hide though

If you got the money to get a good hardware firewall that does virus scanning, then good on ya. I don't have anything to hide, but there again, I wouldn't install a piece of software that I wouldn't trust. A good password on Microsoft requires you to not use the built in hashing used by Microsoft. You would need some better way of encrypting and hashing the password file to prevent anyone from guessing the password. If I remember when I get home, I will post a link to a piece of software that I use as part of my Forensics course that would reveal your good / strong password for you.

[pmeswani]

Do you think this why the latest version of McAfee says it cannot install until I remove Spybot and another "independent" anti-spyware package?

If true, antivirus packages that allow this is like having corrupt policemen.

It all sounded a bit suspicious, so I didn't install it in the end. I like my anti-spyware.

Not quite what I said. What McAfee do (and TrendMicro) to 3rd party Antispyware products is their perogatives. I moved to Kaspersky from TrendMicro (and not moved to McAfee as it is carpe) because Kaspersky is a better rated product. If a bill is passed through parliment, then there is nothing corrupt about getting some viruses whitelisted.

[minestrone]

Not necessarily true. The police have developers in-house and will inevitably work with the Antivirus and Spyware companies to ensure that their code is not in their database as a virus.

Believe me, they are all bloody useless.

Anyway with a hardware firewall, a software firewall, usernames and good passwords on an updated clean system, they aint getting anywhere.

Not that I have anything to hide though

[Doggy Styles]

Not necessarily true. The police have developers in-house and will inevitably work with the Antivirus and Spyware companies to ensure that their code is not in their database as a virus.

Do you think this why the latest version of McAfee says it cannot install until I remove Spybot and another "independent" anti-spyware package?

If true, antivirus packages that allow this is like having corrupt policemen.

It all sounded a bit suspicious, so I didn't install it in the end. I like my anti-spyware.

[pmeswani]

I've been insulted on CUK. I feel like I've arrived...

No doubt I'll be on your hit / hate list. And I'm sure I'm not the first or last to insult you on CUK.

[ratewhore]

I thought you being weird was a given.

I've been insulted on CUK. I feel like I've arrived...

[pmeswani]

Incidentally, I own a Mac. Should I be worried that I am a wierdo?

I thought you being weird was a given.

[ratewhore]

How does this affect the chain of evidence? If they put something on your PC cannot you then claim that all evidence they find is tainted? Sounds well dodgy to me.

You can claim that but you will need forensic evidence to prove it.

I can provide said evidence for a price if anyone needs it (assuming the evidence is there of course).

Incidentally, I own a Mac. Should I be worried that I am a wierdo?