FW: The AOL Spyware

[Kenneth_Oporto () ED GOV (Oporto, Kenneth)]

Sorry Mikael... this post was supposed to go to the list.. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Oporto, Kenneth 
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 4:47 PM
To: 'Mikael Olsson'
Subject: RE: The AOL Spyware

Your mistake was an honest one.  Netscape's first mention of "SmartDownload"
was in their browser download "client".. (Began with the first communicator
I believe).. Since then they have developed SmartDownload into a download
manager that intercepts all downloads while it is active.

As for the data included in the "feedback".. there really isn't much info to
send.. Just what you're downloading, when, and from where.  There's no way
for the software to really determine what it really is that you're
downloading either.  I suppose they could monitor downloads of IE and inject
a 1 in 3 chance of crashing the computer, dissallowing the install ;)

Also.. I agree.. about not calling foul until we see the BEEF.. I think this
kind of publicity, if false, does more damage to the accused corporations
than we believe.

Kenneth Oporto
Senior Telecommunications Engineer
CACI International, Inc. for the USDoED
kenneth_oporto () ed gov
202-260-3457

-----Original Message-----
From: Mikael Olsson [mailto:mikael.olsson () ENTERNET SE]
Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 2:53 PM
To: VULN-DEV () SECURITYFOCUS COM
Subject: Re: The AOL Spyware

Masial wrote:
> SmartDownload would be a software that helps you manage your internet
> downloads (all of them),

Ahhh I was confusing it with smartupgrade... Sorry 'bout that,
everyone, my bad.

> so it would know EVERY file you download from the
> net. If you are to download pam03.mpg or prostate.pdf, AOL would know.  Or
> so does the article seem to claim. I find this somewhat disturbing.
Question
> is, whats its exact behaviour?

Yes. I think someone should sniff some traffic and try to parse it
(or post it) so that we can see what happens. Who knows, it could
concevably be something as innocent as "check for new versions of
smart download", but then again, it may not :-P

(So let's not cry foul until we see what it's doing. It hurts
 the security community if we do)

--
Mikael Olsson, EnterNet Sweden AB, Box 393, S-891 28 ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK
Phone: +46 (0)660 29 92 00         Direct: +46 (0)660 29 92 05
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