How Spyware Smart Are You? Take the Quiz!

LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, Alaska Icrontian
edited May 2006 in Spyware & Virus Removal
So, you think you can recognize dangerous sites? Think you know which sites will infect your computer with worthless but intense spyware? Maybe you do, maybe you DON'T. Take this quiz at SiteAdvisor.

Be brave, post your score. Please do not reveal answers and spoil the intrigue for others who haven't taken the quiz.


My score was 6 out of 8 correct. :doh:

Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    I don't get it, what is the point of that quiz other than to show you have basically knowledge of every website on the internet that contains spyware? (which is just plain silly)
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited April 2006
    They say it's hard to judge a book by its cover. We'd argue that it's even harder to judge the safety of a Web site by its looks.
    Think you can sniff out which sites are adware & spyware free? Take our spyware quiz and see.

    So the point is to show that you can't always tell a spyware laden site by what it looks like.
  • TroganTrogan London, UK
    edited April 2006
    untitled4np.jpg
  • bikerboybikerboy PA
    edited April 2006
    got a 5 out of 8. thats why i have so many anti-spyware programs running all the time...makes up for my stupidity.

    bikerboy
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    I got 6 of 8 correct. I was wrong about the lyrics site and one of the download programs.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    6 of 8 but I guessed on several of them.... :D
  • skywalker45skywalker45 Bloomington, IN. USA
    edited April 2006
    6 out of 8 tightrope walker here:)

    Only problem I see with this quiz is that bundled adware/spyware, etc could have been included with ANY of the sites they listed. It's a little of a guessing game. My advice is to stay away from anything that says FREE. Free always means you pay the price somehow, usually by allowing the site to install malware without your knowledge.
    :)
  • NightwolfNightwolf Afghanistan Member
    edited April 2006
    YOU GOT 8 OF 8 QUESTIONS CORRECT
    Rating: Safety Guru

    You laugh in the face of spyware and adware. Your practically clairvoyant knowledge of the Web allows you to distinguish between safe sites and those that pose potential danger. (We suspect that you may also know which soda machines might steal your money before you drop a quarter.) Our hats off to you.

    Remember that even one misstep can put your PC at risk, so SiteAdvisor's free software can help you always stay safe and in control onli

    I AM THE MAN....I GOT THEM ALLLLL RIGHT!
  • n_ver_endingn_ver_ending "Cloud 9...mind's sky"
    edited April 2006
    7 - 8, but i too have to admit most of it was luck...I have not been to most of these sites except the lyrics site.

    This is a crazy internet world.

    Do any of your guys use the Site advisor?
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited April 2006
    Nightwolf wrote:
    ...I AM THE MAN....I GOT THEM ALLLLL RIGHT!
    :respect:

    I was five-for-eight. My only defense is that I would never click anything (except the Close Tab/Window button) at any of those sites. ;)
  • CammanCamman NEW! England Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    yeah I got 5 of 8 but I don't really see what it proves because I mostly look for ActiveX downloads and scripting and stuff on site, a small screenshot of a site really isnt much help in determining whether certain parts of it are spyware laden or if particular downloads contain spyware
  • TroganTrogan London, UK
    edited April 2006
    Clicking on a screenshot maximises the picture. :)
  • CammanCamman NEW! England Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    okay but it still doesnt really prove ones ability to "spot spyware" somebody with malicious intent could stick some ActiveX control with spyware in it on Short-Media if they were able to gain the proper access, would the site now "look" like a site that carried spyware? No, but the browser alert telling you about the script trying to run sure would
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited April 2006
    I think the whole point is that you can't tell merely by a cursory glance at the page. If you could, I'm sure we'd all have achieved perfect scores.

    As for browser alerts, Joe Average probably decided to ignore those forever the first time he had to let one through to view his bank balance or fill a prescription online. Ask the next 100 people you meet what "ActiveX" means and most of them will probably think you're talking about a p0rn0 movie...
  • CammanCamman NEW! England Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    profdlp wrote:
    I think the whole point is that you can't tell merely by a cursory glance at the page. If you could, I'm sure we'd all have achieved perfect scores.

    As for browser alerts, Joe Average probably decided to ignore those forever the first time he had to let one through to view his bank balance or fill a prescription online. Ask the next 100 people you meet what "ActiveX" means and most of them will probably think you're talking about a p0rn0 movie...

    or a sweet action flick

    ActiveX - "The next click of your mouse, may be your last." Starring Tom Cruise and Christopher Walken
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited April 2006
    Camman wrote:
    or a sweet action flick

    ActiveX - "The next click of your mouse, may be your last." Starring Tom Cruise and Christopher Walken
    I think I'll wait for it to come out on DVD. :vimp:
  • CammanCamman NEW! England Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    artwork by yours truly
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited April 2006
    Camman wrote:
    artwork by yours truly
    :respect: Awesome! ;D
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    I got 6 out of 8. The good news is (without giving the test questions away), I'm in no danger of infecting myself with spyware via these websites.

    I shudder to think what my parents would score...
    I should buy them a license for Ad-Aware.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    I should buy them a license for Ad-Aware.
    Ad-Aware SE Personal is freeware.
  • DennisDennis lost in my mind for years
    edited April 2006
    5 out of 8
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    Leonardo wrote:
    Ad-Aware SE Personal is freeware.

    Yeah, but the pay version had something that kept spy/adware from being installed in the first place, if I recall.
  • TroganTrogan London, UK
    edited April 2006
    Its the Adwatch protection that you have to pay for.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited April 2006
    Gargoyle wrote:
    Yeah, but the pay version had something that kept spy/adware from being installed in the first place...
    Trogan_1000 wrote:
    Its the Adwatch protection that you have to pay for.
    I like Ad-Aware a lot, but I also use Spybot because of its "Immunize" feature which is included with the free version.
  • DennisDennis lost in my mind for years
    edited April 2006
    umm, how do you tell spyware sites apart?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2006
    how do you tell spyware sites apart?

    I wanted to let this thread run for a while, to let people take the "quiz", to point out that we can't always tell from the skin of a site whether it has malicious content or not. It would appear that most of us posting here have some inkling of indicators to look out for. Were that not the case, the results of the quiz statistically should average to 50%.

    So, if you think you have ideas of what to look out for, please post. I'll start.

    My score was 6/8. I knew Kazaa to be notorious for spyware. That was easy. A couple of the other sites seemed to be shouting at me. Wouldn't it stand to reason if the content of a site is good quality and meets the needs of users, that such would generate interest? Is there something wrong with a site that has to plaster "free" and "best" all over and generally have a tone of hyperbole? To a degree yes. Two of the sites that seemed to me to be overpromoting themselves, I selected "Yes" as dangerous. I was right.

    Would I possibly make mistakes with sites in the future? Sure. My score was not perfect, sleazy site operators will continue to market in ways that will always entrap some people, perhaps me included. But I do now have a tool in my pocket, SiteAdvisor.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    One telltale that I always look out for is if the name of the site doesn't match the URL. It's not always an indicator of spyware, but when it really doesn't make sense, like "ratloaf.com", a little warning bell goes off in my head.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    Another few obvious signs that something is awry is if the site looks very pretty (like a lot was spent on it) but the domain name is corny or it's a dodgy url as well as FREE being plastered all over EVERYTHING and if it is promising the world and lots of 'user recommendations'.
  • DennisDennis lost in my mind for years
    edited May 2006
    one thing I look for is a support/contact page...the ones I got right I was looking for those...but then again the ones I got wrong had those too...
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