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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Warning: Problematic Spyware Encountered on Campus.


It has recently come to our attention that “spyware” products are circulating the campus. Specifically, you may have recently received an unsolicited email inviting you to download a product called HotBar. This product claims to be a Smart Toolbar with graphic overlays that color your gray toolbar in Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer applications. The real motive of these products is to collect and store information about your web browsing habits and the web pages you view, including the data you enter in search engine searches and information about your computer.

We have started to receive problem calls with PC’s locking up. After researching these problems, we noticed that Hotbar was loaded on each of these PC’s having problems. After uninstalling the Hotbar software, the problems would cease.

There are many programs similar to HotBar on the Internet that share this data collection behavior. Educational Technology Services recommends that as part of an anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam protection effort, that you carefully review and screen any software prior to loading them. Preferably, we ask that you do not load any non-college related software as there are many risks and costs associated with supporting PCs with these applications.

While no source on the Internet can be completely considered an authority on these threats, here are some sites to consider visiting to help determine the risk of a particular program, attachment, or e-mail message you may receive:

Spyware Listing: https://simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html
Spyware/Adware Listing: https://www.cexx.org/adware.htm
Hoax Viruses: https://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp
Virus Warnings: https://vil.nai.com/vil/content/alert.htm
Virus Listing: https://vil.nai.com/VIL/default.asp


We strongly recommended that you do not load HotBar or any other non-college related program on college PC’s.

If you need assistance with uninstalling HotBar or any other program that you may feel is a threat, please email help@monroecc.edu with the following information. You may also simply send an inquiry if you have a question about a suspicious program.

Subject: Uninstall Questionable Program

In the body please include: your name, campus, room number, extension and the name of the program.

Donna Pogroszewski
Communications and Network Services
11/15/2002