Did you know that installing LimeWire leaves behind a program called "eTraffic" that spies on EVERYTHING you do on your computer? Uninstalling LimeWire won't get rid of it, and it doesn't come with an uninstaller. It's disgusting that this is even legal.

Taken from http://www.zeropaid.com/news/article.../04212002a.php

Thx Afisk for your sincerity and integrity of information.

I wish we had more hackers like this! Can someone confirm this please?

I hope he will hack bearshare and post what he find out!

Morgwen

ETraffic appears to be part of the TopMoxie package that is installed with the "free" version of LimeWire. You're right, however, that uninstalling LimeWire won't get rid of TopMoxie. I can't remember if Ad-Aware even catches it... I don't believe it did. I seem to remember having to delete the TopMoxie directory manually. (I also went one step further and used "msconfig" to manually remove the ETraffic component from my startup items.)

:) Joe (its shorter ;))!

Did Limewire mention this somewhere? Afisk promised me that they want AT LEAST mention it when software will not be uninstalled?

Morgwen

i remember VTOLFreak telling us about topMoxie and eTraffic about three months ago, here's the thread...

http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...&threadid=7357

hmm...adam didn't tell him about that proxy thing, and he never came back after vtol discovered it by himself...that was a really, really bad move, limefolks...

Thanks Abaris!

And thanks to Limewire for open and honest information! :rolleyes:

Morgwen

Spywire
 

As mentioned previously in this thread Limewire did lie in the past about spyware and they don't want to change anything now. Instead they send their PR man Afisk. It's a shame this is legal!

http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...&threadid=5022

Honestly I can't remember if there was something somewhere that said something specifically about TopMoxie. I'm one that typically rushes into an installation without really reading a lot of the fine print in the installer (like license agreements).

Yes,

some time ago via PM! But it was not TopMoxie, I think it was Gator or cydoor but you said you will mention the progs that will not be uninstalled via the Limewire installer!

Morgwen

but...it's about choice...
 

i don't like the idea behind topmoxie at all. i'd like to contribute to limewire by using your "affiliate sites", but redirecting users from websites they enter in their browser...thats taking away customers from the services they choose to use.

hmmm...what would you say if i would recompile limewire from the sourcecode you offer on your site (it wouldn't even have banner ads then), sell it to users for 50$ and bundle it with a proxy that redirects them from "www.limewire.org" to "www.citrowire.com", to make sure they visit my website rather than yours?

as mentioned before in this thread, this scenario would be perfectly legal. but adam, don't tell me you would like it. that's very bad behaviour for a company willing to appear serious; even worse for a group that holds the administrative rights of the GDF. you are de facto a representative of gnutella's normative entity, and you shouldn't go on with buisness like this.

if i should use TopMoxie, i would insist on getting a complete list of the websites you take me away from, and those you redirect me to. i don't know if you have this information in your license agreement (for i never used limewire after 2.0.1). if you haven't, i would abort the installation immediately (and run adaware). even if you have, i wouldn't like it; i really want to choose what company to buy my stuff from. IMHO this is much worse than banner ads, for i can choose not to click on a banner, but i can not choose to be redirected or not. furthermore, it's no longer a deal between you and your users only. redirecting affects third party companies whom you are taking away the customers.

as i said before, that was a really, really bad move, limefolks.

Direct marketing: Limewire's new hope
 

Hi,
I heared you can buy coffee in south america, fly it to the USA and sell it on the NY streets direct to your customers. how about more noble business pratices: some noble italian busines men in NY sell life ensurances, sounds like making some bucks too. unlimited fantasy and no care about legal business are helpful.

I heared you can buy some other things there... especially in Columbia, and you get much better prices for this in New York! ;)

I am kidding!!! :p

Morgwen

adam, i'm sorry if i misunderstood the concept of TopMoxie. One of the posts in the thread i mentioned before implied that one was redirected from certain servers to other ones, which i really would have many concerns about.
if one is really redirected to other areas of the same site only, that is a very different thing and not by far as bad as my former scenario.
however, i don't have to tell you about the popular points of view concerning proxies, especially those that stay on a computer after the program it came with is gone. it is quite natural that things like that are subject to speculations.
honestly, i don't take limewire for the big internet gangster, as i told more than once during this discussion. i see limewire's need for money, as any corporation has to make money in order to survive. but i also see that there are no noble ways to make money from gnutella. the only ways are to bundle stuff, display ads, collect information and the like.
i cannot really see any sense in your concept of TopMoxie. if i am just redirected from "amazon.com" to "amazon.com?affiliate=lime" or something like that, then why should amazon pay you? do they think i will visit amazon more often just because i have limewire installed? why should i, if i don't look carefully at the adress bar, i wouldn't even notice that amazon and limewire have any connection to each other, as you said.
man always fears what he cannot understand. it is natural that i sense a trap in this proxy thing, anything that makes its installation worth the money that your affiliates pay you. regarding the fact that all my internet traffic is indeed routed through TopMoxie, suspicions become even more concrete. i don't want to say now that topMoxie indeed spys on users, for i have no proof and i have not tested it. but i would still sense great danger in having it installed on my system.
perhaps you can clear things up and explain to me what makes TopMoxie so valuable for affiliate sites. i wouldn't want to badmouth your source of money without good reason.

As I understand it, TopMoxie redirect from amazon to amazon but they do it over a "small shortcut" ;) that amazon think they were sent by Limewire!

Morgwen

Top Moxie spyware with Limewire
 

From [Random-bits] Top Moxie spyware with Limewire

Well, to make a long story short, I recently downloaded and installed a
popular P2P application called "LimeWire". During the installation, it
gives the user a chance to de-select various other third-party promotional
software, which of course I chose not to install. However, after using the
product for a few days, then later uninstalling it, I found this curious
little application always running in the background whenever I started my
computer. In the MSCONFIG Startup group it's titled "ETraffic", which I
later found out gathers information from the computer and sends it out over
the net: ie "Spyware".

After further checking, I read way down in the LimeWire license agreement
(exactly 205 lines down) that it would also install this application too, in
a directory called TopMoxie. My contention with LimeWire and TopMoxie is
that, if the spyware is going to be installed as a bundled package, then it
should also be uninstalled with the "parent" software. But it was not,
leaving behind some 140 files and running secretly in the background and
sending out information forever should it never be detected.

I have since contacted topMoxie, and they refuse to admit any wrong doing,
but stated they would "look into the matter". Their argument was that if a
big application like Netscape can leave behind some of its bundled software
(like AIM -- AOL Instant Messenger), then why can't they too. Anyway, when
I confronted them with the fact that they also do not include any type of
uninstall software for ETraffic and topMoxie (not even in the Add/Remove
list), they did not address this in their reply.

All in all I think this is some pretty underhanded shenanigans that need
further looking into. Below is the email address I used for TopMoxie. The
contact's name is Patrick Toland, though it is signed by Al Davis. Thanks
for your interest. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other
questions or concerns.

TopMoxie Email: *email address removed*

--Michael Hefner

Limewire installs spyware without asking
 

In the past Limewire has installed spyware without asking - it still does - and it will do in the future, if users do not complain. No matter what nice words the PR is telling afterwards, investigate and check Limewire against spyware. Sooner or later Limewire has gone trough all existing spyware and scumware. Nice history so far! To keep yourself uptodate with what's missing:

http://www.simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html
http://www.computerevidencerecovery.com/startprog.htm
Brand new spyware, soon in a Limewire next to you!

Btw, someone should document which spyware has been installed from Limewire and Bearshare so far, which were without asking the users?

Ya, but this is just downright underhanded. It's even MORE underhanded when users are expecting to help out another site by clicking on their affiliate links only to have TopMoxie redirect them under your affiliate entries. Or is TopMoxie intelligent enough to only hijack URLs that aren't already being referred by another affiliate? My guess is no... but please tell me I'm wrong!

And if it gets that bad will you quit your job? (as if it isn't there already)
You are as bad as the corporation you work for. You are responsible for this, DIRECTLY and don't think you can hide behind your corporation!
Corporations will do anything to shove SPAM in your face!
When I uninstall a program, it should completely remove ANYTHING it installed! If not, then you are a criminal in my eyes, leaving scumware on my computer to benefit and profit your company!
Take responsibility Adam! Grow up!

yes, everything is not spyware, harmless and full optional, not installed secretly, totaly announced and all scumware will be automatically removed when uninstalling Limewire. It's a lie. The Limewire history showed nothing is true.

We wait for the current spyware being removed and being replaced by the next. it's a neverending story. I can't await more PR and false promises. I can't await the next BonziBUDDY from Limewire!

Advertisement
For a limited time, you may download your own LimeBUDDY -- FREE! LimeBUDDY normally retails for $40.00, but for a limited time, we'd like to say "Thanks!" just for let spying you out! ***

Editors Warning: LimeBUDDY is serious spyware, but we tell you afterwards we didn't know, AFTER we made some bucks. Stay tuned for more great spyware soon in your Limewire, promised!

[edit note - there is enough spyware out there we don´t need to provide it here]

Two questions:
 

Is there a list with bundled "adware" in Limewire?
Is there a list with previously bundled software in Limewire?

Previous:
Gator
Web3000
eZula

Actual:
Cydoor
TopMoxie

I don´t know if this are all... perhaps anybody can complete it?`

Morgwen

No!

The aureate thing was the cydoor error, web3000 was installed through Gator!

Morgwen

hi, wasn't there Aureate, and desktop icons for bonzibuddy?

http://images.bonzi.com/images/bonz24.gif <- bonzi

You should also mention this clicktillyouwin trojan!

Morgwen

Adware
 

Thx Morgwen, the list of directly or indirectly software brought to you with Limewire:

Previous:
Cydor
eZula
Gator
Web3000
BonziBuddy
clicktillyouwin

Current:
Cydoor
TopMoxie

Two more questions:
Which adware was not opt-out or installed without mentioning?
Which adware was not uninstalled after remove of Limewire?

Hmm...

At the beginning only one was opt out... I don´t know if Gator or eZula... and Cydoor was not uninstalled - I can´t remember about bonzy and this clicktillyouwin thing...

And today both are installed without asking and TopMoxie stays on your computer AFAIK!

Morgwen

Are you sure you mean NOT? :)

I don´t know if it was a bug or not I know in the early days cydoors wasn´t uninstalled and today this TopMoxie thing!

Yes Limewire mentioned always which software is installed but I think it is important to mention WHICH software stays on your computer, but we discussed this point some time ago!

Morgwen

Re: Adware
 

I'm confused - who else? :confused::confused::confused:

Please could you make a list which has been always properly deinstalled and which not (all?).
Which has been always opt-out (none?), which has been installed without asking the users (cydoor)?

thx!

could you give a list with desktop icons and misc 3rd party software came with Limewire also in the past? which of them did use an own installer?

no, that's fine. thx!

I wanted to get an overview on adware with installers. bonzibuddy is also worth to be mentioned. now I can inform myself what adware is 'scumware' or 'spyware'.

Say no to spyware
 

I don't care what spin Adam puts on things, spyware is wrong!

dig deeper... Topmoxie www site ( http://www.topmoxie.com ) says its coded by 2 Stanford guys... Heh I can guess who they are. Do you too? ;-)

ad-aware does catch top-moxie

You should also upgrade to the version 5.83!

Morgwen

pretty interesting spyware history

is there a way to monter what is conted to the internet so i can see if there is enything that is doing this im on mac os 9.1 also where do y get adaware and dose it wurk on mac