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DSS Agent


David_L

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My mom is more computer illiterate than I am so I am in charge of keeping her machine virus and spyware free. I do a thorough AV and AS scan once a week but about once every two months or so when I scan her computer with Ad-Aware or Spybot and it will find a data miner called DSS Agent and I'll let either AdAware or Spybot remove it. The next several weeks the scans will show nothing, then a month or so down the line the DSS Agent will reappear. I finally figured out that it has something to do with Broderbund Software and I looked on mom's computer and sure enough she uses a program called Family Tree Maker which is published my Broderbund. I don't know for sure how DSS Agent keeps getting back on her system, but I'm assuming that it's doing it when she checks for updates for her Family Tree Maker program. Does anyone have any info on how to configure things so that it never gets on her machine again? I have her machine set up like mine: AVG AV and AS, Spybot, AdAware, Windows Firewall, Spyware Blaster. For whatever reason I can't talk her into using Firefox, she's sold on IE7 which I have locked down pretty tight as far as the security settings go. Thanks!

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Humpty's link didn't really help me figure out how not to get DSSAgent on the computer in the first place, short of uninstalling all Broderbund products, but it did provide a link with a program to get it off once it's on. AdAware and Spybot both can do that though. I looked on Broderbund's website and they don't even list Family Tree Maker as a product they sell anymore, but I did see some kid's game called Arthur's Learning System and I believe she has something similar on there for her grandkids to play. The grandkids are way past the age to play that game so it's coming off her computer ASAP. We'll see if that solves the problem.

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