Lavasoft support site is down - anyone know for how long?

Hi, I have a malware help request in progress over at Lavasoft but the support site has been down all morning. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything? Perhaps someone from Lavasoft who is reading this?

You might try Galadriel, who runs tutorials here and has had a lot of value to say on system protection.

Here are some of Galadriel's most recent posts. I was surprised to see that Galadriel is no longer recommending AdAware, preferring Microsoft.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/ind...p;hl=&st=25

Incidentally, check your scanner to see what internet browser and search engine it has on your settings page. Mine keeps resetting to MSN, and it is only with great difficulty that I get it to accept my Firefox settings. I don't even use MSN; I use IE7 occasionally.

and no, I'm not a techie. Haven't really been to the AdAware site yet. I use the free version--maybe that's the problem!

Edited by fuzzywuzzy6, 30 December 2008 - 02:27 PM.

Thanks - well, I had a request underway over there and the site crash interrupted my conversation. Their staffer asked me to post my ComboFix log, and now I can't. I was hoping I could avoid starting over or being forced to recount the history of the fix to date.

Thanks!

You might try Galadriel, who runs tutorials here and has had a lot of value to say on system protection.

Here are some of Galadriel's most recent posts. I was surprised to see that Galadriel is no longer recommending AdAware, preferring Microsoft.

fuzzywuzzy6, I appreciate the kind words, I do. This has taken me by surprise I must say, I am rendered speechless (those who know me, know that doesn't happen often).
And while my presence has obviously been noted, and noticed, I have to set a few things in perspective. I don't run tutorials here, Grinler, the owner does. I am however part of the staff, I mostly stick to the malware removal training we do here. I try to help when and where I can when time permits, which is why you'll find odd posts here and there in the AV/AS forums and occasionally in the Am I Infected forum. I do have opinions and insight on certain subjects regarding security because of my experiences in communities similar to this one. I've been active in forums and malware removal and prevention for just under 6 years now at several prominent boards like this one (although I still think BC is one of the best I've had the opportunity to peruse and 'work' at.) I don't have all the answers though, no one does. In fact, some days I feel tiny compared to my colleagues. The pool of knowledge and expertise here is incredible and I am humbled and honoured to be here among everyone. And that includes every member here. Not just the staff.

The Lavasoft support site is indeed down. I only know this because like many others I tried to load the page earlier and couldn't get there. (I've just been told by one of the LS admins that it is due to an ISP problem, and not Lavasoft's servers, they are trying to get it corrected).

As for me having any insight there.... well some would say that me and Lavasoft have had quite a history, and many of the old gang I used to 'hang with' would probably spurt whatever was in their mouth upon reading this. Considering that I was for a long time 'affiliated' to one of their biggest competitors (Spybot S&D). Oh the irony! I no longer have such affiliation though. My philosophy is to get the job done, no matter what's required, and I actually prefer recommending safe surfing habits and basic common sense in regards to security. The days of one shot fixes are long gone, and malware has become nastier and nastier with time, and even the best anti-malware/spyware programs get thrown for loops in today's online war. I don't however remember recommending Microsoft as an anti-spyware though, on that one, I'm totally clueless.

This has been quite entertaining. It took me at least 20 minutes to recover from the laughing fit I had upon reading this. Thanks for the support though, I might get a raise out of this!

Edited by Galadriel, 30 December 2008 - 10:55 PM.
added info about ISP issue

"Microsoft" was typed in unintentionally; I meant to type in "Malwarebytes." I have been having some problems with Microsoft performance for about a week and a half, so I can safely say I had Microsoft on the membrane.

Edited by fuzzywuzzy6, 31 December 2008 - 11:22 AM.

Thanks - well, I had a request underway over there and the site crash interrupted my conversation. Their staffer asked me to post my ComboFix log, and now I can't. I was hoping I could avoid starting over or being forced to recount the history of the fix to date.

It would probably be best if you did. Our HJT team members have no idea what there members had encountered
You wouldn't have to do the preliminary stuff, just post a log In this forum with a brief explanation:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/f/22/virus-trojan-spyware-and-malware-removal-logs/
The first forum you posted in was the wrong one

Edited by garmanma, 31 December 2008 - 11:31 AM.

"Microsoft" was typed in unintentionally; I meant to type in "Malwarebytes." I have been having some problems with Microsoft performance for about a week and a half, so I can safely say I had Microsoft on the membrane.

Don't we all?

I just wanted to add here that the Lavasoft support forums are back up and operational. hibleeping you should probably stay with your current helpers there, since they have already started helping you.

Lavasoft has just issued AdAware Plus 2008, which you can either purchase for $26.95 (U.S., I think) or get for free download if you enroll with TrialPay and agree to sign up with one of Lavasoft's corporate sponsors. Unfortunately, most of these sponsors will require an ongoing commitment. I took Quality Paperback Club, although that organization's website (which runs on Netscape/Enterprise) is very cluncky and there are not as many good books being offered by QPB as there used to.

My AdAware 2008 Free disappeared last night. I signed up for it the last week of December. There was only a minor incompatibility with Spybot S&D (a matter of logs from AdAware and how Spybot reads them when doing a scan); I think the problem was with the Google Pack which I kept turning down for my IE7 from Earthlink. I keep uninstalling MSN and Google Earth for IE and the Norton Security Scan, keep changing my preferences, and they keep resurfacing, along with the My Identity Defender, which I have eliminated several times. There isn't one culprit here; EL downloaded something called a Search Assistant for my e-mail identity, which evidently was designed like malware. Different components were eliminated by 3 different malware recovery programs I have on my computer and I could not recover it. Now, my regular e-mail is messed up and I am relegated to webmail and can't get to some important information until I engage in live chat with the folks in india.

Why do I think the search assistant was a "legitimate" download? If malware designers can learn from legitimate software designers, I think legitimate software designers are also borrowing tricks from malware designers, especially now that so many countries are becoming very security-conscious and want to know what activity is taking place on the internet and what our individual habits are. Remember that Google was cooperating with the People's Republic of China in helping to monitor dissident activity. This is a so-called "liberal", socially-conscious company. Ugh!

Right now I am debating whether or not to download Adaware again. I feel ripped off. I certainly don't want to invest more money in services or products that I really don't need in order to regain a backup that did find some problems my other programs didn't and wasn't very intrusive. On the other hand, by signing up through TrialPay, which was not an onerous process, I probably got on a lot of e-mailing lists I didn't want.

Edited by fuzzywuzzy6, 04 January 2009 - 11:03 PM.