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Unhappy-bunny
Former Member
Message 1 of 63

Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

I have SecurityCentre version 10.5

            VirusScan 14.5   running on vista

Usually  if I check Quarantine I have loads of PUPs (they also show up in History and logs\ Threats detected) in fact I usually have so many that the only way to empty them is to follow the advice in this thread ( I have done this a few times with no problems).  This results in a rising number of tracking cookies in the Security report  but usually none or very few tracking cookie issues in the  actual sheduled or custom scans.  a couple of days ago the results of the scheduled scan said something like;  issues detected 33  issues fixed 33 tracking cookies, I ran a few more over the day  with similar results. So now when i look in the threats detected it only shows threats detected in the scans Not real time,  I have looked back and up until the 11th (4 days ago) it  shows  cookies as they have happened  - after this date the cookies are in groups of the same time as corresponding scans ( i have tested this by emptying the Quarantine- PUPS and going to pages that I often use that use cookies then checking both sections again - nothing shows up , I scan again and i get the same issues found fixed message. I have done a clean reinstall and MVT finds nothing when i reinstalled i had an issue with the sheduled scan not staying, but i fixed that by following the advice in this thread https://community.mcafee.com/message/190543#190543  ( Thanks to both Jayadeep NR and Ex_Brit) for the helpful threads).

What Im worried about is that if it is detecting tracking cookies - what else is it letting through the secuirty center  and MVT both say that there is no issue when clearly there is.

62 Replies
Unhappy-bunny
Former Member
Message 2 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

Sorry do not know how to edit!

Last sentencce should read: What i'm worried about is that if it is NOT detecting tracking cookies - what else is it letting through?

( if it WAS detecting tracking cookies i wouldn't have a problem!)

Message was edited by: Unhappy-bunny on 14/08/11 23:47:50 CDT
Unhappy-bunny
Former Member
Message 3 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

Can anyone help please ive done a complete system recovery and it is still doing it

aabob
Former Member
Message 4 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

I have exactly the same problem, and it also began precisely on August 11. First of all, you will want to find the eicar test string online and create a text file that has that as its only entry, without even a carriage return following it. (This is a short string of special characters that the folks who construct antivirus software have agreed will be detected as a virus, though it is harmless, and is a good test to see whether your antivirus software is actually working.) Assuming that McAfee Real-Time scanning is actually watching for incoming viruses, the file should be snagged and quarantined as soon as you try to save it. The good news with my problem is that it was indeed intercepted.

I contacted McAfee support about this, and a technician took control of my machine remotely, emptied my quarantine file, installed and ran QuickClean, and absolutely assured me that from that point on McAfee would intercept tracking cookies. It made no difference whatever; they're not found by real-time scaning, but at least some of them are detected and stomped when I do my weekly full scan.

Due to the coincidence in dates, and the fact that I can't find anything else online that doesn't point to this August 11 date, it seems almost certain that this is a bug introduced by some software push. The McAfee technician discounted that possibility, but his fixes didn't work (and I'm not going to do that again; the remote access ended up disabling my printer, though a reboot of both the computer and the printer fixed that problem - I'm leery of those remote-control fixes because I also had one done by Adobe that ended up clobbering a bunch of Windows settings that the operating system then wouldn't let me reset).

I assume that when enough people have the problem, it's going to get fixed, but meanwhile it's certainly annoying that when I buy a pair of shoes online, then other sites I visit try to sell me more shoes, and from stores in my area. I reallly dislike tracking cookies.

Peacekeeper
Message 5 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

Sorry I missed the original post. Any idea what happened on august 11?  As you both in different countries this would not be the windows file property fix being released so I am not sure.

Ok My wife's PC threats detected have uninterupted cookie detection throughout august so nothing amiss there.

Will pass this 1 up the line

aabob
Former Member
Message 6 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

Thanks, Tony. This brought a big "Aha" when I saw your note about windows file property fixes, because when I checked with Windows Update, I found that the only fixes pushed between 7/12 and 8/24 were indeed on 8/11. I have Windows 7 x64 running on a Dell Studio XPS 9000. Below is a list of the twelve Windows fixes pushed on 8/11 along with a description of what they do. To my untrained eye, KB2567680 looks like a particularly attractive suspect. Whether or not in a foreign country, if Unhappy-bunny is also running Windows 7 x64 and had updates pushed on August 11, then the coincidences would start to become convincing. Incidentally, in looking at the logs, I see that this morning there were still no tracking cookies found by Real-Time Scanning since August 11, but when I did a full scan (the first after the technician Quick-Cleaned out my cookies a few days ago) the scanner found 26 tracking cookies that got by Real-Time Scanning.

Is your wife's PC a Windows 7 x64 system? If not, that might explain the difference in behavior, since the fixes below are almost all x64-specific.

Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2563227)

Install this update to resolve performance and reliability issues in Windows. By applying this update, you can achieve better performance and responsiveness in various scenarios. For a complete listing of the issues that are included in this update, see the associated Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information.  After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2560656)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to compromise your system and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Update for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Junk Email Filter (KB2586924)

This update provides the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk e-mail.

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2536276)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to compromise your system and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Update Rollup for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2562937)

Security issues have been identified in ActiveX controls that could allow an attacker to compromise a system running Microsoft Internet Explorer and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems (KB2539636)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an attacker to compromise your Windows-based system that is running the Microsoft .NET Framework and gain access to information. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool x64 - August 2011 (KB890830)

After the download, this tool runs one time to check your computer for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps remove any infection that is found. If an infection is found, the tool will display a status report the next time that you start your computer. A new version of the tool will be offered every month. If you want to manually run the tool on your computer, you can download a copy from the Microsoft Download Center, or you can run an online version from microsoft.com. This tool is not a replacement for an antivirus product. To help protect your computer, you should use an antivirus product.

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2567680)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an authenticated local attacker to compromise your system and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2563894)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause the affected system to stop responding. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems (KB2539636)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an attacker to compromise your Windows-based system that is running the Microsoft .NET Framework and gain access to information. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 9 for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2559049)

Security issues have been identified that could allow an attacker to compromise a system that is running Microsoft Internet Explorer and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2556532)

A security issue has been identified that could allow an authenticated local attacker to cause the affected system to stop responding. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Unhappy-bunny
Former Member
Message 7 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

Im not sure if it is an update thing for me I am running vista and i think its a 32 bit. I think when it first happened I checked updates and there was no corresponding updates for that day.(i can't recheck as i took my PC back to factory settings.)

I took it back and was still having the problem so i did a reinstall BIG MISTAKE  i am now having the problems discribed in this thread https://community.mcafee.com/message/184124#184124  and its still not fixed (i am using a friends laptop to write this) I have no security at all so i cant go on line with no secuirty. I have had mcafee remote trying to fix for two weeks (last week it was tier 2 escalations and they could not fix I last spoke to them on friday and i have to wait until Wednesday while they try to figure it out . dread to think what state my pc is going to be in (they keep installing things, changing the registry etc). I really dont want to change my secuirty provider cause I know (usually ) how mcafee works and i really like quick clean (sometimes that has been the only that will get rid of stubbon active x  and really helps keeping my pc clutter free) and some of the other features and would nt know what to replace them with.

Peacekeeper
Message 8 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

No wife's PC Win 7 32 bit. The quarantined folder is full and jams up. This an issue we are trying to get added as a fix to 2012 version as this folder needs auto cleaning.

So what are you saying that the threats detected list show only cookies detected by custom scan not RTS? In quarantined area there is no detected by column so i assume this is coming from the logs.

aabob
Former Member
Message 9 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

The threats detected number I was quoting is the one displayed at the end of the custom scan, and includes only the threats (cookies included) that were actually found in that scan, not earlier by RTS. I verified by looking in the logs that the count corresponds only to that. The rest of my information is indeed coming from the logs, not from the quarantine file. It was in the logs that I noted that prior to August 11, there was a steady stream of tracking cookies detected and removed by RTS and none by the custom (full) scan (since the RTS was intercepting them all), and after that the situation abruptly reversed, with no further tracking cookies detected by RTS but a number found each time I did the full scan. (And it was on August 11 that I started getting ads on web sites that acted like someone was looking over my shoulder to see what I am interested in buying.) Just so I am certain I'm not pulling the dummy's error, I've looked again to verify that RTS is set to intercept tracking cookies.

Unhappy-bunny
Former Member
Message 10 of 63

Re: Real time scanning not detecting tracking cookies , is it detecting anything?

My original problem was the same as aabob  i even completely emptyed the quarantine (using the directions in the first link in the original post) went on sites I knew and checked again nothing in both the logs or the quarantine - run a scan (custom or scheduled) and they will show up.

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