Incredimail, spyware, and paranoia

[Tannin]

So how abut it, Storage Forum people, is Incredimail a menace, or is it as safe to use as any other email client?

I see enough machines to state as a fact that more Incredimail users get virus and spyware infections than users of other email clients. (I'm not counting Outlook Express users here, of course. Outlook isn't an email client, it's a disgrace. I'm just considering things like Thunderbird, The Bat, Euadora. Pegasus, and so on.)

However, I retain an open mind as to the true cause of the clearly observed correlation between Incredimail use and scumware infestation, and have no real grounds for forming an opinion. Maybe (as some here have said) Incredimail facilitates transmission of spyware, but maybe it's just that, taken as a class, Incredimail users tend to have short attention spans and no head for anthing as technical as sending and receiving emails.

PS: bonus points to anyone who can prove genuine hard evidence to either convict or clear Incredimail of the spyware slur.

 

[Buck]

Proof? Hmmm . . . I have a customer who is running the appropriate anti-virus/anti-spyware software. However, she was still being infected by spyware. I took her off Incredimail and the problem greatly diminished. She recognized this for herself and swore to never use the software again -- and she hasn't.

------

On another note, I recently upgraded my last, PII toting, long-time customer to a Sempron based system. Previous to the upgrade he was running all of the appropriate anti-virus/anti-spyware software, used Outlook 2003 and IE6. After the upgrade I continued using the same software, except I moved him from IE6 to Opera. His system is scanned weekly for spyware, and there would always be two or three infestations on the system. Once I made him switch to Opera, the infestations dropped to zero.

 

[ddrueding]

Looke (kinda) clean to me.

 

[Mercutio]

Kaposi's Sarcoma isn't caused by HIV, it just comes along for the ride.
I don't think Incredimail is in and of itself the culprit, but I've noticed the same thing as Buck. Maybe some of their advertisers are doing nasty things like drive-by downloads.

Regardless, I wouldn't let a user touch it.

 

[LiamC]

I feel foolish/thick/backward/hick/all of the above because I did not know what Incredimail was.

IncrediBoy!

You're not affiliated with me!

 

[LunarMist]

IncreduWhat?

 

[ddrueding]

I'd need to admit that Incredimail users are the most daft, ignorant, and obnoxious users I have. They don't use OE, so they don't just take what they are given, but they don't use thunderbird, so they aren't particularly intelligent. These are the users that respond to SPAM and say "yes" to any prompts they may encounter.

 

[mangyDOG]

This poll needs a third option:

3) Incredimail sucks not only as a security menace, poor e-mail client and all-round example of bad programming, but it also is a strong indicator that the user of the infected PC is paddling in the shallow end of the gene pool...


when this option is included I will vote
:wink:


Cheers,
mangyDOG

 

[fb]

I would also vote for #3.

 

[LunarMist]

Do you expect the children to understand security risks?

 

[Sol]

Incredimail just looks like it should come chock full of spyware and horrible crap (I mean seperate horrible crap). The first time I saw it I gave it a serious look over in an atempt to prove it did but I couldn't find anything...
That said I saw that particular customers computer on about a monthly basis and despite everything I told her the first thing she'd do when she got her PC home was to reinstall all the spyware ridden programs I'd removed.