Wheatherbug, spyware or not?

General Topics
1

Weatherbug, an old question, is it adware, spyware or not. Decide yourself:

Vendors site
WeatherBug is a safe and secure desktop application that delivers live local weather and life saving alerts to millions of people a month. WeatherBug does not have, and never has had, the capability to track surfing habits or “spy” on its users. WeatherBug is not “Adware.” WeatherBug’s is incapable of tracking the trends of its customers’ Web use or deciphering anything on customers’ local or hard drives. WeatherBug does not “snoop” on its users, nor does it have functionality to determine what users were doing, where they were before WeatherBug was opened or where they go after using WeatherBug. We require any software that is integrated with WeatherBug, including the WeatherBug Browser Companion powered by My Search, to be spyware- and adware-free, too.

Download address for module MiniBugTransporter.dll:

http://www.dll-downloads.com/downloadnow.asp?mirror=1

2

Hello Zagor,

Weatherbug itself has always denied it is, and as such this is true.
But it has been found as “unsollicited” installs by adware vendors and other spyware,and in this sense it is adware.

See: http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/WeatherBug.html

polonus

3

Many years ago, I tried WeatherBug and back then it had ads in it … maybe spyware, also. Perhaps they have removed that stuff now. Many people seem to like it but I do not know why. That does not necessarily make it a good thing, though.

Just my 2 cents worth. :wink:

4

There is always the alternative:
WeatherPulse which is totally free of anything.

http://www.softpedia.com/images/spyward/softpedia_free_award_f.gif

http://www.softpedia.com/awards/softpedia_games_award3_bb.gif

Direct download from MySharedFiles is available HERE
A review and download is also available from SnapFiles

5

What is using wheatherbug on my machine:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\WeatherBug\MiniBugTransporter.dll

Real Player maybe, but for what?

6

Zagor
I suggest you check the following link:
http://www.spyany.com/program/article_spw_rm_Minibug.html

7

Thank you Bob, but that didn’t seem to work in my case. I tried scanning and Ewido did the job. Strange, since the on-demand scan didn’t detect it, but the context meny scan did.

Hello to all the rest! :slight_smile:

8

Hi Zagor,

Analyzing is everything there is to understand the workings.
I suggest you start downloading from here:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm

It is a hell of a good tool to get rid of browser crap or any unwanted toolbar, browser helper object etc.

Also it is a good thing to analyze your start up routines:
http://www.niksoft.at/download/startdreck.htm

While you are at it, download PepiMks FileAlyzer too at:
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/filealyzer.html

Run these three tools and then report back your findings on this file, I guess you have another view of it,

polonus

9

Hi friend,

Thanks for all that links. I already had the FileAlyzer and this it what it says:

File: D:\Downloads_Latest Downloads\MiniBugTransporter.dll
Date: 22/1/2006 18:50:12

***** General ******************************************************
Location: D:\Downloads_Latest Downloads
Size: 335872
Version: 2.0.0.11
CRC-32: 76532A1A
MD5: 5CB0279BC8B35D99E79764293D279C85
SHA1: D8E7E4BFF83D77A962EFF55B02B4B8C66A6E1071
Read only: No
Hidden: No
System file: No
Directory: No
Archive: Yes
Symbolic link: No
Time stamp: Monday, 04. July 2005 21:40:50
Creation: Sunday, 22. January 2006 18:49:24
Last access: Sunday, 22. January 2006 00:00:00
Last write: Monday, 04. July 2005 21:40:50

***** Version ******************************************************
Supported languages:: English (United States) (1033/1200)
— Version --------------------------------------------------------
File version: 2, 0, 0, 11
Company name: AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.
Internal name: MiniBugTransporter
Comments: Web-based WeatherBug installer. It is safe to delete this control after the WeatherBug has been installed.
Legal copyright: Copyright 2004
Legal trademarks:
Original filename: MiniBugTransporter.DLL
Product name: MiniBugTransporter Module
Product version: 2, 0, 0, 11
File description: MiniBugTransporter Module
Private build:
Special build:

***** Resources ****************************************************
— EXE ------------------------------------------------------------
213
— REGISTRY -------------------------------------------------------
102
— TYPELIB --------------------------------------------------------
1
— Bitmap ---------------------------------------------------------
101
— String Table ---------------------------------------------------
7
— Version Info ---------------------------------------------------
1

***** PE Sections **************************************************
CRC-32: ?
MD5: ?
----- PE Sections --------------------------------------------------
Section VirtSize VirtAddr PhysSize PhysAddr Flags
CRC32 MD5

Other two tools didn’t found anything.

10

:slight_smile: Hi all :

 While browsing through other forums, if I see Weatherbug
 in someone's scan results, I refer them to :
 a) www.searchlores.org/weatherbug.htm
 b) www.pchell.com/support/weatherbug.shtml

 The "b" site suggests the "safer & cleaner" Weatherpulse.

 I think many are ignorant or naive about its "presence"
 on their machines; they probably think if the manufactory
 put it there, its "ok" !?
11
The "b" site suggests the "safer & cleaner" Weatherpulse.
;D [url]http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=18860.msg159512#msg159512[/url] ;D
12

Don’t use it. You can get free non adware/spyware weather programs.

13

If that was refering to me, then I have to corect you that this was more of the case where weatherbug used me :slight_smile: