Can you tell me what spyware to download, free or purchased, to use to
get rid of DSO Exploit? 

I just used Spybot and Adaware to clean my computer of viruses.  Adaware
says it's clean but Spybot says I have 5 occurences of the DSO Exploit
virus/trojan.  I hit "Fix Problems" and Spybot returns a message
saying it's fixed.  But when I run Spybot again, it's there.

allworkandnoplay,

This is an easy fix. I've done it myself. I installed Spybot about 4
months ago and remember the exact same thing happening to me. At that
time I found a page that explained why it keeps coming back on Spybot,
followed the instructions there, and bookmarked it in case anyone
asked about it. It's coming in handy right now!

Please make sure you have the latest version of Internet Explorer
installed and have all the *CRITICAL* Windows Updates that are
applicable to your system.

If you have all that already, then you are safe from the DSO exploit,
it has been patched long ago by IE Cumulative Update MS02-015, in
March of 2002.  If you've installed this specific patch, or any
subsequent IE Cumulative Updates, IE Service Pack 1, or WinXP SP2,
you're safe.  It would appear that the latest version of SpyBot S&D is
only checking for Internet zone settings in the registry that could be
used as work-around protection, and not for the presence of any
corrective patches.

This is documented on Spybot's FAQ page:

Spybot - Search & Destroy
MAIN PAGE: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Why does DSO Exploit return? : http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/36.html
Spybot says the "reappearing DSO Exploit" will be corrected in a future update.

I didn't want the DSO Exploit to continue to show up in Spybot so I
searched further and found this on the Internet:

How do I Remove DSO Exploit? 
http://www.pchell.com/support/dsoexploit.shtml
There are very specific, easy instructions at this link to modify your
registry. After you do this, the DSO Exploit will not show up in
Spybot anymore.


Note at the bottom of that page is a long list of removal instructions
for other programs.  They might come in handy at a future time.


If I can be of any further assistance with the DSO exploit, please
don't hesitate to ask via the "Request For Clarification" procedure.


Sincerely,

~~Cynthia


Search Terms used at Google:

"DSO Exploit" remove
"spy bot" dso exploit bug

---

Clarification of Answer by cynthia-ga on 23 Dec 2004 12:48 PST

allworkandnoplay,

THANK YOU --so very much, for the 5 star rating and the generous tip!

I'm fixing it now. Thank you Cynthia!