Spyware Nuker

Spyware Nuker is a spyware removal tool from TrekEight. Previous versions of Spyware Nuker has worried many users because of the following, now outdated, paragraph in the End User License Agreement (EULA): "You acknowledge that "Trek Blue" may, at their sole discretion and for any purpose, provide updates, automatic or otherwise, to the "Trek Blue" Program(s) including but not limited to the advertising or other value-added software and technology. By installing, downloading, copying, updating or otherwise using the "Trek Blue" Program(s), you specifically agree to include and/or accept the noted software and technology through which "Trek Blue", its subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, divisions, and clients provide value-added upgrades and applications to your computer."
This EULA was in use for few weeks late 2002. A Company representative stated that the EULA was included in a beta version of Spyware Nuker, a left over from the previous owner of the Spyware Nuker software, and was never intended for public release. Source

There are two major versions of Spyware Nuker, the old Spyware Nuker 1.XX and the current Spyware Nuker 2004 version. The old version is under fire from many anti-spyware players, SpyBot developer Patrick Kolla claiming that Spyware Nuker was using a hacked version of Spybot's database (This issue is mentioned briefly in a public forum and at the vendor's web site), Lavasoft, McAfee, Network Associates and Symantec is at the time of writing classifying Spyware Nuker 1.XX as adware. TrekEight denies that Spyware Nuker 1.XX is adware in the EULA and has sued Symantec for the adware labeling [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. (This article will be updated with the results of the TrekEight complaint.) During my testing, I did not see any sign of downloading any additional software or advertising. Spywarewarrior.com reports that none of the SpywareNuker versions they tested installed any adware or spyware.

There are three companies closely related to Spyware Nuker, TrekEight LCC, TrekData and Trek Blue Inc. These are according to Trek Blue Inc's CEO James Leasure three separate companies, with separate functions. TrekEight's business is advertising related, such as email marketing, co-registrations and pop-up and pop-under advertising [1] [2] [3] [4]. TrekData's web site looks identical to TrekEight's, offering the same services. TrekEight owns or are related to the following domains: blazinglogic.com, spyhear.com, spamnuker.com, wayweird.com.
Trek Blue Inc's business is software for the Windows platform and sells a few software titles besides Spyware Nuker such as Error Nuker, Popup Nuker, Spam Nuker and PCOrion which is a branded version of SpywareNuker. Once in a while, Trek Blue Inc also offers advertising related services such as mailing lists [1] [2] [3].

One incident that brought Spyware Nuker to my attentions was an unsolicited email sent to one of my e-mail accounts. The email was sent by a Trek Blue affiliate. The same message is also reported as unsolicited in a public forum discussion. CNet News reporter John Borland writes in his article, Anti-spyware vendors come under fire that "Spyware Nuker" appeared in several unsolicited e-mail messages to CNET News.com, sent by affiliates. Bojan Gajic, CTO of Trek Blue, Inc, states in an email corresponance with Kephyr.com that Trek Blue have thousands of affiliates and that spamming will result in a non-functional affiliate link, such as this one: http://www.spywarenuker.com/download.php?hop=mail4u, and a report to Keynetics Inc, the company that runs the ClickBank affiliate system.

TrekEight has been in a troublesome position because of the previous ownership of BlueHaven Media which offers the KazooM, Kazaa Skins, ICQBoom and Mp3 Media Monster titles, where the first two bundles many potentially unwanted applications, and the latter two may do the same according to their EULA. TrekEight LCC was founded in 2002 and and acquired the BlueHaven Media web site and programs the same year. According to Bojan Gajic, BlueHaven Media was sold more than one year ago (ie, it was sold prior to 2003-09-13). Today Software Delivery Systems, Inc owns BlueHavenMedia.com. When testing BlueHaven Media's products ICQBoom and MP3 Media Monster 2004-09-08 they offered a free system scan with Spyware Nuker [1] [2]. When accepting the free system scan Spyware Nuker 1.27 was installed. When testing ICQBoom and MP3 Media Monster once again 2004-09-14 Spyware Nuker is still offered, but the installer stub is unable to download and install the actual Spyware Nuker application.

Classification

Files

spynuker.exe, LSPFix.exe, zlib.dll, DelFile.exe, English.ini, NukerLog18-03-04-44722.txt, SWN2.exe, SpywareNuker.chm, au.dll, augui.dll, exm00001.dll, exm00002.dll, exm00003.dll, reg2.dll, complete.wav, spn2.dat, spn2.ini, uninstall.exe

If you have any of the files related to Spyware Nuker on your system, please send them for additional analysis. Generally, I have only analysed a few versions for each software component listed at this web site. With your help I will be able to look at both old and more recent versions of the Spyware Nuker software. Thank you very much for your time!

Vendor

End User License Agreement

Detection

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Contact information for Spyware Nuker's vendor

In order to provide correct, accurate and updated information about Spyware Nuker I encourage the vendor to contact me if any part of this write-up needs a revision.

Additional notes

Thanks to Trek Blue Inc CTO Blue Bojan Gajic for providing valuable information about Spyware Nuker.