IAMBIGBROTHER and component dartsock.dll are on your gaming CD

Spyware unknowingly purchased with my GalCiv Ultimate CD

http://www.fbmsoftware.com/spyware-net/process/DartSock_dll/124/
from GalCiv2 Forums
Does anyone run antispyware on his/her computer? Ever notice IAMBIGBROTHER come up on your spyware hitlist? WELL, after a full investigation... it comes from none other than my purchased copy of Galactic Civilizations Ultimate Edition. Guess what. Description of DartSock.dll
This is a component of IamBigBrother. IamBigBrother is a monitoring program that runs undetected by the user of the computer. It captures everything from chats and instant messages to e-mail, web sites visited, chat rooms, profiles, screen names, passwords, programs ran, and keystrokes logged; it takes screenshots of the desktop at predefined times. This blatant disregard for your privacy is in violation of the current gaming software ethics for North America. Here's a website which tells you all about the "IAMBIGBROTHER" spyware that you all have infecting your computers courtesy of GALCIV. This is no hoax. http://www.fbmsoftware.com/spyware-net/process/DartSock_dll/124/ If you remove Dartsock.dll from your computer, Galactic Civilizations will not be able to RUN on your computer. There are a number of antispyware software providers on the internet who recognize this insidious spyware. This casts serious doubt on the integrity of GameSpot and others who recommend this software as gaming software. My reasons for posting this here are obvious. However, I have no affiliation with any other gaming software company nor with GalCiv or any of its associates. I am merely a very peeved customer who paid for a game and received an insidious spy for my efforts.
8,204 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
You know anti-spyware apps have false positives right? The page you linked doesn't look very respectable, and some applications can use common .dll files. It might just be some networking junk that is in a third party library they chose to use.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Tiberstorm, I think you jumped the gun a bit. Chammy called it correctly. DartSock.dll is part of a software library made by Dart Communications, http://www.dart.com. It is a common and legitimate library that supports socket communications over tcp. It is essentially a plumbing library for network communication.

The anti-spyware tool you are using is being overzealous. (In fact, it is wrong in this instance.) While a particular piece of spyware may use the DartSock.dll, that does not imply that all programs that use the DartSock.dll are spyware.

All Drengin use space ships.
I use a space ship.
Therefore I am Drengin.

This is a logical fallacy.

Your assertion is incorrect. The cd does not contain spyware.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Deleted


Nasty
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
i doubt stardock or anyone related to them would allow such things to be on the cd, let alone a digital download. This isnt sony, stardock /ironclad just do not pull that kinda stuff.

how do you know this dll caused a spyware infection? did you test it with multiple programs? did you send the dll to multiple spyware databases to have them check it? or did you use spyware.net's suggested software..and thats it.

nowdays you just cant jump the gun and claim this kinda stuff without having a LOT of data backing you up. Personally i think this is more of a scam from the orginal poster but thats MY opinion..isnt it?

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, i guess we know how you spend your time when bored....I'll refrain from typing anymore.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top

Given that GalCiv I ultimate is older than the virus in question, I think you may want to go with the more likely explanation: Dart is a communications DLL that Stardock used back in 2003 to make it easier to communicate with the Metaverse in the game.

 

Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Does anyone run antispyware on his/her computer? Ever notice IAMBIGBROTHER come up on your spyware hitlist? WELL, after a full investigation... it comes from none other than my purchased copy of Galactic Civilizations Ultimate Edition. Guess what. Description of DartSock.dll
This is a component of IamBigBrother. IamBigBrother is a monitoring program that runs undetected by the user of the computer. It captures everything from chats and instant messages to e-mail, web sites visited, chat rooms, profiles, screen names, passwords, programs ran, and keystrokes logged; it takes screenshots of the desktop at predefined times. This blatant disregard for your privacy is in violation of the current gaming software ethics for North America. Here's a website which tells you all about the "IAMBIGBROTHER" spyware that you all have infecting your computers courtesy of GALCIV. This is no hoax. http://www.fbmsoftware.com/spyware-net/process/DartSock_dll/124/ If you remove Dartsock.dll from your computer, Galactic Civilizations will not be able to RUN on your computer. There are a number of antispyware software providers on the internet who recognize this insidious spyware. This casts serious doubt on the integrity of GameSpot and others who recommend this software as gaming software. My reasons for posting this here are obvious. However, I have no affiliation with any other gaming software company nor with GalCiv or any of its associates. I am merely a very peeved customer who paid for a game and received an insidious spy for my efforts.


Wow. You lose.

You're one of those guys who downloads a mod, gets a false hit on whatever obscure POS virus scanner you have, and despite the fact that thousands of people have used it and never had a problem, you run in an accuse them of packing trojans in their mod.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Tiberstorm - I have been using stardock software including the entire galciv series on multiple computers for years. I routinely screen for all forms of spyware/malware using several overlapping screening systems. I have never encountered this agent and I cannot find it when screening specifically for the agents you mentioned. No disrespect but there are hordes of good conspiracy sites out there you can better waste your time on. Play the games - have fun and relax.