# Getting divorced? Give your spouse a worm **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 12, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285 "2003-09-12T21:24:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/1 "2003-09-12T21:24:28Z")
I’m sure some people will look at [this site](http://www.gokgle.us/) and be horrified. Others will say, “Just the tool I need.” Well, if you aren’t getting divorced before you use this program, it’s for sure you will be soon after. This $90 software is a legal (?)virus/worm that you can install on anyone without their knowing it just by sending them an innocuous-looking virtual greeting card: > [@](#): > > Through our service, you compose and send your lover a normal-looking “Greeting Card” saying “I Love you” or a similar message. Because the e-mail appears to be a regular greeting card, the recipient will open the e-card and LoverSpy will be automatically and silently installed! > > The program begins monitoring them IMMEDIATELY, there is no delay. It records and sends you all e-mails they view, including Hotmail, Yahoo, and Outlook emails. > > All the Passwords they type into their web browser are also recorded and sent to you. Every single Chat conversation they have on the internet. In fact, every Key stroke they type into the computer is recorded and sent to you in an organized report. Every single web site they visit, whether using AOL, Internet Explorer, or Netscape. > > EXACT copies of every Hotmail e-mail viewed, Yahoo, Excite, AOL, and even Outlook emails. All these e-mails are Forwarded to you in the background, in real-time! After they read their email, you will have a copy of it - seconds later. > > [snip] > > …in real-time, TURN ON their Web-Cam and see them remotely in real-time video, and even get complete access to the files in their computer… JesusHFuckingChrist! Of course, the recipient has to open the card to activate the installation, but it won’t be from a stranger, so… Anyone ever use this, or have it used on them? I’m not married, but if I were, I would hope Spybot or AdAware would detect this nastyware. Thinking about the legality of this…wouldn’t this be awfully close to wiretapping, videotaping without the subject’s knowledge, or even peeping in a window? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/2 "2003-09-12T21:52:20Z")
I just “love” the way they show that women are the only ones doing the “spying” on their SO. The Feds will catch up with these guys right quick… ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/3 "2003-09-12T21:56:27Z")
Wow, that is really freaky. You have to wonder about the people who make software like this – at the end of the day, do they sigh with a contented smile and say to themselves, “yep, today I’ve made a difference!”? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/4 "2003-09-12T22:16:04Z")
Call me paranoid, but it occurs to me that nothing prevents the company that peddles the software from including a hook that sends the spy data to them, also! Sorta like the Photo Hut employees making copies of anything they want to keep. Is this where virus writers go “legit,” by applying their skills to this kind of trick? > [@](#): > > _Orginally posted by Giraffe_ > at the end of the day, do they sigh with a contented smile and say to themselves, “yep, today I’ve made a difference!”? Sure, as they pat their wallets knowingly. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/5 "2003-09-12T22:18:27Z")
Under the Technical FAQ, I see “The Question”… \*\*\*12. What about Anti-virus programs ? Do they detect or remove Lover Spy? A: Emal PI is not a Virus. Therefore, anti-virus software does NOT detect OR remove Lover Spy. \*\*\* Can anyone explain “Emal PI” to us laymen? Hell, my wife spying on me is not a concern, but strangers sending me cards will be a concern. Of course, I never open the attachment anyways… ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/6 "2003-09-12T23:01:09Z")
So since I use Opera and Eudora, am I safe? They seem to be pretty specific about browsers and e-mail clients, and I don’t see these listed. Of course, Mr. S can barely read his e-mail much less install spyware on me, so I think I’m safe anyway. But HE’D better not piss me off.\* \*Not really. He’s a pretty transparent guy, and his e-mailing and browsing is pretty dang boring stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/7 "2003-09-12T23:46:48Z")
But you notice the FAQ doesn’t mention AdAware or Spybot, just antivirus routines. I would imagine any of these could detect it if they decided to. I’m checking with the AdAware forum crowd right now. Doesn’t Spybot have a list of what it detects somewhere? **Scarlett67** , I don’t think it matters what email client you use (altho Macs and Linix ops might be exempt; I don’t think they have that code available). If you click on the attachment (just like many viruses), you will get infected. This particular routine relies on your recognizing, and therefore not suspecting, a friend who might send you a friendly greeting card. I have friends that send me greeting cards, which I regularly skip over, especially since they require HTML rendering as a minimum. T’ain’t my style, bro – send me an HTML email and I guarantee you will be ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/8 "2003-10-19T15:09:06Z")
I’m bumping this thread because I found another program that appears to do the same thing as Lover Spy (capturing all computer activity sureptitiously and forwarding it), although it is marketed as a way to spy on children or employees, not ex-spouses: [http://www.spectorsoft.com/products/eBlaster\_Windows/index.html](http://www.spectorsoft.com/products/eBlaster_Windows/index.html) It can be installed remotely by emailing the victim an EXE file, which has to be clicked on to work, of course. Just like the Lover Spy concept, if the email came from a parent or close friend, it is more likely to get installed than from a stranger. According to **eweek** magazine , Sept 29, 2003, page 68 of the print edition, “eBlaster might be watching you”: > [@](#): > > eBlaster resides on the Windows Registry and doesn’t appear in program files or in the list of programs that can be uninstalled. Using AdAware 6.0, which scours hard drives for spyware, my scan of the computer turned up nothing. My quick check of the registry also revealed nothing… > > Administrators can…email the install program masked as something as benign as a PowerPoint attachment. Once the attachment is opened, eBlaster will self-install. Question: if this program can hide itself from detection, how come other spyware or viruses can’t do the same thing? Or is this possible only because AdAware hasn’t yet added detection of this program to its malware list? ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/9 "2003-10-19T18:09:35Z")
[This CNN article](http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/19/email.detention.ap/index.html) seems to indicate that those who do this and are found out will probably be punished. ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/10 "2003-10-20T00:04:59Z")
Was I the only one who thought of Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy when I read the title? “This is a pill to give worms to ex-girlfriends!” ---
**Author:** ![Tommyturtle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Tommyturtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tommyturtle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/11 "2003-10-20T01:44:21Z")
My EX-girfriend when she was living with me bought eBlaster using MY card and installed it on MY computer without my knowledge A few months AFTER we had broken up she began sending me emails with records of EVERYTHING I had been doing on my computer…SHE thought it was amusing The damn thing took me a week to get it off my computer ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/12 "2003-10-24T21:13:31Z")
**Tommyturtle,** just in case…how about giving us some hints on how to remove it? ---
**Author:** ![cletus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@cletus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cletus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/13 "2003-10-25T09:31:36Z")
Just out of curiosity, what did the people over on the Adaware forum say about it? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/14 "2003-10-25T10:13:17Z")
How about a link to the Adaware forum? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/15 "2003-10-25T14:50:38Z")
Ask, and ye shall receive: [A link to the AdAware Forum](http://www.lavasoftsupport.com) [A link to the specific thread I started in that forum about Lover Spy](http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?showtopic=11589) (as user “Sherman Bay”). Their response, in September 2003: > [@](#): > > …this issue is being addressed as we speak. Please be patient. and > [@](#): > > Coolware is one of the fastest morphing objects out there at this time, so depending on the version\reference file # of Ad-aware the user was running as well as the variant of Coolware, would be the only way we would know if it was needing updated… > > The last I knew, we were evaluating LoverSpy… Nothing useful has been added to that thread over the past 2 months except my mention (today) of eBlaster. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/16 "2003-10-25T16:23:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yeticus Rex \* > \*\*Under the Technical FAQ, I see “The Question”… > > \*\*\*12. What about Anti-virus programs ? > Do they detect or remove Lover Spy? > > A: > > Emal PI is not a Virus. > > Therefore, anti-virus software does NOT detect OR remove Lover Spy. \*\*\* > \*\* It sure sounds like a trojan though. Anyone know if Spybot would work against it? ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/17 "2003-10-25T17:10:36Z")
Man…I’d think that if you hated your wife that much, you’d just do something like this guy did… [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3146042998](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3146042998) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-divorced-give-your-spouse-a-worm/201285/18 "2003-10-25T23:21:56Z")
Hah, Hah, **Xploder,** that’s a great story, told ebay-style! And someone paid $860 for the whole set. I wonder if the buyer got a bargain; I don’t know a bean-E from a bean-A.