Spyware in AGS?

[LucasFan]

Why do some AGS-games try to access the internet?
And how can I prevent that?

[Gilbert]

Which game? I'd never heard of an AGS game accessing teh net (unless some plugins were used).

[Mr Jake]

Ive noticed recently that when I install a new version of AGS the first time I run it, it trys to connect to something 

[LucasFan]

Yes, this happened to me, too.
But I didn't know that even the games do spy.Ã, 

[Radiant]

<ominous voice>It would be in your best interest to stop discussing this conspiracy. Or else. Fnord.</ominous voice>

[Barbarian]

Are you sure it's an AGS game trying to access the internet and not something else you may have running in the background? Or, it's possible you have some kind of SpyWare in your system already, and perhaps everytime you try to open up an new application or program, the SpyWare is trying to "report home" to give details on what you're doing.

Anyways, one good free utility for scanning for and removing most known SpyWare is Ad-Aware over at:
http://www.lavasoft.de/
Ã,  Remember to check for updates after installing it.

Also, if you don't already, be sure you're running a currently up-to-date anti-virus program. You can get a good free one, AVG Anti-Virus, over at http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

And, of course you should have a FireWall enabled too. And if you have a FireWall that logs incoming & outgoing connection attempts, you can check specifically what is the cause of why your computer is trying to connect to the internet.
A good free one for this is ZoneAlarm, you can find over at:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

Keep your Windows Critical Updates current too (that is if you're running Windows), easy way to do is from Internet Explorer, then on the top toolbar click "Tools" then "Windows Update".

Ã,  There could be many reasons why your computer is trying to connect to the internet, but I hope some of my suggestions were of some help in tracking down the cause and/or helping to prevent such problems.

Can you give us a specific example of an AGS game that you think is trying to connect to the internet?
Perhaps thier installer program and/or main-menu is trying to automatically link to some webpage? Just a thought.

[Mephistophilis]

The Maniac Mansion Remake Tried to connect for a few people.

[Gilbert]

It shouldn't be. Maybe it's some lame virus scanner that surfs the net for teh virus definition database whenever a new executable (ie. not executed before) is launched on that computer?

[Mr Jake]

it doesnt do it for any other program....

I think CJ is spying on us 

[Gregjazz]

Even if he is, who cares. He deserves to have the right to spy on us because of all his work on the amazing freeware Adventure Game Studio.

Besides, I don't have DSL or anything, so my internet connection is not on all day.

And I haven't noticed any incoming/outgoing data whilst using AGS.

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

[Pumaman]

This is an odd one ... it has been reported before but I've never been able to replicate it.

I certainly haven't put any networking/internet code in AGS, but it's possible that one of the third party libraries that AGS uses is doing this. However, I'd be surprised if that was the case since they all seem reputable.

I assume this must be happening inadvertantly as a result of something AGS is doing - does anyone have some sort of firewall application that lets you see where it is trying to connect to?

[deltamatrix]

Even if he is, who cares. He deserves to have the right to spy on us because of all his work on the amazing freeware Adventure Game Studio.

Never say it like that!!

No-one deserves the right to spy on people. Spyware should be illegal as it can be a catalyst for spam.

[Gregjazz]

Uh oh. So I guess we should take out that "extra feature" in Apprentice?

[LucasFan]

Does anyone have some sort of firewall application that lets you see where it is trying to connect to?

Here we go:

[Gilbert]

Well I'm afraid that your copy of agsedit might have been inflected by something, upon googling the destination address (172.178.32.192) I found this:
http://www.mircscriptsfrfm.com/cgi-bin/info.pl?Script=1353
(I tried making it NOT into a link, in case it may be dangerous, make sure you have enough protection if you wanted to open it, but as it doesn't look quite right, I may remove the address later) which seemed to be a site about MIRC sctipts, but it's in a language that's alien to me (and I won't bother about web-translating it), there's a user (I think) listed there called  papotronchedeflanc[vert], which followed by that address.

So I'll advise you to redownload AGS and see if it still connects to the internet as before.

[Dorcan]

Yesterday agsedit.exe apparently tried to connect on the internet at the following destination address : 224.0.0.22 [IGMP.MCAST.NET]

I found on google that this address was for "multicast services"Ã, 
"the 224.*.*.* block is use for
multicast services, they are not assigned to particular machines. "

Anyway, I also have Sygate, and I noticed that sometimes it gives me wrong informations, like showing me that a program is still sending data over the internet, even if I closed this program whith the task manager...

I don't know, it was the first time since I have a firewall that AGS apparently tried to connect to the internet.

[Mr Jake]

it done it for me with the past 2 or 3 versions Ive dled, it did it again last night.

[Gilbert]

Hmmm did it happened only with agsedit.exe? Would the engine acwin.exe cause the same problem?

I hope it's just the firewall programmes giving wrong info...

[LucasFan]

I've tested a few antivirus-programs on that file â€" no viruses have been found. At first the 2:2 between Denmark and Sweden and now this… Conspiracy!Ã, 

[Mr Jake]

I just ran the agsedit.exe and it asked to connect