------------------ AGNIS for AdShield ------------------ AGNIS for AdShield contains a set of ad block lists for use with AdShield 1.2 and AdShield 3.0. These AdShield block lists are ports of the original AGNIS block lists for AtGuard, Norton Internet Security, and Norton Personal Firewall 2003 (http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm) and are made available to AdShield users. These block lists are based in part on info from: 1. discussions in major anti-spyware forums such as: SpywareInfo Forums: (http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/) Spyware Warrior: (http://spywarewarrior.com/index.php) CastleCops: (http://castlecops.com/forums.html) 2. the latest updates to well-known anti-crapware programs such as: SpyBot Search & Destroy: (http://security.kolla.de/) Lavasoft Ad-aware: (http://www.lavasoft.de/) SpywareBlaster: (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) 3. other crapware reference sites such as: and.doxdesk.com: (http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/) CounterExploitation: (http://cexx.org/adware.htm) Kephyr.com: (http://www.kephyr.com/) PestPatrol: (http://www.pestpatrol.com/) SpywareGuide.com: (http://www.spywareguide.com/) Webhelper:(http://www.webhelper4u.com/) 4. the latest updates to HOSTS files from: hpguru: (http://www.hosts-file.net/downloads.html) MVPS: (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) For a discussion of the reasons that sites and domains might be included in AGNIS, see the following web page: Targeting & Inclusion Policy http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/target-policy.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Compatibility ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The AGNIS for AdShield block lists can be used with AdShield 3.0, AdShield 3.0 beta, or AdShield 1.2. The current release of AdShield is version 3.0. It can be downloaded from: http://www.adshield.org/ Please note that AdShield is no longer "freeware." You can read the announcement of AdShield's change to a "for pay" app here: http://www.allstarss.com/news/article030426.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Full" vs. "Lite" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AGNIS for AdShield ships with two different versions of the block list -- in two different file formats. ---- --------- ----------- ----------- Type File Name File Format Description ---- --------- ----------- ----------- "Full" ag-ads.txt plain text complete text block list; includes all entries "Full" ag-ads.abl binary complete binary block list; includes all entries "Lite" ag-lite.txt plain text lite text block list; excludes most "adult" sites, many smaller ad domains, and some misc. domains "Lite" ag-lite.abl binary lite binary block list; excludes most "adult" sites, many smaller ad domains, and some misc. domains The AGNIS for AdShield lists are ports of the original AGNIS block lists for AtGuard, Norton Internet Security, and Norton Personal Firewall 2003. If you're interested in seeing just how domains (and other misc. entries) are classified, please have a look at the "full-original" AGNIS block list. Download the original AGNIS block list package from: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm After you unpack the archive file you downloaded, look in the \ORG sub-directory. Open the file AG- ADS-ORG.REG or NIS-ADS-ORG.REG (right-click on the .REG file & select "Edit" from the context menu) -- they're the same list, but for different programs. The "full-original" AGNIS list is divided into the following sections: PHRASES PREFIXES WEB BUGS EMAIL NASTIES BIG AD DOMAINS MISC AD DOMAINS CRAPWARE DOMAINS DIALERS ADULT NETWORKS\SERVICES ADULT HOSTING MISC SERVERS HYBRIDS NOT FOR EVERYONE REMOVED There are several sections of entries from the "full" version, however, that are NOT included in the "lite" version (AG-LITE-ORG.REG & NIS-LITE-ORG.REG, in the same directory): EMAIL NASTIES MISC AD DOMAINS DIALERS ADULT HOSTING MISC SERVERS HYBRIDS NOT FOR EVERYONE REMOVED When comparing any of the "original" AGNIS lists with the plain text lists for AGNIS for AdShield, keep in mind that the "original" AGNIS lists are filtered through a series of scripts that strip out redundancies, so some entries in the "original" AGNIS lists may not show up in the AGNIS for AdShield lists. (Those filtering scripts, by the way, were developed for use with AGNIS for Outpost by "Cosmos.") These block lists are the same block lists that are supplied with AGNIS for Outpost, a set of block lists for Agnitum Outpost. They've simply been repackaged for AdShield users. Please note that there used to be a long list of misc., "run-of-the-mill" porn sites and adult domains in AGNIS. That section has now been moved to a separate file, which you can find in the \ADULT sub-directory of the main AGNIS installation directory. For instructions on how to install those misc. adult domains, if you so choose, see the file ADULT-NOTE.TXT in the \ADULT sub- directory. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Installation & Use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In order to import and use a block list file, do the following: 1. Open the AdShield block list Right-click anywhere in your Internet Explorer window and select "Maintain Block List..." from the context menu that pops up. The AdShield block list configuration box will open. 2. Remove the current block list Select (highlight) the top entry in the block list. Then hit CTRL-A. The entire block list will be selected. Now hit "Remove." AdShield will clear the current block list of all entries. It is recommended that you remove your current block list before installing a new version of AGNIS for AdShield. The AGNIS for AdShield block list is actively maintained, and entries are occasionally removed or modified. If you don't remove the current block list, your block list will not incorporate those changes. If you have custom entries that you would like to preserve, see the "Using a Custom Block List" section below. 3. Import a new block list Click "Import." Navigate to the block list you want to import. If you want to import a plain text block list, don't forget to change the "Files of type:" to "All Files(*.*)" Select the file you want to import and hit "Open." AdShield will import the block list. 4. Exit & save your changes Click "Done" to save your changes and exit back to the main Internet Explorer window. Block list entries can be deleted or added through the same "Maintain Block List.." dialog box that you use to import block lists. Block list entries can also be added from right-click context menu option "Add to Block List..." within Internet Explorer. AdShield even allows you to keep an "Exclude" list, which you can access and maintain from the "Maintain Block List.." dialog box. For a more complete guide to using AdShield (and AdShield block lists), see the following resources online: AdShield 1.2 User's Guide http://www.adshield.org/guide/Guide.htm AdShield 3.0 User's Guide http://www.adshield.org/beta/Guide.htm AdShield Support Page http://www.adshield.org/support.html AdShield Frequently Asked Questions http://adshield.briankass.com/ Note: By installing and using any of the AGNIS block lists, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions outlined in the "License Agreement," copies of which are included at the end of this ReadMe as well as in the LICENSE.TXT file included with this distribution package. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using a Custom Block List ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you import a new AGNIS for AdShield block list into AdShield, it is recommended that you completely remove your current block list. If you would like to preserve custom entries that you've added to your current block list, you should keep a custom block list and combine it with the AGNIS for AdShield list you import. Here's how to do it: 1) Keep a separate block list file of your own (perhaps named CUSTOM.TXT). This CUSTOM.TXT file should contain all block list entries that you add yourself. Whenever you add a new entry to AdShield's block list, also add it to your CUSTOM.TXT file for future use. 2) Import a new AGNIS for AdShield block list When there's a new version of AGNIS for AdShield, install it as described above, removing your old block list first. 3) Import your CUSTOM.TXT After you import that new AGNIS for AdShield block list, import your CUSTOM.TXT block list. Your list of custom block list entries for AdShield will be added to the AGNIS for AdShield block list that you imported. This process adds few extra steps to the task of importing AGNIS for AdShield, but it works. Moreover, you'll always have that CUSTOM.TXT file (which you can continue to customize) for the next time around. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Favicon.ico ~~~~~~~~~~~ AdShield users can block Internet Explorer from using the custom icons that some web sites offer when those sites are bookmarked (added to "Favorites"). To block the use of favicons, add the following entry to your AdShield block list: /favicon.ico There are potential privacy issues with favicons that came to light a few years ago. See this page for a succinct explanation: http://www.magnux.com/~flaviovs/sec/favicon/privacy.html And see this page for a slightly different take: http://www.favicon.com/#1-10 Also, in older versions of Internet Explorer 5, there was a security issue as well (since patched by Microsoft): http://www.magnux.com/~flaviovs/sec/favicon/ http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,19160,00.html Interestingly, if you do a search on Google... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=favicon+privacy ...you'll notice a lot of hits (starting with the second page, esp.) from web sites' privacy policies specifying what they do or don't do regarding favicons. ~~~~~~~~~ More Info ~~~~~~~~~ For a more complete guide to using AdShield (and AdShield block lists), see the following resources online: AdShield 1.2 User's Guide http://www.adshield.org/guide/Guide.htm AdShield 3.0 User's Guide http://www.adshield.org/beta/Guide.htm AdShield Support Page http://www.adshield.org/support.html AdShield Frequently Asked Questions http://adshield.briankass.com/ There's also a group of AdShield forums here: http://users.boardnation.com/~adshield/index.php There are other block lists for AdShield available on the web. The two most popular can be found here: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/adshield.htm http://adshield.briankass.com/ A list of still more block lists for AdShield is here: http://host.deluxnetwork.com/~briank/adshield/blocklists.html http://users.boardnation.com/~adshield/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=2 ~~~~~~~ Updates ~~~~~~~ The AGNIS block lists are regularly updated. You can download updated versions of AGNIS from the same page where you downloaded your original copy of AGNIS. http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm That page lists the last time that AGNIS was updated. I usually try to update AGNIS several times a month, though I may update more frequently if circumstances warrant. There is no special forum, newsgroup, or web board for AGNIS. I do hang out regularly in the following newsgroups and forums, however, and you can often find folks talking about AGNIS (and other things related to privacy & security) in these places: DSLR/BBR Security Forum http://www.dslreports.com/forum/security,1 http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/security,1 GRC Discussion Groups http://grc.com/discussions.htm Wilders Security Forum - Update Alerts http://www.wilderssecurity.com/index.php?board=26 I periodically announce updates to AGNIS and IE-SPYAD (my other main block list) in the the DSLR/BBR forum, the Wilders forum, and the GRC "LatestVersions" newsgroup (grc.news.latestversions). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Problems & Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope you find these ad block lists helpful in your use of AdShield. If you run into serious problems with an ad block list, and you have made every attempt to address the problem but remain stumped, I can be reached at: eburger68@myrealbox.com Please keep in mind that my busy schedule may not allow me to respond immediately. I will attempt to get back to you, though, and address your questions. Other helpful resources for getting answers to questions about ad blocking and general privacy questions include the GRC Privacy & Security news groups, which are generously hosted by Steve Gibson of Gibson Research (GRC): http://grc.com/discussions.htm ...and the DSL Reports (Broadband Reports) Security Forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/security,1 http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/security,1 I've found the folks who hang out in all of these groups to be helpful, knowledgeable, passionate, and more than wise to the wiles of the marketing droids which infest the Net. Finally, you might also check out my web site at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a site which contains a bevy of links to information and software relevant to Privacy & Security on the Internet: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Credits & Acknowledgements ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks go to "Cosmos," a moderator in the Agnitum Outpost forums, for the scripts used to produce the "Straight" versions of the AGNIS block lists. "Cosmos" originally created the scripts in order to convert the AGNIS block lists for use with Agnitum's Outpost firewall and, ultimately, AdShield. You can find the original Outpost versions of AGNIS in this thread on the Agnitum support groups: http://www.outpostfirewall.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=4342 ------------------------------------------------- Date: 4/22/03, 4/26/03, 4/30/03, 5/3/03, 7/2/03, 11/28/03, 12/6/03, 4/12/04, 6/21/04, 7/30/04, 8/13/04, 3/28/05 From: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/ Made By: Eric L. Howes (eburger68@myrealbox.com) ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- License Agreement: Terms & Conditions ------------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COPYRIGHTS, TRADEMARKS, DISTRIBUTION, WARRANTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AGNIS (including the block lists and the ReadMe) is Copyright (c) 2000-2004 Eric L. Howes. AGNIS can be downloaded from: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm If you distribute the AGNIS block list unmodified, please include all the files. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. Some files distributed with this package may not be covered by the GNU GPL. Those files remain the property of their original owners and are covered by the licenses under which they were originally distributed. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place - Suite 330 Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTENT BLOCKING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By installing and using any of the AGNIS block lists, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to following terms and conditions: a) The AGNIS block lists contain lists of domains, web sites, and other URL information that your ad blocking program will use to block content from the sites and domains covered in the AGNIS block lists from being displayed in your web browser. b) By installing any of the AGNIS block lists included in this distribution package, you acknowledge that it is your decision to block advertisements and other content at the web sites and domains covered in the AGNIS block lists -- including sites and services that may prohibit you from blocking content or otherwise interfering with their services and software -- should you choose to use those sites, services, and domains. c) If you do not wish to block content at certain of those sites, you can selectively edit the AGNIS block lists -- either in their source file form or through your ad blocker's graphical user interface (GUI) -- to remove the list entries that block content at those sites. d) You agree to accept any and all legal responsibility for the consequences that may result from the blocking of content at the sites and domains covered in the AGNIS block lists when you use those domains and sites. e) If you have entered into contracts or agreements with the companies whose sites and domains are included in the AGNIS block lists, and those contracts or agreements prohibit you from blocking content at those sites or otherwise interfering with the companies' software or services, you agree that it is your responsibility to resolve those contractual obligations in a satisfactory manner. ---------------------------- Advice on Distributing AGNIS ---------------------------- As noted above, AGNIS is distributed under the terms of the Gnu General Public License, a copy of which is online HERE. That license gives you broad rights to modify and distribute AGNIS, but in order to exercise those rights, you must abide by the terms of the license. At a minimum, to distribute, modify, or distribute modified versions of AGNIS under the terms of the GPL: a) You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed the files and the date of any change. b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License. c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively when run, you must cause it, when started running for such interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this License. (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on the Program is not required to print an announcement.) Furthermore, you must: a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.) Since the AGNIS block list does not consist of binary code, the following would be sufficient: 1) Include a notice somewhere in the installation stating the following: This program makes use of a modified version of the AGNIS block list, which is available from: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm AGNIS is (C) Copyright 2000-2004 Eric L. Howes. AGNIS is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version. AGNIS is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You can obtain a copy of the GNU General Public License from the Free Software Foundation online: http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl.txt 2) Include something like above notice in the ReadMe as well. In fact, you could include the above notice with any other acknowledgements and "thank you's" in your standard documentation. 3) Make a plain text version of the list available If you've embedded the AGNIS block list in a binary program, make a separate plain text version of the list (including your own additions and modifications to the basic list) publicly available either on your web site or with the program itself. ------- CONTACT ------- The author of AGNIS can be contacted at: eburger68@myrealbox.com (Eric L. Howes) July 30, 2004