AdBot Find & Fry
AdBot Find & Fry — a parody of early-2000s anti-spyware/adware scanners.
From the desktop window
AdBot Find & Fryv2.0
Anti-Adware • Anti-Spyware • Anti-Annoyance
Search & Fry
Immunize
Recovery
Updates
Settings
AdBot
Ready to scan for adware and spyware.
AdBot Find & Fry will scan your computer for known adware, spyware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other threats to your privacy.
Threat definitions: v2.0.1847 — Last updated: Nov 14, 2001
A parody of Spybot Search & Destroy — the popular free anti-adware and anti-spyware tool created by Patrick M. Kolla (PepiMK Software), widely used in the early 2000s before mainstream antivirus vendors addressed the adware threat. AdBot Find & Fry simulates a period-accurate scan detecting era-authentic threats: Gator GAIN, CoolWebSearch.SmartKiller, Bonzi Buddy, Kazaa.TopSearch, New.Net Toolbar, WhenU SaveNow, Comet Cursor, MarketScore, Xupiter Toolbar, Aureate Radiate, ISTbar, and DoubleClick tracking cookies. Features immunization, recovery, and an updates panel whose server always times out. Threat definition age is calculated live from the last update date of November 14, 2001.
These are the preset entries displayed by the parody scanner, not a scan of a visitor's computer.
Gator
Adware.GAIN · Scripted risk label: High
Tracks browsing habits and delivers targeted pop-up advertisements. Installed silently alongside free software.
CoolWebSearch.SmartKiller
Browser Hijacker · Scripted risk label: High
Redirects search queries to coolwebsearch.com. Resets browser homepage and default search engine on every launch.
Bonzi.Buddy
Adware · Scripted risk label: High
Installs a purple gorilla desktop assistant that collects personal data and displays advertisements.
Kazaa.TopSearch
Adware · Scripted risk label: Medium
Adware component bundled with Kazaa Media Desktop. Displays pop-up ads and tracks download activity.
New.Net.Toolbar
Browser Helper Object · Scripted risk label: High
Hijacks the browser address bar to resolve unregistered domains to New.Net advertising pages.
WhenU.SaveNow
Adware · Scripted risk label: Medium
Displays contextual pop-up advertisements based on the websites you visit.
Comet.Cursor
Spyware · Scripted risk label: Medium
Replaces the Windows cursor with animated cursors; transmits cursor position data to a remote server.
MarketScore
Spyware · Scripted risk label: High
Proxies all internet traffic through remote MarketScore servers for market research analysis.
Xupiter.Toolbar
Browser Hijacker · Scripted risk label: High
Installs a browser toolbar; changes search engine and homepage to Xupiter without user consent.
Aureate.Radiate
Adware · Scripted risk label: Medium
Adware network distributed with freeware applications. Transmits browsing data to advertising servers.
ISTbar
Dialer · Scripted risk label: High
Installs a modem dialer that connects to premium-rate phone numbers without user knowledge.
DoubleClick
Tracking Cookie · Scripted risk label: Low
Cross-site tracking cookie that builds advertising profiles across multiple websites.