Donna Wants To Know About NewDotNet
While running Spybot this morning, it found two entries called NewDotNet listed as a user setting problem...registry key. When I extended the list it showed:
HKEY-Users\s-1-5-18\software\new.net  and HKEY-Users\.default\software\new.net . When I tried to fix the problem, SpyBot says it is creating a system restore point before it starts to fix the problem and to restart my computer...when I did that, I got a message that says it couldn't be fixed because the associated files are still in use ( in memory ).   What is this, what can it do to my computer, and how can it be fixed or removed ?

Answer
New.net is a company that sells alternate top-level domains not supported in the official DNS system, and publishes a spyware application that makes use of these domains. The Top-level domains new.net provides are: .shop, .xxx, .club, .ltd, .inc, .travel, .tech , .sport, .family, .law, .med, and .mp3.

The new.net installed program is an Internet Explorer plug-in (BHO) that gives the appearance of providing extra top-level domains (.shop, .xxx and .mp3, for example). Uncharacteristically, for a "spyware" program, it doesn't track web surfing activity and display "targeted" advertisements based on the data collected; and, the latest versions of New.net (reportedly) no longer inflict pop-up ads on the user. It can and does, however, install without the knowledge or permission of the user, and is designed to generate revenue for the new.net company. It redirects search queries (search engine manipulator or SEM) to the new.net search engine, and is a security risk because the "update" feature which allows stealthy downloads of so-called "updates" (i.e. applications, updates, upgrades or more spyware) the new.net server tells it to. It's automatic so it does not need you or your permission.

New.Net loads with Windows and even with MSCONFIG or a third-party program made to help you control start up programs, you'd have a hard time keeping it from starting up with Windows. The program is loaded in several places in your computer and the start up command is buried in several places in your registry. You might find yourself on a merry-go-round - when you remove it form all known startup locations, you'll find you've missed one, New.Net loads with Windows and puts all the hidden startup information back in your registry etc. Because New.Net is running at Windows startup and all the while Windows is running - you cannot completely remove it. Unless you use an anti-spyware program that will ferret out all pieces of the program and remove all of them at next boot. Pest Patrol, SpySweeper, and several others offer this functionality. If you don't find a program to remove all the pieces of New.Net during boot (before Windows loads) it will be very difficult for you to remove the program - the only other way is to find all the tentacles of its start up entries and then reboot and hope you haven't missed a startup entry somewhere. If you do get lucky and get all the start up entries you can, at that point, remove it with SpyBot since New.Net will not be running. It's a good place to mention that, in Windows, you cannot delete a file that is in use.

Generally, SpyBot does a great job. But it's a free program and as such is limited by the fact the developer simply does not have the revenues or the staff to keep up with all the changes going on in the world of adware/spyware.  That being said, the multi-million dollar companies with staffs of hundreds can't keep up with it 100%. That is exactly why we recommend two anti-spyware tools. Spybot and SpySweeper make a good one-two punch.

Our suggestion? Download SpySweeper (or another highly-rated anti-spyware program) and sweep your computer.  After the scan, you'll almost certainly need to reboot to remove the files which were in use when you did the scan. (You'll be prompted with a prompt something like "Some files cannot be deleted because they were in use, SpySweeper will remove these files when you restart your computer. Would you like to restart your computer now?" After you've restarted your computer you should be free of New.Net (NEWDOTNET).

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