Secretly add someone to your Contact List? Good or Bad? You tell us!

Well, I’m new on these forums. I just discovered it recently when I was googling for ad removal solution. It has been very informative and useful for me. I’ve had some issues with harassment from couple of people. I made a bad choice and allowed them to add me to their list. I removed them and blocked them, but was still not pleased to know they still have me on their list. I was “in heaven” when I found out about Buddy Deny. I like the fact I can choose who can list me or not. It’s not just “you can simply block someone”. I wish to choose who can connect to me. I was not aware of Buddy Spy or other tools. I was always surprised that this guy whom I blocked IMed me promptly when I logged on, and I was invisible to everyone and my status was not shown on Yahoo pages, yet as soon as I logged in to check my offline messages I’d get a message. Thought I was going crazy.

Anyway, I think, and do note I said *I think*, it’s very bad idea to have such program. I don’t wish to be stalked and I don’t wish for some sick person to “stalk me”. I certainly want to know whom I add and who adds me to their list. If a person wants to talk to you, they will give you permission. If they don’t you get the idea. I personally don’t care about AOL and that it doesn’t ask for permission. It’s simply bad. MSN does, ICQ did when I used it. I’ve been using Yahoo excursively for 6 years now and love it. I am not too thrilled by newest release, but I liked the fact it did not have so many “holes” as in back in ICQ days when I could apply a patch and do whatever I want. View IP, add users without permission….In general – one of the main reasons I stopped using it. I never did something like that and wouldn’t want anyone to do the same to me. I like privacy. I don’t want anyone viewing my IP, add me without permission, IM when I’m invisible. If I want to talk to someone and be friends with…I’ll let them know.

Sorry to rant. I just find that program goes over the line and it’s too invasive. I doesn’t want people adding me and for me to keep filling my ban list. Why would I want to keep banning people just because I can’t. If they can’t add me, I shouldn’t be forced to do it in the first place. They would IM you, but they would get bored eventually because it’s not click and spam easy when they have you on their list.

I’m off now. And will gladly take bat beating from anyone. 🙂 I do realize there are just as enough people who couldn’t care less. I just like my privacy, that’s all.

Well shifter,it is not good to add someone to your messenger list wihtout taking permission.Every person have a lot of privacy.It is ok for experts in yahoo that they can block the user but what happen with a new frnds that rercently join the the yahoo and have no knowledge that one can add them without taking your permission and they r in his/her or their frnd list.It is bad according to me for new user.The expert can handle them but for the sake of new friends,Please shifter dont put them on your site.If somebody need this type of s/w there is many availible on net,but u have decent site.Don’t make it as it open the privacy of someone.

Having been a victim of certain booters and hackers this program was a godsend .It enabled me to see the booters when i secretly added them and take protective measures to prevent them and the hackers from booting and stealing my accounts.I now know when they come online and have removed my nics from their accounts as some were past friends and added me when i was naive . It has benefits.

Ok, please bear with me because I don’t understand half of the things people are justifying having/using this program.

I’ve been using Yahoo’s service since 1998. I have had plenty of emails with them and have never experienced hacking or account stealing. I am aware that malicious surfers are present and the things they can do. However, I haven’t seen anyone saying their accounts were high jacked. It makes me think that this is due to your personal inability to use strong password and/or leave it lying around instead of remembering it.

Now before anyone jumps down my throat, I never said this is not possible. I just don’t see it happening myself. Not being „hacker“ myself, I am unaware of any vulnerabilities in Yahoo’s system which allows stealing someone’s account. Of course, nothing is perfect, but from what I read here it seems like just like any john doe can steal your account. My only intension to steal anyone’s account would be due to content of an e-mail and/or personal data. All potentially interesting usernames have been taken ages ago, and I don’t see anyone stealing someone’s account and then using it. You can still retrieve your account by using secret questions or things. I don’t see the person who stole it changing it easily unless they know you personally and you used really obvious questions/answers. In which case, it’s again on you to secure your data.

I don’t see how can adding someone secretly help you retrieve your account?

How exactly do you know who hacked your account? I’m not trying to be pain. I just don’t know how exactly could you know who was that hacked your account, and then you protect yourself by finding their ID, adding them and shutting down YOUR computer? If you store your data on Yahoo, it’s on Yahoo’s severs and turning off your computer will not help you from hacker retrieving your data. That argument is totally senseless.

As for bots and stuff. This part is something I am not familiar with that much. I’ve heard this happening on MSN a lot, and yet I have never received a spam message, a virus or had my account hacked either. I don’t use Yahoo chat rooms and I don’t know “what’s out there”, but, I don’t see how can you tell a user from a bot or hacker? Do explain me the difference.

Besides, some options are “for people only my list” only, so how beneficial is to have someone you have no idea of know that you’re using your camera, that you’re playing games or some other things. Might seem like non-issue.

If Yahoo has holes which allows hacking and doing some things, I’d much rather see you reporting it to Yahoo so it can fix it. After all, by definition, aren’t crackers the bad guys? *Not referring to author of this software but rather speaking in general*

I know that only AIM from major IM don’t ask for permission, and that’s bad. It’s plagued with spam (from what I’ve been told) and it’s bad practice. Just because they do it, it doesn’t mean it’s right.

I know what I say doesn’t matter, because if it’s not released on this site, it will be released on some other: And if someone else but the author already has the code, I don’t see what anyone says here will matter.

I just forgot to mention previously. If the only purpose of such program is to see who’s online, why not just use Spy Buddy then? It’s generally accepted, and can reveal if someone’s invisible or not. This method is limited and the argument “just to check someone’s online status” for this particular purpose is, for me, not acceptable. SB does it, status is displayed on Yahoo’s pages…it does not justify adding someone without permission just to see their status.

Thanks Tim for clearing up some things. 🙂

Edit: Sentence was way too long.

hatedjealousy,

Thanks for your kind reply.

Tim, you are completely correct. I apologise for using term hacker/hack so viciously. I understand the difference between hacker/cracker and other terms. I was interested in those things when I was a teenager and read about it. I would hardly call someone who hacks (breaches into) someone’s account a hacker. I’ve been receiving several emails a week which are „forgot password“ related for my Gmail account. Someone, probably with same first name, wants that e-mail address that he’s been trying to reset my password and brute force it (what you described above) for more than a year now. I always get e-mail since Google doesn’t not initiate secret question/answer routine until you start it from e-mail received. And it’s hard to brute force it since you only have 3 tries before it starts asking to type in security code which is annoying and, to my knowledge, has to be entered manually. I wish Yahoo had same protection. I would also try to bruteforce someone’s password. Something simple – first name, last name, birthday, names of their kids, gf/bf, spouse or some important dates. That’s not hacking. I’m surprised Yahoo allows you to try to enter wrong password for many times (last time I checked). I’d like it to disable login page for an hour for the account after 5 wrong entries, or something like that.

I am familiar with dictionary type of attack against passwords. That’s what someone like me would try, and someone who knows you would try some things they know about you – because that’s what’s used the most.

I’m sorry – we’re way off topic now. This is not program related.

I do wish to note that I used term hack wrong. I did not mean to imply this program is a hack (not in real sense of the word). It’s also used for modifications so it doesn’t necessarily have negative conationation. However, I don’t see that bypassing a function of program or using a hole in protocol as something that is justifiable for something like this.

I do appreciate posters and mods here. So much useful info, so I’m just going to stop before you guys I get labelled as notorious pain in the a++.

I just hope if this program is released that mods will do their best to make extensive info on usage and define situations in which such program would be useful.