bfast.com

Generalcarry · 12-31-2005, 10:07

I used to shop online with Barnes & Noble quite often. They must have been using bfast.com spyware because every promotion for B&N I get, I cannot participate. My computer will not connect to "service.bfast.com". My using Spy Sweeper, Ad-Aware or Spybot must have listed them and I eliminated them. Would a company that large actually add a cookie that is dangerous enough that these spe-ware progarms would stop them or could someone else have piggy backed on their ads? Regardless, the promotions are now worthless to me. Is it OK to try and find then uncontaminate bfast or just leave it alone? I'm confused and probably naive to boot.

najaboy · 12-31-2005, 17:14

What most likely happened is that bfast was listed in your hosts file. It poses no real danger but is still listed along with several sites, both harmless and harmful, when you "innoculate" using Spybot, etc.

glock19_fan · 01-01-2006, 01:37

There is no bfast.com

You must have some other spyware. Barnes & noble is highly unlikely to use spyware.

Generalcarry · 01-01-2006, 04:27

It's "service.bfast.com". I'm sure I tossed it and only now realized that just because they are listed as being potentially harmful, some are not that bad. I just always went with the programs suggestion.
Regardless, do you think it would be OK to try and find which program has it (quarantined?) and let B&N restore it? I dealt with them a lot!

glock19_fan · 01-01-2006, 13:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Generalcarry
It's "service.bfast.com". I'm sure I tossed it and only now realized that just because they are listed as being potentially harmful, some are not that bad. I just always went with the programs suggestion.
Regardless, do you think it would be OK to try and find which program has it (quarantined?) and let B&N restore it? I dealt with them a lot!

There is no bfast.com, hence there is no service.bfast.com

What service does B&N use, that you're talking about? When I go to www.barnesandnoble.com , I see nothing that is needed to be downloaded to shop at Barnes & Noble.

Sounds like you've got some spyware before that pretended to be a Barnes & Noble application.

If it's just a cookie then you shouldn't have the problems you're experiencing.

najaboy · 01-01-2006, 20:57

bfast.com and service.bfast.com are indeed legit url's, although there is no actual page associated. It is a click-through affiliate service that's used by many vendors to include Barnes and Noble.

The only time it should adversly affect you in regards to buying something from B&N, however, is when you're clicking one of their ads that's on a third party site or if the site would otherwise refer you to B&N when you click on a product link.

Generalcarry · 01-03-2006, 09:20

The only time it should adversly affect you in regards to buying something from B&N, however, is when you're clicking one of their ads that's on a third party site or if the site would otherwise refer you to B&N when you click on a product link. [/B][/QUOTE]

I believe it's the second condition. If I google B&N, I cannot connect to the first hit which is "www.BarnesandNoble.com". The official site. I guess I'm just SOL if I wanted to take advantage of their members only promotions being I have to go through service.bfast.com. Would that about sum it up?