MVPS HOSTS file blocks Microsoft’s links to AV-vendors

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Windows 7 HP SP1
+ MVPS HOSTS file

In Fred Langa’s article “How do ‘protected’ systems become infected?” he gives a link to a Microsoft page with a list of reliable anti-virus software vendors.

I noticed that all the AV-vendor links start with http: //view. atdmt. com (without the spaces of course). But those links on Microsoft’s page don’t work for me, because view.atdmt.com is blocked by an entry in my HOSTS file.

I wonder why view.atdmt.com is included in the MVPS HOSTS file?

Unblocking is trivial of course, but is there any risk if I do?

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view.atmdt.com is an advertising site that is collecting click-through information. I don’t care about that sort of information gathering. But, only you can make the determination for yourself.

Joe

--Joe

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Why not go directly to the site:

http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

Dick

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view.atmdt.com is an advertising site that is collecting click-through information. …

That’s the clincher.
Thank you.

Why not go directly to the [winhelp2002] site:

Indeed I did.
But no reply yet.

FYI.
WOT too warns one away.
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/atdmt.com

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Windows 7 HP SP1
+ MVPS HOSTS file

In Fred Langa’s article “How do ‘protected’ systems become infected?” he gives a link to a Microsoft page with a list of reliable anti-virus software vendors.

I noticed that all the AV-vendor links start with http: //view. atdmt. com (without the spaces of course). But those links on Microsoft’s page don’t work for me, because view.atdmt.com is blocked by an entry in my HOSTS file.

I wonder why view.atdmt.com is included in the MVPS HOSTS file?

Unblocking is trivial of course, but is there any risk if I do?

On 27 Sept 2011, I received this reply from Mike Burgess:

That entry is a 3rd party advertising tracker owned by Microsoft … clicking those links will set several 3rd party Cookies that will track and record your movements, etc..

So disabling that entry will also affect other sites, again setting you up to be tracked or displaying other 3rd party advertisements …

Mike Burgess
Microsoft MVP – Consumer Security
“There’s no place like 127.0.0.1”
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

So if I understand correctly, it suffices to configure Internet Explorer and Firefox to refuse 3rd party cookies. Which has always been my browsers’ setting.

So I’m good even if I remove that particular HOSTS entry.
Right?

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Should be.

Joe

--Joe

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