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- Sep 30 2008
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So you’ve finally gone out and plunked down lots of your hard earned cash for that dream computer system you’ve wanted for a long time. It’s loaded with that fast processor, gigabytes of RAM, a mega mega sized hard drive, an HD monitor, and it’s all put together in a drop dead gorgeous case. What’s the first thing you do? Let’s hope it isn’t to download Antivirus 2009.
As tempting as its name is it is no more than a lump of coal all dressed up and just waiting for you to download it.
What is Antivirus 2009? Antivirus 2009 is a fake antivirus exe program that wants you to believe that it is the best of all security programs. In reality, its sole purpose is to sell you another security product. That’s right, it’s a rip-off.
Often referred to as Rogue Security Software this program and its counterparts are really just a way of getting you, the owner of the latest and greatest in computer technology, to purchase their software.
Once installed and run for the first time the program leads you to believe that your system is so infected with virus that the only way to fix it is to buy their software program. This is done using deceptive tactics and outright lies about what is on your computer. Should you get trapped into this sales tactic and purchase their program what you all too often receive is the promised software AND additional bundled malware that has other purposes: none of them any good.
Here’s how you get sucked into the Antivirus 2009 rip-off. You have downloaded a particular codec for viewing certain files. This was downloaded from some site you’ve never been to before and most likely will never view again. Or, someone at work has told you about the latest in geek ware, it’s a program you can’t live without so you get the URL and download it. Attached to it is the Antivirus 2009 utility.
There you are enjoying your new computer system and up pops a warning window saying your computer has been infected and asks you if you would like to scan your system for additional problems? You click Yes and watch as your system is scanned. Surprise, surprise your brand new system has more infections than you ever thought possible.
So many, that this handy dandy free program simply can’t clean your system. You need the big gun, a software program that you have to buy. They gotcha’.
Most frustrating is that most of the infections reported to you through your scan don’t exist. That’s right while you may, or may not, have a virus infection you don’t have anything nearly as bad as they would want you to believe.
Beware, before you download any files or software make sure that it’s from a trusted company that has won legitimate awards like Tucows, Cnet or from PC Magazine. And even better is to check out if the company is a member of the Better Business Bureau.
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- Sep 26 2008
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All of a sudden you’re inundated with pop-up ads, redirected links, confusing icons on your desk top, and a home page you never selected. Dum de dum dum…welcome to the wonderful world of Antivirus XP 2008.
If it’s any comfort, and it probably isn’t, you’re not alone. Thousands of otherwise intelligent internet users have fallen victim to the promises of this little gem of free ware. With only the very best of intentions you run what sounded like the perfect program. A quick and easy way to find out what ad ware has infiltrated your system. There’s just one problem: now your systems worse than it was before you ran the software.
You have no idea the trouble you have caused yourself simply by running the Antivirus XP 2008 program. It has stuck its little robot fingers into more areas of your computer than you knew existed. Now you can’t surf the internet without being redirect to some site you have no interest in. It’s a challenge to use a search engine because this program keeps redirecting you. You’re ready to pull your hair out.
The onscreen display that comes up after you’ve run the program indicates that your entire system is suspect for adware and all of its inherent glitches. Ah ha, they offer you a solution: buy their upgrade to a full version of Antivirus XP 2008. This, it seems, is the only way to rid yourself of your computers gremlins.
It may not be as bad as it seems. One of the functions of Antivirus XP 2008 is to make your system appear to be in much worse shape than it really is. That’s right, that little program has painted a gloomy, if not inaccurate, picture of what’s going on within your system.
So what’s a person to do? Buy their software. Well, if you’re at all like me I’d sooner go to bed hungry than break down and buy their software. There are other solutions.
You can try manually removing Antivirus XP 2008, but it’s not advised unless you are a computer professional. One wrong step and you can make your computer worse than it is now.
A second alternative is to purchase a copy of reputable antispyware software. How can you tell if what you’re thinking of buying is reputable? Check out independent reviews online for the software. Make sure the company you buy antispyware from is a member of the Better Business Bureau.
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- Sep 25 2008
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If that headline didn’t get your attention, how about this? Your computer may be playing host to software that creates advertisements on your computer seemingly without your knowledge or permission. This is done via pop-ups or hotlinks and is sometimes known as Adware. Among the better know forms of adware is the infamous Abetterinternet.
What is Abetterinternet? It’s a malicious adware, program with the ability to monitor what’s going on as you use your computer. Scary isn’t it. These Abetterinternet programs can literally instruct your very own computer what to do, monitor where you go, and how you get there. Basically, this seldom seen executable program infects your computer.
Your computer may already be infected. For now we want to take a closer look at this little varmint and what it does.
Adware, or as it is sometimes referred to advertising supported software, is a small program which, when introduced to your computer can track your viewing habits, collates those habits with the sponsoring company, and then displays on your computer via pop-ups, products similar to those you are looking at.
You should know that not all adware is badware. In fact adware has been an integral part of many reputable programs that users install on their home computers. It is one of the ways that those shareware programs you use are paid for.
If you’ve ever downloaded and installed shareware you most likely have given permission for that software to install adware. That’s right, you gave permission for this type of software to be installed on your computer. included in the user agreement you accept when installing these programs is that you give permission for adware to be a part of your installation.
One of the more benign forms of this type of software is the reminders you receive when using software for a free trial period. “You’ve got 10 days before your trial runs out, order today” is an example. This is adware at work.
No, the type of software we’re referring to are those adware programs like Abetterinternet that quite literally commandeer your computer.
This program is a hacker’s delight. All they need to do is get the program to your computer (not as hard as you may think), have their own program running on their server that monitors your activity then simply relate your interest to one of their customers.
Once your information is collected there’s no telling the roads it will travel. Just think about your last Google or Yahoo search. You enter a search topic and there you are page after page of places to go. How much time in a typical week do you do just this sort of activity? If you’re at all like the average user you do this type of search a lot.
Each site that you visit is collected. Each page of that web site in noted. For all the good legitimate adware has brought us, you need to be aware of their downside, Abetterinternet is one such animal.
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- Sep 24 2008
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So your superfast computer is working at turtle’s speed. You can’t click on the “x” box fast enough to rid your screen of popups. More than likely you have been infected with malware, malicious programs designed to interfere with the normal function of your computer and perhaps worse, is stealing personal information from you. But you have virus protection on your computer and even keep it up-to-date. Yet you are plagued with problems that you thought your virus protection should have stopped. First before you throw your computer out the window feeling your computer that you thought was fully protected failed you consider that your virus protection is not designed to catch malicious programs that are installed unsuspectingly onto your computer. That is the clue. Virus protection programs are designed to catch viruses and some Trojans but not spyware.
However help is at hand, there are programs out there that are designed specifically to catch and remove malware from your computer. They function about in the same way as your virus protection program works. They scan your computer looking for compromises and then remove those that are found. Just like a virus protection program they need to be kept updated frequently to be most effective in keeping your computer clean. In your search for a program that will clean and protect your computer from malicious malware you will find there are hundreds of programs out there on the market. But buyer beware, many of those programs are useless as they are ineffective in seeking out malware and can miss the most recent versions and variations of malicious software that evolve to evade legitimate malware detection programs. There are even malware programs that guise themselves as malware removal programs, but instead of removing them you just added more to your computer. Use only trusted malware removal programs that have won awards from independent third party reviews and are a member of the Better Business Bureau.
Programs such as SpyZooka are designed to work along side your antivirus. Although you can download the program for free and do a scan of your computer, any malicious malware the program detects can not be removed until you buy the product and pay a yearly fee to keep the updates current just like your virus protection. Also look for programs that contain realtime protection.
If you are an avid surfer of the internet and do much of your personal business, like shopping and banking online, having a virus and malware protection is vital to the protection of your information and wellbeing of your computer.
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- Sep 24 2008
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If you’ve ever heard the term “rootkit” used, it probably hasn’t been under very good circumstances. Most people first heard of the term when Sony BMG was discovered to have installed rootkit software on their music CDs as an anti-pirating device. But what is a rootkit program, what can it do to your computer, and how to protect yourself against them?
A rootkit is a program that installs itself in a computer’s root directory and allows someone other than the computer’s owner to take control of the computer system. As you might guess, this “someone” is none too likely to have good intentions.
(Yes, some rootkits have been used for constructive purposes. But if there’s one on your computer, and you didn’t either put it there or explicitly have someone else put it there–it’s probably not being used towards ends beneficial to you.)
A rootkit generally masquerades as a utility program, and may even intertwine itself with beneficial software. It generally has its own hidden utilities which allow outside users to access the infected computer.
One common malicious way this works is by creating a backdoor into your computer. This allows a person from a remote location to attack or otherwise access your computer at will. Usually this involves an attacker having administrator access to your computer. Think your credit card, password, and personal information is safe? Not when if you’ve got a backdoor, it’s not. A malicious individual can even change your computer’s password, so that you can’t even get on it!
One way for a malicious user to make use of a rootkit on your computer, is to use your system to further abuse or hack other systems or networks. They will use your computer as a “base of operations” for hacking, cracking, or otherwise abusing other systems, while making the abuse look like it comes from your computer!
Not only are rootkits good at collecting information and using your computer as a proxy–they also help hide other malicious programs such as keyloggers, viruses, and all kinds of spyware. So this one malicious program not only can abuse your safety and security by itself–it also opens the door for all manner of other programs to do the same.
What can you do to avoid downloading this especially insidious form of malware/spyware? As always, be careful of anything you download. Check what you’re downloading against Google and any spyware protection you may have.
Of course, given the insidious “007” nature of the rootkit, this isn’t always enough. You definitely need to perform regular scans of your computer. You’ll also want to make sure you anti-virus and anti-spyware editions are kept up to date.
Finally, don’t forget to upload your reports every time you scan your computer. That way, your reports can be analyzed, giving you a second tier of detection and protection from malicious rootkit software.
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- Sep 22 2008
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Malwarrior is a piece of fake anti-spyware that downloads itself onto innocent people’s computers. It downloads itself onto your system and then displays fake security alerts in order to get you to buy the paid version. But it doesn’t really take care of anything.
It downloads itself frequently through Trojan software, if that tells you anything. And it tends to slow down your computer as well as give you “false positives” about computer infection, in order to get you to buy the paid version of Malwarrior.
Trojans aren’t the only way for you to pick up this malicious piece of software, though. It can be bundled with shareware or other downloadable software. Bit torrent sites are rife with this and other spyware programs, too.
Have you ever been looking at a new and unfamiliar web site, when what seemed to be a regular Windows notification box popped up with “Yes” and “No” buttons on it? Regardless of what it was asking you, and regardless of which button you clicked, Malwarrior or some other malicious software very likely downloaded itself onto your computer right then.
Malwarrior is one of many kinds of fake anti-spyware that downloads itself onto your computer and then tries to convince you to buy the paid version. It does this convincing by constantly popping up and telling you that your computer is infected. Your computer is, in fact, infected–by fake anti-spyware.
How did this program come into existence? It was reportedly designed by Russian hackers. It makes money for them by showing fake security warnings, and then badgering the user into buying the “full” version of Malwarrior.
To make the program even more insidious, it even has the ability to re-create itself! It can spread itself using your PC or laptop as a base, thereby implicating you in the infection of other computers.
But Malwarrior does more than just throw up annoying advertisements and deceptive false positives. It can also open up browser security holes and steal personal information such as credit card numbers, passwords, bank account numbers, and other sensitive private info.
This piece of rogue anti-spyware can often be just the beginning of your problems, however–it’s also designed to install other spyware and malware on to your computer. So once you get this into your computer, you’re in constant danger of multiple abuses as long as it stays on there.
Malwarrior is not easy to either detect or remove. Like many other forms of rogue anti-spyware, it can re-install itself even after it appears to have been removed. This makes manual removal difficult and unreliable.
Like many forms of spyware, it is constantly evolving and changing. Even if you thoroughly rid yourself of one installation, you’re still in danger of being infected by a new, “improved” version of the software. The only way to make certain you’re not infected again is to make sure you have reliable anti-spyware software with daily updates.
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- Sep 20 2008
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Zlob Trojans are some of the most insidious Trojans out there. If you’ve ever tried to watch video from a web site, only to be informed you needed to download a special “codec”, then you’ve probably run into a Zlob Trojan. They are insidious.
They’re even worse because they do a really good job of pretending like they are legitimate software. They’ll often have fake end-user license agreements to that they’ll seem like the real deal. But really, these are just there to fool the unsuspecting user into downloading malicious software.
Sometimes the agreement will tell you exactly what you’re about to download, but in the kind of shifty language where you can’t really know the maliciousness of what you’re downloading is.
Once you’ve downloaded this software, you’ll start to see lots of adware. You’ll get screens taking over your desktop, posing as security warnings. You’ll probably even have pop-up windows telling you your system is infected. (“ActiveX Object Error” is one common message that comes up.)
Of course, you’ll be instructed to buy a specific kind of “anti-spyware”, or at least run a check with it, in order to “fix” your computer.
But this is far from the end of things. Zlob Trojans keep on downloading adware and rogue anti-spyware. You’ll just get more and more “error–run scan with X software” messages. And they’ll look more and more legitimate–much of this kind of malicious adware and rogue anti-spyware is designed to look either like a Windows security alert, or else like a real and legitimate anti-spyware program.
Zlob Trojans uses the increasing popularity of internet video to make potential victims of us all. This kind of malicious adware doesn’t just come from video sites. Online greeting card sites, music download sites, and even instant messengers can transmit this kind of malicious software.
So what can you do to protect yourself?
Read any end-user license agreement you are shown. The time you take may seem irritating, but it’s worth it. Real agreements, while sometimes long, are easy to understand. The agreements for this kind of malicious adware generally are not.
Verify what you’re downloading. Before you download any kind of video codec (or any other executable file you’ve never heard of), make sure you know exactly what it is. Google it, use an online virus scanner (or your own–you really should have at least one spyware checker). Find a good security support forum and make sure it has a search function.
If even one of these sources says the file is questionable, you probably shouldn’t download. If all three tell you that, you definitely want to keep it off your computer.
Use up to date spyware protection. In today’s day and age, this is absolutely essential. Make sure you’ve got an legitimate anti-spyware program (i.e. one that you chose–not one that downloaded itself and then expected you to buy the full version), update it daily, and use it!
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- Sep 17 2008
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It’s been said that nothing in life is free; this couldn’t be more true out on the Internet. Free software is known around the Internet by names such as “shareware” and “freeware,” but many of these free software programs are not worth your time to download. And more often than not, they are laced with some sort of malware that is out to infect your computer.
No computer user should have to bear the headaches that a free software program can bring to their machine. The spyware that usually comes with it can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, slow down your computer by using bandwidth and running in the background, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files… and it can do this without your knowledge or permission.
The security and privacy concerns with this kind of monitoring are obvious. On top of that, after doing an innocent search for a European vacation, you will find yourself bombarded with a barrage of vacation package pop-ups from travel sites and your inbox filled with spam emails advertising their latest and greatest bargain. Nothing can be more frustrating than wasting 15 minutes of time, just clicking the little red “x,” only to have more boxes pop-up.
This is how the programmers of free software make their money; they lure you in with a free trial or a free version of software you may find beneficial; after gathering your data and monitoring your surfing habits, they sell your information to third parties that will spend time and energy spamming you. If they hijack your browser, any search you do will turn up a list of sites that, as a result, will benefit them; Google ranking will not matter.
A good example of this type of free software is file-sharing programs. Who isn’t enticed by the thought of free music or software? The problem occurs after you download the software and malware is given access to your computer. Site Advisor, a site recently purchased by McAfee, had this to say in an article published by the Wall Street Journal, “Often, so-called ‘free’ items are anything but free….. Free screen saver and games sites are notorious for bundling spyware and adware with downloads… Free e-card sites often share users’ e-mail addresses with third parties and can lead to a never-ending influx of spam… Ringtone sites frequently lure consumers with misleading offers of free tones that ultimately lead to automatic enrollment in paid subscriptions.”
So, is free software really free? It all depends on how you view “free.” If you consider “free” in terms of whether or not you must pay for something, then the short answer would be yes. However, considering the time and energy it will take, not to mention the amount of hair you will pull out, when dealing with getting rid of your spyware, the answer is no.
Remember, any software worth having comes with a price tag and typically, it’s worth the price you will pay. Don’t download free software just to try and save a buck; in the end, it will likely cost you money you didn’t intend on spending just to get rid of it.
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- Sep 16 2008
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In generic terms, adware is any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running. The authors of these applications include additional code that delivers the ads, which can be viewed through pop-up windows, or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. The justification for adware is that it helps to recover some of the cost of programming development, and allows the programmers to offer the software at little or not cost to the end user.
This software generates advertisements such as pop-up windows or hotlinks on web pages that are not part of a page’s code. Adware may add links to your favorites and your desktop without your conscious knowledge. It will often change your homepage and your search engine to sites that earn income from various advertisers; this income is largely dependent on how many people visit the adware site, or how many people click on the links or advertisements at the site.
Ads are not bad by themselves, but they become a problem when they are unauthorized. Unfortunately, many adware programs do not give users enough notice or control. Adware has been criticized by many because it usually includes code that tracks a user’s personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user’s authorization or knowledge.
When adware first appeared on the scene, it was very simple, almost to the point of being harmless. Often, it would involve only a few files which could be deleted or disabled at will, with no ill-effect; early adware even appeared in the Control Panel under Add or Remove Programs. As adware has matured, it has become smarter. Historically, as fast as the clean-up experts have worked out how to fight spyware and adware, those behind it have fought back with new tricks.
Over time, the malware and spyware generated by the adware started polluting and changing computer registries, and using random file names that were harder to identify and remove. Adware began exhibiting spyware and malware characteristics. Even if victims were able to remove hijackers, they were sometimes unable to change hijacked home pages or other settings to what they wanted because the relevant buttons had been grayed out.
Years after arriving on the scene, adware is now big business and there is a lot of money to be made. In and of itself, advertising is not unique to the Internet; it has been around forever. But there are dangers inherent to adware that we must all be aware of.
The most obvious problem caused by the spyware that can imbed in your machine via adware is computer instability. Badly infected systems may operate very slowly, crash constantly, and sometimes will not start at all. To add insult to injury, the owners of such badly infected machines may face serious problems when trying to clean up their machines.
There is also a privacy and security risk. Adware may exhibit spyware tendencies, reporting where you go on the Internet, when and how often, what you enter into search engines, and what advertisements you respond to.
So, before installing what appears to be freeware, think twice. It may actually be adware that is out to infect your computer, one click at a time.
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- Sep 15 2008
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At any one time, there are an estimated 900,000 pieces of malware, also known as spyware, lurking on the Internet, just waiting to infect your computer. In response to the large number of spyware programs that have taken over computers, a small industry has formed, dealing specifically with antispyware software. Running antispyware programs has become a widely used practice for almost everyone who uses a computer.
As the threat of spyware has worsened, a number of techniques have emerged to counteract it; some of which include antispyware programs. Many programmers, and a number of commercial firms, have come out with antispyware software, designed to remove or block spyware. Some antispyware products are free, and some are fee based; either way, you should definitely invest in some.
Antispyware programs can fight against spyware in two different ways, by providing realtime protection against the installation of spyware software on your computer, and detecting spyware that has already been installed on your computer. The end result is much the same, they just operate on different time frames.
Real time antispyware works exactly the same way that anti-virus software protects you. It scans all incoming network data for spyware software and blocks any threats that it comes in contact with. In some cases, it may also block attempts to install items that will run at start-up, or that will modify your browser settings.
Antispyware that is designed to detect spyware already installed on your computer is much easier to use. You can schedule it to scan your computer as often or as infrequently as you want it to. once it’s been scanned, the software will provide you with a report of what was found in the Windows registry, operating system files and installed programs on your computer. Whatever you would like to delete, you can.
When shopping for antispyware software, you must be aware that there are companies out there that are not reputable and will actually embed spyware within their programs; the result is that you end up in worse shape than when you started. It is important to research antispyware programs before you download them on your computer. Check to see what other people have to say about them.
Some important factors to look for, in addition to the company being on the up and up, is ease of use. You want to use a program that has a user interface that is clear and concise. You may choose to use a fee-based program and supplement that with a free version of another company’s. One antispyware program will never catch every single threat; as stated above, at any one time, there are almost 1 million threats out there - that’s a lot for any one program to keep an eye on.
When you are confident that you’ve found a reputable antispyware company, take the plunge and run a scan — you may be startled at your findings.Rest assured, with antispyware programs getting better by the day, the impact of spyware is getting less and less. Be careful of what you opt in to anytime a website asks you to download something and be careful of which ‘free’ software you take advantage of. Those cautions, combined with a good antispyware program, will go a long way to keeping your machine trouble free.
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