Security, antivirus, antispyware Blog

What Is Adware?

Adware is one of many “malwares” or malicious software programs that are unknowingly installed on your computer when you visit online sites and download freebies. When you use share files or visit sites with free downloads of wallpaper, videos, or music, some of these sites will send along adware software with your download.

These malwares are a rapidly growing threat to all computer systems. It is estimated that in the first three months of 2005 over 80% of computer users had some type of malware software program running on their computer, without their knowledge.

Although it is much less a threat to your computer and information than spyware is, what adware will do is cause pop up banners and advertisements to appear on your computer. These advertisements are displayed on your computer no matter what program you might be using. What the people who place this type of nuisance software on you computer say is that adware advertising helps them to recover costs and allows them to offer you those freebies you want.

What you want to do to stop adware from appearing on your computer is to first run an anti-adware program. Run this program on demand regularly. Along with an anti-adware software program run your regular computer virus scan on demand also.

Check the security level on your computer. You security level setting should be at least medium to help protect you from unwanted downloads.

Do not download free files from the internet, period. When downloading any software read the end-user license agreement. Some of these agreements will state that when you download their software you are also agreeing to accept a downloaded spyware that may be placed on your computer at the same time.

Be aware of threats to your computer, and your personal information.

February 2, 2008 | Filed Under AdWare | Leave a Comment 

Computer Security - What Exactly Is It?

Although the term ‘computer security’ is used a lot, the content of a computer is actually vulnerable to only a few risks unless the computer is connected to others on a network. As the use of computer networks (especially the Internet) has increased dramatically during the past few years, the term computer security is now used to describe issues referring to the networked use of computers and their resources.

The major technical areas of computer security are confidentiality, integrity and authentication/availability.
- Confidentiality, also known as secrecy or privacy, means that the information you own cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties. Breaches of confidentiality range from the embarrassing to the disastrous.
- Integrity means that your information is protected against unauthorized changes that are undetectable to authorized users. The integrity of databases and other resources are usually compromised through hacking.
- Authentication means that an user is who he claims to be.
- Availability means that the resources are accessible by authorized parties. Examples of availability attacks are the ‘denial of service’ attacks.

Other important things that the computer security professionals are concerned about are access control and nonrepudiation. Access control refer not only to the fact that users can only access the resources and services they are entitled to, but also to the fact that they can’t be denied to access the resources they legitimately expect. Nonrepudiation means that a person who sends a message cannot deny he sent it and vice versa.

In addition to these technical aspects, the concept of computer security is very large. Computer security’s roots are drawn from disciplines like ethics and risk analysis and the major topics that are concerning it are computer crime (tries to prevent, detect and remedy attacks) and identity/anonymity in cyberspace.

Although confidentiality, integrity and authenticity are the most important things when it comes to computer security in general, for everyday internet users, privacy is the most important one, because many people think that they have nothing to hide or the information they give doesn’t seem sensitive when they register with an internet service/site.

But remember that, on the internet, information is very easily shared among companies and small pieces of related information from different sources can be linked together to form something alot more complex about a person. Because of this, nowadays, the ability to maintain control over what information is collected about them, who may use it and how it can be used is extremely important.

February 2, 2008 | Filed Under Security | Leave a Comment 

What’s the Snag Behind the Spyware

The concept behind the technology of spyware is that, a number of advertising companies take interest to install tracking software into the computer system, that illusions to call it host with aims to use all internet connections, get statistical or other information data to what they will claim “home” attesting assurance of company’s security policies not to collect sensitive data for confidentiality, and with full promise to establish continuity of anonymity.

However, it is an establish fact that the PC functions as a “live” server that is open for any kind of information disseminations with or without the consent of the server; bottom lining the fact, there is always a risk for any transfer of any information even those covered by protection policies between the advertiser and the so called “mothership.” In the end just as nobody would wish, it will be sending assimilated data that might escape the benefit of payment from the PC database.

Although spyware and adware could be two in one to front probable interference to the server’s privacy, spyware could stage sole manipulation to indulge deeper in affecting the users privacy, prompting slow-down computer’s effectiveness, windows’ pop-ups of undesirable ads, and spam e-mails.

Several media companies are perennially seeking ways to eliminate large expense for web development and internet costs; but instead, tend to pay part of their revenue solicitations from reputable brands’ banner sales to host servers by installing reputable piece software by way of so called “piggybacking,” or tricking methods as the Trojan horse technique, installing some “rogue” anti-spyware program, eluding detection of its being a disguised security software.

A spyware no adware technology is an advertising copyright itself, can stand without having to do with any adware’s vulnerability threats. The so-called “Web accelerator” or helpful software agents: Example, the Bonzi Buddy (quoted from: Wikipidea), targeted to children: “He will explore the internet with you as your own friend and sidekick. He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail and download like no other friend you’ve ever had! . . Best of all, it is FREE.”

This piece of copyright text is so deceptive for unknowingly, motives behind depict to pursue some ends in order to evade something that will disrupt the mobility of cash flow of the mother host.

Why is Spy ware Deceptive?

1. It does not self-replicate; instead, it invades infected computers for commercial gains purposes.
2. It monitors Web browsing activity (sales strategy) and routes of all HTTP to advertising agencies.
3. Delivery of pop-up advertisements
4. Theft of Credit and Identification card numbers in relation to the notorious identity theft around.
5. Spyware gets into the system by exploitations of other software vulnerability.

The Effects of the Spyware upon the Use of the Computer

There are so many complicated effects that are induced by spyware. It may not even be detected as an obvious virus infection, but comes in, a core factor of ineffective results of computers’ performance; like network traffic, disk usage, CPU malfunction which may be mislead to be a PC crash, and finally resolving to replace the whole system with a new one.

The demand for technical support and assistance is another recourse for badly spyware-infected computers. Another option is to have a thorough “cleanup” of the whole system. It needs massive reinstalling on software in order to revitalize as new.

December 18, 2007 | Filed Under SpyWare | Leave a Comment 

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