Tag Archives: malware
Beating Adware, The Sneakiest Software (Page 1 of 2)
Promoters of adware, software that shows advertising on a user’s computer, use some cunning tricks to get you to install their software on your machine. Here’s what to look out for.
Adware is, by definition, something reasonable people don’t want on their computers. That’s why malware can’t just come out and ask people to install it. Often, the computer owner is completely unaware of it being installed. But not always.
When adware doesn’t want to sneak in through an open window, it will try to trick you into letting it in through the front door. Don’t think you could be tricked? Don’t be so sure until you’ve checked out these most common ways people have been tricked into allowing malware to be installed on their machines.
Adware Installation Trick 1: Piggybacking
How it works: malware may come bundled with a legitimate piece of software the user actually wants, such as a game or emoticon. The malware is merely labeled “companion software,” without any indication of what it will do.
How to fight it: be very suspicious of any software that comes bundled with other software. Don’t installed software that comes bundled with other software unless you know everything that the bundled software does. After all, if the bundled program has anything to do with the program you actually want, why couldn’t the software developer just get both programs’ functionalities into a single piece of software? Software developers are now very sensitive to malware concerns and will provide a lengthy explanation of just why the bundled software is necessary, in the cases when they actually do need to use bundled software.
Adware Installation Trick 2: Bait and Switch
How it works: since people are getting more and more suspicious of bundled software, the malware’s developers may simply label it as valuable software, for instance, a browser plugin that supposedly accelerates web browsing (but in reality only shows ads).
How to fight it: again, a suspicious mind is useful in avoiding malware. Ask yourself some questions:
o What will this software actually do? Malware often comes with very fuzzy claims attached. Sure, it says it will improve your browsing experience, but how? Often, this improved browsing experience just means a browsing experience with more advertising.
o If the software is so great, why is it being given away free? Most commonly, software is only given out free in two cases: if it’s OpenSource (designed by a community of developers and not proprietary–OpenSource software is always clearly labeled as such); or simply a come-on for a fuller-featured version of the software. If neither case is true, there’s a real chance the software is financed by adware.
Adware Installation Trick 3: Outright Lying
How it works: malware may even be labeled as something else entirely, such as a well-known piece of software or a crucial component of the computer operating system.
Beating Adware, The Sneakiest Software (Page 1 of 2)
Promoters of adware, software that shows advertising on a user’s computer, use some cunning tricks to get you to install their software on your machine. Here’s what to look out for.
Adware is, by definition, something reasonable people don’t want on their computers. That’s why malware can’t just come out and ask people to install it. Often, the computer owner is completely unaware of it being installed. But not always.
When adware doesn’t want to sneak in through an open window, it will try to trick you into letting it in through the front door. Don’t think you could be tricked? Don’t be so sure until you’ve checked out these most common ways people have been tricked into allowing malware to be installed on their machines.
Adware Installation Trick 1: Piggybacking
How it works: malware may come bundled with a legitimate piece of software the user actually wants, such as a game or emoticon. The malware is merely labeled “companion software,” without any indication of what it will do.
How to fight it: be very suspicious of any software that comes bundled with other software. Don’t installed software that comes bundled with other software unless you know everything that the bundled software does. After all, if the bundled program has anything to do with the program you actually want, why couldn’t the software developer just get both programs’ functionalities into a single piece of software? Software developers are now very sensitive to malware concerns and will provide a lengthy explanation of just why the bundled software is necessary, in the cases when they actually do need to use bundled software.
Adware Installation Trick 2: Bait and Switch
How it works: since people are getting more and more suspicious of bundled software, the malware’s developers may simply label it as valuable software, for instance, a browser plugin that supposedly accelerates web browsing (but in reality only shows ads).
How to fight it: again, a suspicious mind is useful in avoiding malware. Ask yourself some questions:
o What will this software actually do? Malware often comes with very fuzzy claims attached. Sure, it says it will improve your browsing experience, but how? Often, this improved browsing experience just means a browsing experience with more advertising.
o If the software is so great, why is it being given away free? Most commonly, software is only given out free in two cases: if it’s OpenSource (designed by a community of developers and not proprietary–OpenSource software is always clearly labeled as such); or simply a come-on for a fuller-featured version of the software. If neither case is true, there’s a real chance the software is financed by adware.
Adware Installation Trick 3: Outright Lying
How it works: malware may even be labeled as something else entirely, such as a well-known piece of software or a crucial component of the computer operating system.
A Look Into Spyware Vs Malware
The number of computer security threats that are notorious and wild in the computer sector baffles most of the normal user. In the lack of proper information about the kind of threat they are infected with, people are not able to take proper remedial measures. Here is a special spyware vs malware comparison which should assist you in finding out what kind of problem you are facing and how does it create a risk for you. The very first thing that you should know is the package in which a spyware or a malware comes into your PC. Malware generally consists of viruses. It comes as a complete code package which is capable of replicating itself in such a manner that any computer which comes in contact with an infected computer also becomes infected. This may even be through using shared removable storage devices like CDs, DVDs, Floppy disks or pen drives. On the other hand the spyware does not replicate itself. It does not propagate in that manner. In case if it relies on host application, the host applications would need to propagate in order for the spyware to propagate. It can not propagate from one infected computer to infect another computer all by itself. Second thing is the primary target of malware vs spyware is different. In case of a spyware, the main of such a threat is to steal your data, especially the information that is sensitive in nature. This means it would not cause any intentional damage to your data. On the other had, malware primarily aims to destroy the data stored on your computer. The virus would infect the files on your computer and corrupt the data on your computer. So while one aims to steal your data, other aims to destroy it outright. The third thing is that recognition of malware and spyware is done using different symptoms. In case of spyware you would experience that the speed with which you connect to the internet goes down. This is because the spyware phones home and sends the data that it stole from your computer to the person who installed the spyware on your computer. Other than this you would also see that a number of pop up advertisements are displayed on your computer.The symptoms of being infected by malware are different. Here the major symptoms would be that your programs would stop working by themselves Similarly the files that are stored on your computer would become unusable. The computer’s performance would also be degraded seriously.Proper information about spyware vs malware is necessary because you would not want to be in a condition where you are trying to isolate one problem while you are actually suffering from another problem.