Beware Of Spyware Threats – The Top Ten
“Know your enemy, if you want to conquer him”. This is a well known phrase that you should be aware to the spyware threats. Spyware can cause innumerable problems, like quietly spying upon your surfing habits, pass on your credit card information to the bad elements or simply be a nuisance to your computer operation. In all cases, it pays to know your enemy and hence you should have enough prior knowledge of them to combat them. Here is a list of the top ten spyware threats as sourced from Face Time Security Labs.
1. Gator – Normally these are installed by users like you as a password vault. This helps in recalling passwords automatically when you visit some sites. However, frequent pop-ups as and when you visit certain sites would have to be put up with. This would be highly annoying to a frequent user. The maker of Gator, has provided some relief by labelling the pop-up ads, but Gator continue to be annoying for the users.
2. CoolWebSearch – This is a spyware which when it gets installed, will be highly notorious as it will simply hijack your browser. CoolWebSearch is the generic name given to the variants of the spyware which redirects the user to coolwebsearch.com or datanotary.com. Any attempt to uninstall the programme will prove to be a highly complex exercise. Hence you should not attempt to remove this programme manually from your disc.
3. 180SearchAssistant – This spyware software whichever serves ads in pop-ups or pops up website windows based on your keyword searches. This software commonly comes bundled with other “perk” capture software installs like emoticons or wallpaper. Newer versions of the software have an add/delete program uninstall thing.
4. Huntbar can be as frustrating as they get. Huntbar has a modus operandi by which it creates its own toolbar on the internet explorer. Using any other search engine proves futile too as it will keep directing the user to its own page. Furthermore, it ends up changing the home page as well as the search engine setting, which leads the users to their server every time they use the search engine. And to add insult to injury, it drains the memory by 15%.
5. Cydoor is the next in line among its illustrious brothers and sisters. The main source of this program is the peer to peer (P2P) software. Much like the others mentioned above, it frustrates the users no end by incessant advertisement pop ups and also tracks the browser history.
6. ISTbar – Yet another finicky, redundant piece of software. ISTbar does “hammer-by” induct via ActiveX and javascript. Basically, that means that you holiday a locate and it tries to invest itself to your processor. Nice, huh. The Activex control installs a toolbar that pushes information to my-internet.info and blazefind.com.
7. Various features of WhenU-DesktopBar includes ad pop ups, tracking of browsing history and an ability to run codes from a far off server using only update settings. Searches may end up in special offers and coupons being flashed on the monitor.
8. New.Net – New.Net is a circle that sells field names for “nonstandard” top-amount domains. It should be aloof instantly.
9. IEPlugin – As the name implies, it installs a toolbar in Internet Explorer. It tracks web site custom, form substance (like names, addresses, etc. – i.e., Yikes!), and narrow filenames that are browsed. It’s invasive – remove it.
10. BargainBuddy – This software is distributed by BullzEye Network and you can find it everywhere. What it does it to set up a Browser Helper Object (BHO) with the help of which it will monitor the usage of your computer. Based on this information, it will push advertisements on your monitor, much to your annoyance.
