They develop faster than viruses and even indulge in furtive behaviour to avoid detection by security software: the spyware nuisance has equalled, if not surpassed, for some time now that of viruses. Much discussed at the IT security fair Infosec Europe 2006, the dangerous evolution of spyware primarily threatens ill-informed users who don’t know how to protect themselves. Unwanted installations, which rely on false information to encourage the user to click “yes”, spyware and adware use propagation methods which are almost impossible to avoid unless you are an IT professional. Here are a few pointers to help you recognise and protect yourself against them.
An installation window which opens automatically without your asking it to, or even worse, infiltration without your knowledge to exploit weaknesses in your software: these are methods, used by numerous types of spyware, which can be ranked as “unwanted”. At the beginning of the development of Internet, spyware using these techniques would automatically start downloading a file, usually named "Track.exe". It was relatively easy to stop this unwanted installation by closing or refusing the dialogue box. But Internet users’ alertness spurred spyware authors on to invent more subtle methods. Most spyware now hides behind free software or services, which are, above all, very useful. For example, the spyware ErrorSafe/WinFixer claims that a security threat exists on the user’s computer and swears that a security analysis is necessary to detect and eradicate it. But as you can imagine, this so-called analysis doesn’t get rid of any threats. In fact, it does quite the opposite and installs spyware! It can be hard for an uniformed Internet user to tell the difference… Many users panic at the message indicating a threat and click on the “yes” button to benefit from the “free tool”. Even if, by doing so, they appear to give their consent, it has been obtained through false information.
Sometimes these dialogue boxes take on an official Windows format (which merely adds to confusion) or cannot be closed (or worse, closing them sets off the downloading). In other cases, the sites which house spyware and adware don’t even bother to warn that they have begun downloading. They make the Internet user believe that they are creating a new avatar intended for use in forums on the website in question - in the case of one of 180 Solutions’ adware - or that they are planning to try out a new screensaver. But once the Internet user agrees by clicking on that ill-fated button, the adware is installed on their computer. This is followed by interminable pop-ups, which make it almost impossible to surf the Net, which slow down the computer and, above all, which record the pages visited by the Internet user. In addition, some of the windows which appear feature adverts with adult content. Many of this kind of spyware are housed on sites aimed at children or teenagers who, believing that all they are doing is creating an avatar for a forum, download spyware onto the family computer.
Other kinds of spyware and adware use even less desirable procedures and install themselves by exploiting software weaknesses, all of which is done without any intervention from the user. All the toolbars, search bars, search assistants and companions which are automatically installed when you simply visit a website, and which offer practically no possibility of being uninstalled, belong in this category. The nuisance they pose isn’t limited to displaying unwanted adverts. They often change users’ home pages, direct users to an unwanted website, or even alter search engine results. Coolwebsearch heads up these “hacker” spyware.
Faced with spyware which install automatically (or almost automatically, by obtaining the user’s agreement through false information), human vigilance isn’t enough. A tool for detecting and blocking spyware is indispensable. With its functions for detecting spyware and adware, Norton Antivirus will guarantee your computer’s protection. For more complete security, Norton Internet Security, which includes a firewall, will block all trespassing attempts and malicious codes exploiting software flaws.
