SPYWARE & MALWAREcomputerfixed.co.uk › Website Files › Articles › WHAT_IS... · 2013-12-08 · malware: adware spyware hijackers toolbars diallers Many, if not most malware

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SPYWARE & MALWARE

How do you get infected? You can get infected by malware (malicious Software) in several ways. Malware often comes

bundled with file sharing programs. These malware programs usually pop-up ads, sending revenue

from the ads to the program's authors.

Others are installed from websites, pretending to be software needed to view the website. Still

others, install themselves through holes in Internet Explorer like a virus would, requiring you to do

nothing but visit the wrong web page to get infected.

The vast majority, however, must be installed by the user. Unfortunately, getting infected with

malware is usually much easier than getting rid of it, and once you get malware on your computer it

tends to multiply.

Will Anti-virus software protect me? Anti-virus companies are only beginning to pay attention to malware. Aside from some of the latest

versions (many include the malware scanner in the Internet security portion of their suites), most

anti-virus programs have little to no protection.

Those anti-virus programs that do protect are generally not as thorough as a dedicated malware

remover.

However, some especially virulent malware that malware scanners may miss will be removed by

anti-virus programs, so it is generally a good idea to run a virus scan as well.

Types of malware Although there is no official breakdown, we can divide malware into several broad categories of

malware:

adware

spyware

hijackers

toolbars

diallers

Many, if not most malware programs will fit into more than one category.

It is very common for people to use the words adware, spyware, and malware interchangeably. Most

products that call themselves spyware or adware removers will actually remove all types of

malware.



Adware Adware is the class of programs that place advertisements on your screen. These may be in the form

of pop-ups, pop-unders, advertisements embedded in programs, advertisements placed on top of

ads in web sites, or any other way the authors can think of showing you an ad.

The pop-ups generally will not be stopped by pop-up stoppers, and often are not dependent on your

having Internet Explorer open.

They may show up when you are playing a game, writing a document, listening to music, or anything

else. Should you be surfing, the advertisements will often be related to the web page you are

viewing.

Spyware Programs classified as spyware send information about you and your computer to somebody else.

Some spyware simply relays the addresses of sites you visit or terms you search for to a server

somewhere.

Others may send back information you type into forms in Internet Explorer or the names of files you

download. Still others search your hard drive and report back what programs you have installed,

contents of your e-mail client's address book (usually to be sold to spammers), or any other

information about or on your computer – things such as your name, browser history, login names

and passwords, credit card numbers, and your phone number and address.



Spyware often works in conjunction with toolbars. It may also use a program that is always running

in the background to collect data, or it may integrate itself into Internet Explorer, allowing it to run

undetected whenever Internet Explorer is open.

Hijackers Hijackers take control of various parts of your web browser, including your home page, search

pages, and search bar.

They may also redirect you to certain sites should you mistype an address or prevent you from going

to a website they would rather you not, such as sites that combat malware.

Some will even redirect you to their own search engine when you attempt a search. NB: hijackers

almost exclusively target Internet Explorer.

Toolbars Toolbars plug into Internet Explorer and provide additional functionality such as search forms or

pop-up blockers.

The Google and Yahoo! toolbars are probably the most common legitimate examples, and malware

toolbars often attempt to emulate their functionality and look.

Malware toolbars almost always include characteristics of the other malware categories, which is

usually what gets it classified as malware. Any toolbar that is installed through underhanded means

falls into the category of malware.

Diallers Diallers are programs that set up your modem connection to connect to a premium number. This

provides the number's owner with revenue while leaving you with a large phone bill. There are

some legitimate uses for diallers, such as for people who do not have access to credit cards.

Most diallers, however, are installed quietly and attempt to do their dirty work without being

detected.



Keep a clean machine First and foremost, malware programs are a security risk. One can never be certain what information

these programs are collecting about you from your computer. They potentially could have your

name, physical address, e-mail address, credit card number, web site history, passwords, and any

other information you have on your PC. The malware authors could use the information themselves

or pass it on to others.

Second, malware programs are usually poorly written. They may be unstable, use up the majority of

your PC's of resources, or simply slow the computer to a crawl. Even the fastest computer can be

brought to its knees with only a handful of malware programs installed.

Third, any sort of adware will bombard you with advertisements. In addition to the familiar pop-ups

and pop-unders, some adware will replace ads on a web site with their own. You do not even need

to be surfing the 'Net to get pop-ups, as they will show up at any random time.

Malware prevention The easiest way to deal with malware is to not get it in the first place. A little bit of common sense

helps, but experience goes a lot farther. Experienced computer users, like it or not, hopefully possess

the common sense that will let them avert potential disasters. This edge can be acquired. The

distinction is largely one of attitude, one which for lack of a better term I'll call "sceptical

computing." We can examine this attitude and see how it reacts to common sources of trouble.

Sceptical computing breaks down into two parts. The first is having a minimum level of expectations

for the working state of their computers. Operating systems for personal computers are extremely

stable and reliable. Computers are no longer the cantankerous contraptions they were with

Windows 9x or earlier versions of Mac OS. It's not acceptable to have a computer that runs at a

snail's pace with advertisements flying up left and right. If things aren't working as they should, you

can find a fix, whether through Google, anonymous forums, or through ComputerFixed.

The second component of sceptical computing is maintaining a sceptical attitude while browsing the

internet. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any "hot deals" had better come

from a trusted source. If a warning starts flashing on your computer, look closely to see if it's a

legitimate message from Windows or just an animated image in a web browser. Beyond sceptical

computing, there are other preventive measures you can take to secure your computer. Verify that

your Internet Explorer security settings are set correctly. To do this, open up Internet Explorer and

go to the Tools menu.



Click on Internet Options. Click on the Security tab.

Click on the globe labelled Internet.

Then click the Custom Level button.

Make sure "Download signed ActiveX controls" is set to "Prompt" (if you think you have everything

installed that you need, you can set this to "Disable" for extra security), "Download unsigned ActiveX

controls" is set to "Disable," and "Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe" is set to

"Disable."

Updating windows operating system Another easy and very important step is to update Windows. Some malware uses holes in Internet

Explorer and Windows to install themselves without you knowing. There are many viruses which

exploit Windows in similar ways, so it's important to either enable Automatic Update or regularly

visit Windows Update.



Users of Windows XP should make sure they have Service Pack 3 installed. It includes many

improvements that should make it much more difficult for malware to infect your computer,

including a basic firewall. Before installing a major update such as a Service Pack, it is recommended

that you back up any critical data. Also make sure that your system is free of malware before

installing SP3. Malware can interact with the installation process in undesirable ways. You can get

SP3 through Automatic Updates or Windows Update.

Firewall One way of being warned that malware has infected your machine is by using a software firewall

(this also works well for viruses too). Should malware get past your defences and infect your

computer, a software firewall will notify you if it tries to "dial home" (unfortunately, this will

probably not work for malware that integrates itself into Internet Explorer). When a software

firewall catches a program trying to make a connection, it will alert you, give you the name of the

program, and ask if you want to block it from the Internet.

When using this software, apply scepticism in the same way you would when looking at a drive-by-

download. When you receive a prompt from your firewall, scrutinize the program requesting access.

Have you seen it before? Do you remember installing it? Does its function appear generic or

otherwise ambiguous?



Software firewall warnings will aid in finding and removing the malware, as they give you the exact

location of the process. They are especially important if you are not behind a hardware firewall.

Firewalls do not know the difference between what is good and what is bad, so they will ask you

about legitimate programs as well as illegitimate ones (many come with a white-list of commonly-

used programs that need the Internet, however).

If you do not know what a program is, usually a web search on it will tell you if it is something that

should be accessing the Internet or not.

Other protection software If you're worried about not being able to identify drive-by-downloads, there are several pieces of

software that can nip the problem at the bud.

SpywareBlaster and Blocklist set "kill-bits" in Internet Explorer which automatically deny known

malware from installing.

In addition, SpywareBlaster, Spybot and Superantispyware blocks many known malware

distributing websites.

Alternative browsers An increasing number of users have concluded that Internet Explorer opens up too many potential

problems and have switched to alternative web browsers. There are several excellent ones available,

each with their own virtues.

•Mozilla Suite, Full-featured suite with browser, email client, IRC client, and HTML editor.

•Firefox, lightweight browser that utilizes Mozilla's top-notch rendering engine.

•Opera, Lightweight suite with many features.



Protect Yourself Adhere to the following list and stay protected.

Most malware needs to be installed by the user. Be careful what you agree to install.

Keep your computer’s operating system up-to-date with Internet updates.

Install a anti -malware program and anti-virus program and run them once a week.

If your computer is running slow, don’t ignore the problem, get it sorted.

Install another browser in case Internet Explorer is disabled.

Be careful what you download and from where.

Use the Alt + F4 (function key) to close pop-up windows.

If your computer is infected with Malware of any type then contact ComputerFixed.

We can remove most malware and get your computer back on track.

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SPYWARE & MALWAREcomputerfixed.co.uk › Website Files › Articles › WHAT_IS... · 2013-12-08 · malware: adware spyware hijackers toolbars diallers Many, if not most malware