|
Click Here
for more articles
|
|
|
|
Adware Installation Stealth Tactics
|
|
by:
Joel Walsh
|
When adware can't trick you into installing
it, it often resorts to a secretive invasion. Find out how to defend
yourself.
Adware Installation Stealth Tactic 1: Expensive Freebie
• How it works: adware may get installed with so-called free
software without any mention of it being included anywhere in the
software's license or documentation. Or any mention of the bundled
software is buried deep within a click-wrap licensing agreement.
• How to protect yourself: It's become an endlessly repeated
cliché, but it's true: only install software from developers
you trust. That doesn't mean you can never try any software from a new
company. Just familiarize yourself with the developer's reputation
before opening wide your hard drive. Search the developer's name on
search engines. If a dozen anti-spyware advertisements are listed
alongside the search results, that's not a good sign.
• How to fight back: If you've already downloaded the
expensive freebie, it's probably too late to simply uninstall it. The
bundled adware will likely stick around on your computer long after the
software that came with it has been sent to the recycling bin. Instead,
you need to use an anti-spyware program, and preferably two to be sure.
Tactic 2. Adware Drive-by
• How it works: adware may hide in a website's code and
download itself automatically onto the site visitor's hard drive. This
is often called a "drive-by" installation.
• How to protect yourself: drive-by installations of software
tend to happen on obscure commercial websites, rather than personal
homepages, blogs, or the websites of established businesses. If you can
avoid surfing in those kinds of rough waters, you'll be a lot safer
from adware attacks.
• How to fight back: If you do suspect that a site has
downloaded software onto your computer, close it immediately and fire
up your anti-spyware and antivirus software. You may also want to
delete your browser's cache and also any program downloads folders and
temporary internet folders, just in case the adware is a new kind of
adware that isn't in your anti-spyware software's database yet.
Tactic 3: The Old-Fashioned Way: Email
• How it works: you know the drill: just as with viruses,
adware may come as an email attachment. The stealth part is that simply
not opening attachments may not be enough to protect you. The
attachment may not display an attachment icon and is set to
auto-install as soon as the message is opened.
• How to protect yourself: make sure your email software does
not open attached files automatically. With most new email software
applications the option to block automatic downloads of attached files
is set as the default. But to be really safe, you should set your
anti-spyware software to automatically monitor all email.
• How to fight back: delete the offending email without
opening it or the attachment (assuming that hasn't happened already).
Run a full scan of your hard drive using anti-spyware and antivirus
software.
About the author:
Joel Walsh writes for spyware-refuge about spyware and adware removal: http://www.spyware-refuge.com?spyware
adware remover [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live
link for above URL/web address w/ link text/anchor text: "spyware
adware remover" OR leave this bracketed message intact.]
Circulated by Article Emporium
|
|
