OMEGA's BLOG

WHAT IS ROGUE ANTI-SPYWARE? Rogue Anti-Spyware in other words is fake Anti-Spyware software. It uses a lot of advertisements, showing false information about infections to scare users and push them to buying their software. Rogue Anti-Spyware may claim to remove all spyware, and attempt to trick the user into downloading the trial version. Rogue Anti-Spywares Trial version may also be installed while browsing through the internet and clicking on advertisements which claim you need to install spyware software. After clicking the ad a Trojan will be installed, this will download, or even worse - install a trial version of Rogue Anti-Spyware. After Rogue Anti-Spyware software Trial installation it may start showing annoying pop-up advertisement, and when you try to scan your computer for spyware, all this Rogue Anti-Spyware software does, is tell you to buy their copy of software. If a user takes the recommendations, there is real potential of the user deleting their anti-virus and anti-spyware applications. It can also deliver malcode directly to the user's machine and install their own spyware. After installation it may become very hard to remove this type of software and may lead to full reinstallation of computer.

WHAT IS ADWARE? Adware, also known as advertising-supported software, is a program that is designed to display advertising content to a PC, once it is dowbloaded and installed. In some cases adware may be installed without user's knowlegde or consent and may also come bundled with other software applications. The advertising content includes pop-up and pop-under advertisements, addtional toolbars and shortcuts on user's desktop. Basically, adware programs are designed to monitor your web browsing habits, send it to a third party which will deliver targeted advertisements with no user's pemission.

WHAT IS BROWSER HELPER OBJECT? Browser Helper Object, also known as BHO, is a computer parasite designed to monitor and control your browser's activities by implementing to provide added functionality. BHO is known to use a Dynamic-Link Library (DLL) module in order to get access over your Internet browser. Browser Helper Object may get installed without your permission and without you being aware of it. This parasite may be used to serve a third party and gather the information about your Internet browsing habits. Note, that some of BHOs may come with legitimate applications. However, many of them may be developed by spyware creators.

WHAT IS BROWSER HIJACKERS? Browser Hijacker is a computer parasite designed to alter your web browser's settings. It may also redirect your searches to unsolicited websites. Its main malicious purpose is to increase the traffic of the websites to which you are being redirected. It means that the profit of the website owner is automatically rises for the increased traffic. For example, if you mistype the web address, browser hijacker may redirect it to the unsolicited website. Additionally, browser hijacker may change your default Home page to its predefined one. Many new releases of browser hijackers may add pornographic content bookmarks on your browser's window and generate excessive pop-up advertisements. Browser hijacker may be installed without your knowledge or consent through drive-by downloads or with infected e-mail. Note, that the parasite may also come bundled with various shareware software products. Our advice would be carefully read EULA's of shareware program vendor's.

WHAT IS DIALERS? Dialer is a malicious computer program secretly installed on its victim's machine that tends to dial expensive international numbers or 900 numbers. Once installed, a dialer may change your computer modem settings in order to make these expensive calls without your permission. In most cases dialers may affect you directly if you are using dial-up modem. Dialer may also download pornographic content on your machine. Additionally, dialer may appear difficult to uninstall. Note, that the parasite may also come bundled with various shareware software products.

WHAT IS KEYLOGGERS? Keylogger is a malicious spyware program designed to monitor your computer activities. This may include monitoring keystrokes made, passwords, screenshots and other personally identifiable information such as banking details. All the collected material then can be successfully transmitted to the author of a keylogger, its parent server or other third party. Keylogger may usually be secretly installed without your knowledge or consent and may hide itself as a low level system process. In some cases keylogger may be installed on purpose, for example when parents want to supervise their children computer usage activities or when the employers want to see what their employees are doing. Any other ways, like using a keylogger in order to retrieve, for example banking details, are considered to be illegal.

WHAT IS MALWARE? Malware is software designed to infiltrate and damage your computer. These include viruses, worms, keyloggers and other malicious pests. Malware is installed onto your machine without your knowledge or consent. Malware may also monitor your Internet browsing activities and may transmit the collected material to a third party. However, most usually malware once installed, will provide remote access to an attacker over your computer system. The attacker then will be able to change your computer settings, download and install additional malware.

WHAT IS SPYWARE? Spyware is any type of software designed to monitor your computer usage or Internet browsing activities without your knowledge or consent. This may be used for a purpose to bombard your screen with various unwanted targeted advertisements. The methods how spyware programs can monitor your computer activities are rather diverse, including keystroke logging, screenshots, checking what search terms you enter in the search page. Marketing companies are able to make entire profile of person's preferences and habits. After the information is collected, it may be sent to advertisers via FTP sites or email, etc. Additionally, spyware applications may also come bundled with other software products.

WHAT IS TRACKING COOKIE? Cookie is a small piece of text placed on your computer drive by the website. Tracking Cookie is only a text file and cannot do any severe harm to machine, because it is not a worm or computer virus. Cookie contains information of your preferences in websites, for example e-shops. Cookie will send the information back to your browser every time you load that page and makes your browsing experience more pleasant. However, the information collected may also be used for malicious purposes by a third party and then used against you. Note, that you have an ability to choose whether you want or not to accept Cookies by changing your Internet options.

WHAT IS TROJANS? Trojan or Trojan Horse is a destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. The term comes from Greek mythology about the Trojan War, as told in the Aeneid by Virgil and mentioned in the Odyssey by Homer. According to legend, the Greeks presented the citizens of Troy with a large wooden horse in which they had secretly hidden their warriors. During the night, the warriors emerged from the wooden horse and overran the city. In computers a Trojan may refer to a program that appears as something you may think is safe, it may be some kind of picture or audio or video file that would attract a user and would force him to open it. Surprisingly hidden inside is usually something harmful, probably a worm or a virus. These cut programs or images typically arrive through e-mail, as attachments. But not always. Sometimes they can be downloaded through FTP servers or Crack sites as some type of software, which may be described as very useful. After installation Trojan gains control over your system, and with that hackers may do a lot of harm. Trojan can change your desktop or add unwanted shortcuts or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans may also create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious free access to your system. By the help of Trojans, malicious users can access confidential or personal information. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate and each new victim must run the infected file.To avoid such risks, you should never download files from unknown sites and people, or click on links which were offered by them. Even if you're getting a file from a friend it may still be infected. Your friend may not know if he is infected. You should also avoid using programs which automatically preview your images.

WHAT IS WORMS? Computer Worms are reproducing programs that run independently and travel across network connections. Many worms have been created which are only designed to spread, and don't attempt to alter the systems they pass through. Main difference between viruses and worms is the method in which they reproduce and spread. Worms are very hard to detect on computers because they are made with an intriguing mathematical technological structure and complexity. An Internet worm can be contained in any kind of virus, program or script. Usually they spread through e-mail or IM messages any form of attachment or link in an email may contain a link to an infected website. In first case activation starts when a user clicks on the attachment while in the second case the activation starts when clicking the link in the email. The most dangerous are internet Worms which will scan all available network resources, try to connect to those systems and gain full access to them. Sometimes inventor will release it into the wild in a single copy, and it will be able to mutate, replacing its own code by itself.