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Piggybacked Spy-Ware annoys many users
By Teresa Dickert
Staff Writer
If you live on campus you should already be familiar with the likeliness of file-sharing programs such as KaZaA, Morpheus, Napster, WinMX, and iMesh, but my guess is that you do not know what else may be finding its way onto your computer through these programs.
Unfortunately, many of the file-sharing services that are offered free, are bundling their software with that of other companies' "spy-ware" or "time bomb" software.
According to an article recently published on the search engine Google, "'time bombs' can show pop-ups at random intervals or based on anything you type on a web page." Why did I find this on Google? Since file-share software is so popular, there are a large amount of users wondering where all those crazy pop-ups on their computer were coming from.
Take, for example, the AOL advertisements that pop up when people check their hotmail account on the Microsoft Network (MSN). These advertisements confuse users since they did not originate from the site they are viewing, but instead by a tagalong spy-ware program from their file-sharing software. It is my assumption that Google was hearing complains from their customers regarding pop-ups that are not their own, and felt compelled to inform them it was not under their control.
Here is a quick run down on the reasons/types of pop-up advertisements: Squatters are people are purchase domain names slightly augmented from popular site URLs, hoping to attract those who type the name in wrong and then bombard those people with pop-ups; Pop-unders are ads that hide under the windows, becoming visible when the windows are closed; Time bombs, as mentioned above, are spy-ware programs disguised as random pop-ups, Spy-ware are insidious programs that track what a person is surfs, often using pop-ups to collect information that could even include your credit card number.
Exactly one month ago, on January 24, I got to know the company New.net a bit closer after realizing they were one of these many Spy-ware producing companies hiding software on my computer. I have tried many file-sharing software devices, and I am positive it came with one of them, most likely KaZaA. However I am not positive. Regardless, it was devastating to my computer, and I was basically forced into reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling Windows, just to remove it properly. After viewing a plethora of websites full of the horridness that is New.net, I knew I had to remove it promptly.
I e-mailed my new friends at New.net and kindly asked them how to remove their program, which was causing my computer to be unstable and in short, messed up.
Within two hours, I received a long, detailed e-mail on how to remove their program. (Gee, I have a feeling I am not the first one to ask; this was a full out form letter.) Unfortunately for me, it didn't work, and I continued the process by entirely wiping out my hard drive and starting from scratch.
Another familiar company messing up computers is, VX2 Corporation (http://www.vx2.cc). VX2 couples its product with Audiogalaxy client, among others. Though their site contains hardly any information on what their product is (nor can you find out who even owns the site through whois), it does contain the small amount of information on how to remove the program, and how to remove your information from their database. If you have a file-sharing program, you might want to check it out.
Another stop on the web you may want to make is to Lavasoft's site (http://www.lavasoftusa.com) to download Ad-Aware, a free spy-ware removal program. Although it will not remove the programs themselves, nor will Ad-Aware remove all the newest spy-ware, it is useful in cleaning up the known files and components the corruptive programs have altered.
For those who already have this mess on your computer, I suggest you e-mail the company at fault for the spy-ware for information on how to remove it, unless of course, you really do enjoy pop-up ads and your information going to strangers (in that case, do whatever your cheerful, ad-loving heart desires). Your next step may be to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if you feel you were deceived when you installed the program that creates those pop-ups. To contact the FTC, visit http://www.ftc.gov and click on "File a Complaint Online," call 1-877- FTC-HELP, or write to:
Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C. 20580
If the company is from another country, file your complaint at http://www.econsumer.gov.
For those of you thinking of downloading a file-sharing program, here is my advice to you: 1) Check into the program you are downloading; read EVERYTHING and do a little extra research online! 2) Open your registry by clicking Start, Run, and typing "regedit;" save a copy of how registry now before going any further 3) Be prepared just in case you have the same problem I did and need to start from scratch; have all important files and documents backed up and accounted for elsewhere.
In short, always be aware of what it is you are downloading and all rules, regulations, etc. that go with those programs, and you will unlikely get swindled into something you really never wanted. Friends don't let friends download with out reading and research!
