Spyware

Overheard - Scareware is a $100 million scam

A Baltimore federal court judge ordered six absent defendants yesterday - including one from Maryland - to shut down Internet businesses that the Federal Trade Commission claims are part of a vast $100 million “scareware” scheme that tricked more than a million people into purchasing useless security software by making them think their computers were under attack. Tricia Bishop, Court orders ’scareware’ shut down

The companies allegedly represented themselves falsely as Internet marketers and used legitimate advertising outlets to place malicious advertisements that redirected consumers to the defendants’ Web sites.

There, screens would pop up saying a security scan had revealed harmful or illegal files and urging computer users to purchase software for $40 to fix the phony problems. In that way, the companies were able to bilk people of more than $100 million, according to the FTC.

Overheard: Clickjacking can turn your computer into a remote surveillance device

The bad news is that with clickjacking, any computer with a microphone and/or a web camera attached can be invisibly coaxed into being a remote surveillance device. Jeremiah Grossman, Clickjacking: Web pages can see and hear you

Overheard: What to do if your clipboard has been hijacked

“The problem with malware being served through advertisements is starting to become a serious one, with attackers seeming to enjoy it more and more because websites are not rushing to take steps to prevent it.”

Lucian Constantin, Clipboard Hijack Spreads Panic

This particular attack is copying a link to the computer clipboard, which seems to be persistent and cannot be removed by simple means, in most cases a computer reboot being necessary. The link in question redirects the user to a website that promotes a rogue antivirus program that is itself a spyware application.

So what can you do if your clipboard has been hijacked? Shut down your computer immediately and wait 30 seconds before rebooting.

Overheard - Beware of widgets bearing gifts

“Widgets have become the unexpected buzzword of 2007; just a few weeks ago I discussed how they can be used for marketers to disseminate information.But I’m realizing that this buzz is eerily similar to the buzz that surrounded desktop applications in the late ’90s. Desktop applications and embedded applications became hot — right up until they became overused and exploited. Basically they morphed into a nasty little term called “spyware…” Cory Treffiletti, If Widgets Morph Into Spyware, Bad Things Could Happen