[1stPickSites] Scan your computer for Parasites
- From: "Mike" <mikebike@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: 1stPickSites@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2002 20:52:45 -0800
Scan your computer for Parasites
http://allentech.net/parasite/index.phtml
Browser Parasites, Adware, Scumware, Spyware - Stamp them out
Parasites are unsolicited commercial software applications installed on
your computer, usually without your knowledge - or consent.
Parasites work through your browser, assault you with unwanted advertising,
spy on your web surfing habits, compromise your system's security and
stability, and even alter the content and links that you see in web pages!
We ourselves became aware of parasites only after we noted a sharp decrease
in our bookstore earnings while our bookstore traffic had increased more
than three fold!
'Click-thrus' were up - but sales simply evaporated!
This was traced directly to sales links being hijacked by parasite programs!
If our experience is typical then the problem is enormous!
Few of these parasites provide any benefit to the user, indeed most users
are unaware that they have parasites installed on their system at all!
Parasites may be grouped by names that best describe what they do:
Adware
Unleashes a torrent of unwanted advertising banners, pop-ups, pop-unders,
etc., on the lucky user, best described as a plague.
Scumware
Adds advertising links to web pages, for which the page author does not get
paid, and hijacks affiliate-program payments by substituting the page
owner's affiliate identifier with another!
Usually designed by people who hang out around school yards in their free
time. Scum.
Spyware
Watches everything the user does on-line and transmits that information back
to marketing companies - or other interested parties.
Some of the other 'side benefits' of these programs are, they leave security
holes whereby arbitrary code can be executed on the user's computer, and
they degrade system performance and cause errors and crashes because they
are usually badly-written.
++
Mike ~ It is a good day if I learned something new.
Editor MikesWhatsNews see ~ http://www.mwn.ca
<mikeswhatsnews-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=subscribe>
See my Anti-Virus pages ~ http://virusinfo.hackfix.org
A Technical Support Alliance Charter Member
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