|
|
| Spyware Information |
|
|
|
|
Rogue Dialers - The Nets Latest Scamola!Robert Palmer If recent news stories concerning worms, trojans and security exploits within Microsofts Internet Explorer, left you feeling vulnerable, this will leave you terrified. PCs the world over are already being hit by a new breed of trojan type software called Rogue Dialers. More malevolent than most ordinary spyware, Rogue Dialers actually hijack the computers modem and then uses it to dial-up a premium rate telephone number, racking up huge telephone charges. Many Dialers operate whilst the victim is actively surfing the Net by dropping the current connection and then performing an automatic reconnection via a premium rate number. Most scary of all are the Dialers which connect themselves to a premium rate number while the victim is away from their machine, achieving this by detecting long periods of inactivity. Most "infections" of Rogue Dialers are contracted by the "drive-by download" method, where-by the dialer software is automatically downloaded from a webpage without the victim ever being aware. This method of installing software onto a users PC was pioneered by the online adult services industry as a way of putting spy and adware programs onto a customers PC without them knowing. Originally confined to adult websites, drive-by downloads of spyware used to be known as the Electronic Pox; a risk the end-user took when visiting adult websites. Of course, just like the first pop-up box, also developed by the adult industry, the rest of the Internet was soon to follow. Thanks to a glaringly obvious design flaw in Microsofts Outlook Express, which allows emails, including those containing HTML and embedded malevolent code, to be previewed without any warning, Rogue Dialers can be placed onto a victims PC without them ever going near a website. Rogue Dialers are just the next generation of electronic misery which can be inflicted upon the end-user. Unfortunately for any victims, Rogue Dialers hit the pocket and they hit it hard! In America, one victim of a Rogue Dialer scam racked up some $500 in charges after their modem was hijacked and a premium rate number was contacted on just six occasions. In the UK too, numerous victims have reported huge telephone charges, with some in excess of £1500 $2800. The consumer website, Bad Business Bureau has received over 1300 complaints from victims of this latest scam and, while this whole matter is being investigated by Federal Trade Commission in the States and by the Office of Fair Trading in the UK, scammers are already responding with new software which dials numbers in countries where trade controls are lacking. A further blow has recently been delivered to UK based victims with announcements from the leading telecoms providers, BT and NTL that they are "not responsible" for calls which have been made fraudulently and that customers will not be exempted from any charges incurred. Protecting Yourself & Your Wallet Firewalls and and anti-virus software WILL NOT provide protection against Rogue Dialer infections. The "drive-by download" method of introducing a Rogue Dialer onto a PC normally involves an ActiveX script and users advised, at the very least, to set their browser settings to either disable ActiveX or warn of its existence. For a more professional approach to protecting your modem, StopItNow, an Australian based software company has released a specific Rogue Dialer killer which retails for just $16.95. To avoid having a Rogue Dialer dumped onto their computer via the preview pane of Outlook Express, users may want to consider an alternative email client such as the freeware program, Eudora. Related Links:
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Small Business Computer Security, the Basics Anyone in business today realizes both the natural dependency on computers in the workplace, and also the potential dangers associated with storing important data on them. Today’s business owners are constantly being reminded that their company’s data is at risk by the daily reports on various news stations, or even their favorite business-related website. But what can a typical small business owner do to protect their network from these threats that are broadcasted in so many ways Dangers lurk at every turn on the Internet. There are thousands of attacks or areas of security that could be discussed, but I am going to try and focus on three general nuisances associated with today’s computers: viruses, spy-ware, and traditional “hackers” that will intentionally try to exploit your computer systems for various reasons. All of these attacks, although different, serve a specific purpose for the attacker, yet basically translate into three things for a business: lost productivity, lost data, and the end result… lost money. Here is brief descriptions of what the aforementioned attacks are, consist of, and what a typical small business can do to protect their technology investments. How to Backup Your Computer Files As I write this, it’s early December, and try as I might, I can’t remember what my new year’s resolution was last time around. One thing I can say with near hundred percent certainty is that whatever it was, I failed to keep it. Maybe you’re the same. Maybe you resolved to quit smoking, lose weight, or read more. We all make promises with ourselves, then fail to keep those promises. Worst of all, those promises might be exactly what we need most. Consider this: When was the last time you backed up your computer files Last month Last year Never What Does The Year Of The Rooster Have In Store For The Digital World Roosters are supposedly deep thinkers—capable of handling any challenge, they are outspoken, aggressive, talented, and courageous. The Cheapest Way To Speed Up Your PC Is your computer running slowly but dont have much cash Windows XP telling you that you have low memory Then dont panic, adding memory to your current computer is one of the cheapest, easiest upgrades that you can do yourself! Dont start ripping apart your PC just yet though. Protect Your System From the Internet Evils Ads, Spyware and Popups: the Internet is an aggressively commercial place. Internet marketing is hugely profitable; owners of frequently visited websites can make a reasonable living just off a few banner ads placed on their site. Software was quickly developed that would attempt to block these ads from loading and being displayed leaving the Internet free from irritants so the user could just view the information that they were after. Not surprisingly the Internet fought back with ads becoming more and more tricky in their execution. Tips For Safer Computing Online New computer viruses threaten the unwary user everyday. Hackers jeopardize your online security with invasive computer techniques to steal your passwords, personal information, even identity. How To Stop Spyware From Infecting Your System Spyware is becoming more and more of a problem. When I visit a cusomters site and inspect the computers I always find some kind of spyware on the system. I know that many people have been unaware of spyware, but hopefully now that the word is spreading that people will be more aware of the problem and setup a good defense. I get a get calls or questions to the effect of "Why is my computer running so slow I just bought the computer recently". Most of the time this is because of spyware. Spyware programs will load on boot up and take up your computer memory that will reduce your performance. I will go over my typical setup to prevent and battle spyware. This system works if all of the current spyware has been removed properly. I will leave that to another article. Is Your Computer Sick Viruses and spyware usually show up on your computer one of two ways. Computer Tips that Help Small Businesses Operate Profitably When working properly, computers enable small businesses to make big business profits; however, get booted off your computer and you’re suddenly starving. In most instances, computers usually act up due to lack of care by its owners. Here are four computer tips that’ll keep you up and running smoothly. Protect Yourself with a Porn Filter The harmful affects of pornography use and addiction are well documented by science. As with most things in life, prevention is the most effective way to avoid ever having a problem with pornography. Network Monitoring for Serious eCommerce In the real world, businesses come in every size, from self-employed entrepreneurs like me to mega malls like Wal-Mart. Burning Bridges is Bad, But Firewalls are Good When you signed up for that ultra-fast DSL or Cable connection there was probably one very important piece of information that your ISP failed to mention. By accessing the Internet via a high-speed connection, you have tremendously increased your chances of being victimized by a computer hacker. Free Program Removes Spyware not Detected by Premium Security Scan What is Spyware The Identity Theft Epidemic : What The “Experts” Aren’t Telling You Picture yourself walking down the street, all alone. Its late at night. Its a bit brisk, and the wind is blowing through the tall buildings on both sides of you. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, someone runs by you, knocks you over, grabs your wallet, and takes off. How To Manage Your Username And Password The Easy And Secure Way Have been an Internet user for more than 9 years, I have 100s of logins and passwords to keep. Im paranoid. Im now even more paranoid after I joined YMMSS because I use online payment systems on weekly basis if not daily. Be Aware of Phishing Scams! If you use emails actively in your communication, you must have received various messages claiming to be from Ebay, Paypal and a number of banks. A recent email as if from U.S. Bank Corporation that I received contains the subject "U.S. Bank Fraud Verification Process" and in the body of the mail it says "We recently reviewed your account, and suspect that your U.S. Bank Internet Banking account may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party. Protecting the security of your account and of the U.S. Bank network is our primary concern. Therefore, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to sensitive account features. To restore your account access, please take the following steps to ensure that your account has not been compromised:". It continues with a link to a webpage, which looks very similar to original web page of the bank. How to Protect your PC from Spyware in the Cyber Age. Wouldnt you be shocked to find that your personal sensitive information, like files, credit card information, operating system / software and other non-disclosed data to be penetrated by unscrupulous prying eyes Even worse... The Dangers of Peer-to-Peer Systems Peer-to-Peer P2P systems do not operate on secure lines, thus providing a conduit for hackers to enter a network or computer, access personal and confidential information, as well as deploy viruses or worms. Users of P2P systems are prime targets and/or launching points for malicious hacker attacks simply because it requires downloading and sharing electronic files or programs, not to mention usage on publicly open and interpretable industry standard protocols and industry standard codec. How To Stop Spam Special Report: How to Stop Spam More Cool Web Tricks If you ask most people what frustrates them most about the Internet, many of them will tell you "Its the little things!"
|
| home | site map |
|
© Web Traffic Promotions .Com 2005 |