Last Sunday, a study presented by Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that at least fifty-three percent of adult e-mail users now trust e-mail less because of spam down from sixty-two percent last year and about the same two years ago on their survey. Twenty two percent of e-mail users say they are spending less time on e-mail because of spam down from 29 percent last year and 25 percent two years ago.
Are we really less annoyed with these spams and we're just accepting it more? Are we getting used to it like other annoying things in life like traffic and air pollution, that we just learned to live by.
Everyday, the first thing I usually do when I sit in front of my computer is check on my mailbox. However, my interest in receiving e-mails have declined habitually appalling because of these brimming breakfast on my mailbox. It is not just nonetheless unsolicited e-mail often of a commercial in nature sent indiscriminately as junk e-mail. But instead replaced by fraudulent "phishing" scams aimed to steal bank passwords and other sensitive information. Having multiple e-mail accounts from different top webmail provider like yahoo, msn and google, I find the result of the survey somewhat true these days based on my experiences. Although the numbers are quite alarming and there are huge changes in how people deal with posting e-mail addresses on Web sites and setting up hard-to-guess addresses - such as carm301d9x, I believe we should be more concern with many other internet threats we are faced today, they are not just spam nor typical viruses or other inherently malicious code. Rather, these are some applications which compromise our privacy, allow hackers to take control of our computer without our knowledge. Most of the time, they are unknowingly downloaded along with our desired applications. This is frequently used to refer to any software that is installed without the user's full knowlege and permission mostly known as "spyware". But we should take note that this category of threats actually includes several other types of applications as well. In addition to spyware, there is also adware, dialers, joke programs, hack tools, remote access tools, password cracking applications, and other uncategorized software.
But really, what are the differences between those mentioned above.
According to Trend Micro Internet Security, Spyware is software that monitors a user's computing habits and personal information, and sends this information to third parties without the user's authorization or knowledge. This includes software that monitors the Web sites the user visits, records keystrokes, or takes a "snapshot" of the user's screen at intervals. Adware, or advertising-supported software, on the other hand, is software that displays advertising while the program is running. Adware often functions similarly to spyware, to allow the program to determine which advertisements to display based on the current user's preference. In order to be classified as adware, and not spyware, the user must give consent to the software's installation. Some advertising-supported programs provide the user with information about how they operate, and often give the user the choice of purchasing an adware-free version. In other cases, the information about the software is frequently hidden inside the user agreement, and the user has no knowledge of what they are really consenting to. There are also Dialers , Trojans that, upon execution, connect the system to a pay-per-call location in which the unsuspecting user is billed for the call without his or her knowledge. Dialers often arrive in enticing service-related applications. Joke programs are ordinary executable programs. They are added to the detection list because they are found to be potentially annoying or offensive, or because they could cause users undue worry. Joke programs cannot spread unless someone deliberately distributes them.
Hack tools are applications used by malicious programmers, known as crackers, to gain unauthorized access to other computers. Remote access tools allow the cracker to execute functions on a computer without the user's knowledge. Password cracking applications are used to modify software applications to make them function as if they were legally licensed copies, or to generate activation keys or serial numbers to achieve the same purpose. Others refers to any potentially undesirable software which does not fall into any of the above categories, such as applications that redirect your browser homepage or search site to a different location.
How does spyware get on our computer?
How to prevent it from installing on our computer
(lifted from Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security)
Are we really less annoyed with these spams and we're just accepting it more? Are we getting used to it like other annoying things in life like traffic and air pollution, that we just learned to live by.
Everyday, the first thing I usually do when I sit in front of my computer is check on my mailbox. However, my interest in receiving e-mails have declined habitually appalling because of these brimming breakfast on my mailbox. It is not just nonetheless unsolicited e-mail often of a commercial in nature sent indiscriminately as junk e-mail. But instead replaced by fraudulent "phishing" scams aimed to steal bank passwords and other sensitive information. Having multiple e-mail accounts from different top webmail provider like yahoo, msn and google, I find the result of the survey somewhat true these days based on my experiences. Although the numbers are quite alarming and there are huge changes in how people deal with posting e-mail addresses on Web sites and setting up hard-to-guess addresses - such as carm301d9x, I believe we should be more concern with many other internet threats we are faced today, they are not just spam nor typical viruses or other inherently malicious code. Rather, these are some applications which compromise our privacy, allow hackers to take control of our computer without our knowledge. Most of the time, they are unknowingly downloaded along with our desired applications. This is frequently used to refer to any software that is installed without the user's full knowlege and permission mostly known as "spyware". But we should take note that this category of threats actually includes several other types of applications as well. In addition to spyware, there is also adware, dialers, joke programs, hack tools, remote access tools, password cracking applications, and other uncategorized software.
But really, what are the differences between those mentioned above.
According to Trend Micro Internet Security, Spyware is software that monitors a user's computing habits and personal information, and sends this information to third parties without the user's authorization or knowledge. This includes software that monitors the Web sites the user visits, records keystrokes, or takes a "snapshot" of the user's screen at intervals. Adware, or advertising-supported software, on the other hand, is software that displays advertising while the program is running. Adware often functions similarly to spyware, to allow the program to determine which advertisements to display based on the current user's preference. In order to be classified as adware, and not spyware, the user must give consent to the software's installation. Some advertising-supported programs provide the user with information about how they operate, and often give the user the choice of purchasing an adware-free version. In other cases, the information about the software is frequently hidden inside the user agreement, and the user has no knowledge of what they are really consenting to. There are also Dialers , Trojans that, upon execution, connect the system to a pay-per-call location in which the unsuspecting user is billed for the call without his or her knowledge. Dialers often arrive in enticing service-related applications. Joke programs are ordinary executable programs. They are added to the detection list because they are found to be potentially annoying or offensive, or because they could cause users undue worry. Joke programs cannot spread unless someone deliberately distributes them.
Hack tools are applications used by malicious programmers, known as crackers, to gain unauthorized access to other computers. Remote access tools allow the cracker to execute functions on a computer without the user's knowledge. Password cracking applications are used to modify software applications to make them function as if they were legally licensed copies, or to generate activation keys or serial numbers to achieve the same purpose. Others refers to any potentially undesirable software which does not fall into any of the above categories, such as applications that redirect your browser homepage or search site to a different location.
How does spyware get on our computer?
- It comes bundled with freeware programs, or with new operating system or service components. Peer-to-peer file-sharing programs such as Kazaa and Grokster are well known sources of adware, as are many search bars for Internet Explorer.
- It uses Internet Explorer's ActiveX installation option. This is used by legitimate Web sites like Windows Update to install software without requiring that an installer be downloaded. However, it can also be used to install other, less desirable software. If an ActiveX control is used, a screen will display a message asking if you want to download the component. There is no guaranty the information on the screen is correct. Clicking Yes allows the software to run, and carry out any functions it has been designed to perform.
- It exploits unpatched security vulnerabilities in Windows or Internet Explorer. These are methods of getting the operating system or browser to perform in unexpected ways or bypass security measures. One popular technique is to allow ActiveX controls to be downloaded without requiring the user to click to confirm the download first.
How to prevent it from installing on our computer
- Keep your operating system updated with the latest patches from Microsoft or any other OS used. And download any required patches.
- Read the End User License Agreement (EULA) when you install any software. Look for any clauses related to information gathering or sending, or the installation of additional software.
- When installing software, be very careful about installing any additional software that is included with the software you received. Read the included documentation, such as the Readme file, for information about the extra software to verify it does not contain spyware or other threats.
- Do not click Yes to any message asking if you want to download and install software unless you are certain both the creator of the software and the Web site you are viewing are trustworthy.
- Never respond to unsolicited commercial email (spam) or pop-up ads, especially if they ask you to click a button.
- Increase the security level for Internet Explorer (IE) for the Internet Zone. To do this, on the IE menu bar, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security and move the slider to High. If this causes problems with Web sites you want to visit, set the level to Medium for Trusted Sites, click Sites..., and add the sites you want to visit.
- Use an Internet browser other than Internet Explorer. Due to the close coupling of IE with Windows, and the fact that many malicious hackers exploit functions in this browser, using a different browser can reduce the chance of infection by Internet threats.
- Use Anti-virus or anti-spyware software to scan for spyware and additional Internet threats as they are downloaded.
(lifted from Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security)
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