Posted on 30-5-2003

Remove Spy Software
by Chris Barton, NZ Herald, 30.05.2003

They come with names like Gator, Cydoor, Show Behind and Bonzi Buddy.

Mostly you don't realise they are there. But then for some reason you decide to do a bit of cleaning and there they are - a distasteful discovery, like mildew growing at the back of your wardrobe.

Collectively they're known as spyware - although some call them parasites, malware or scumware - and they inhabit the remote recesses of your computer's hard disk drive.

They are small pieces of software surreptitiously installed on your computer from the internet.

At their most benign, they track your browsing habits or the terms you type into search engines - "datamining" your computer's use to hit it with targeted advertising.

Nastier are the types that include advertising delivery software - causing those annoying pop-up ads. Worse still are those that hijack your browser and herd you to unintended sites - usually pornography or gambling.

Often these hijackers modify your default start and search pages; sometimes they add links to your favourites folder.

Most odious are those that want to sell your disk space, processor cycles and bandwidth. Or the auto diallers - programs that automatically dial 0900 numbers in other countries, racking up exorbitant charges on your Telecom bill.

How do they get there? Sometimes by using certain types of software - especially the file-sharing kind like KaZaA or Grokster - you agree to accept "adware" programs that tell advertisers where you go on the web.

Before long, pop-up ads arrive on your PC and often slow it down.

But often just visiting a website can attract it - a "drive-by download".

Or it can come through bits of code called browser helper objects.

Either way, when you run free spyware removal programs such as Spybot: Search & Destroy or Ad-aware - and I suggest you do so right away - you'll be surprised at how many nasties they find.

Just like cleaning out the mould at the back of your wardrobe, it's hugely satisfying to rid spyware invaders - albeit briefly - from your disk.

For more on the subject go to "the spyware and hijackware removal specialists". Or DoxDesk which has a good explanation of where the wretched things originate. And for a list of how many and varied these creatures are, go to Cexx.

Advertising is the root cause of most spyware. And web advertisers are adopting increasingly aggressive tactics.

Take Bonzi Software, a prolific web advertiser best known for Bonzi Buddy, a purple gorilla that accompanies users around the net and suggests sites to visit.

The company has just settled a class-action lawsuit in Washington for operating a "diabolical scheme" that tricked internet users to click through to Bonzi's site via online ads that mimicked Windows PC's "message alert," security alert," or "warning" dialogue boxes.

One of the worst claimed your computer was "broadcasting" an IP address and needed to be fixed right away.

Under the settlement Bonzi has to change to the word "transmitting" and include the notation "advertisement".

Bonzi also agreed to stop other misleading interfaces, such as "x" boxes that do not close an ad, and to replace its "ok" button with a "more info" button.

Another rogue advertiser is Gator, which offers free software utilities with a catch - a bundled program called OfferCompanion, which displays pop-up ads on users' screens.

United States publishers point out many users don't know they have OfferCompanion on their computer and mistakenly think the pop-up ads come from the site they are visiting.

There was a time a when virus checker and a firewall were all you needed to be safe online.

Today, you need to add spam buster, pop-up killer and spyware remover to the list.

Speaking of which, I think it's time I did a bit of mildew cleaning.