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Malware, Spyware, Scumware & The Adult Industry.
Malware, Spyware & Scumware: The Bane of Modern Technology

The Internet is undoubtedly a revolutionary development of the modern world. With this technology, physical boundaries between nation states effectively disappear, linking the rest of the world into one big global village.

But the Internet is not without flaw. Malicious programming abound in cyberspace costing businesses around the world $55 billion dollars last year. These programs cause one bad thing or another, sometimes without you even knowing the littlest bit about it. These programs may be identified as Malware, Spyware, or Scumware.

So read on and be in the know.

Malware

Malware (from "malicious software") is any type of programming developed for the purpose of damaging or disrupting a system, files or its components. It is usually applied to include a wide range of 'hostile' software such as Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses, and Spyware. A Malware can corrupt files, alter or delete data, distribute confidential data, disable hardware, deny legitimate user access, and cause a hard drive to crash.

Originally, a Malware gets to your computer through a floppy diskette, but now the vast majority of Malware is distributed electronically. Typically, Malware is distributed via e-mail attachments, infected applications, program downloads, or through an infected code on a Web site. Newer communications channels, such as instant messaging and VoIP, are also believed to pose very serious threats to networks.

The first form of malware to evolve was the computer virus. Viruses replicate by attaching themselves to a software or document, such that during the execution of the program the viral code is executed.

Worms, which are variants of viruses, are stand-alone and don’t require pieces of software to attach themselves to. A worm doesn't alter files, but resides in active memory and duplicates itself. To spread, worms either exploit some vulnerability of the target system or use some kind of social engineering to trick users into executing them.

Trojans, on the other hand, are similar to viruses in that they get executed by being part of an otherwise useful piece of software. A Trojan horse may be widely redistributed along with a virus.

Spyware

Another form of Malware is the Spyware. It generally refers to any technology that gathers information from one’s computer without your knowledge. Spyware might have come packaged with another piece of software which you might have downloaded and installed (i.e., freeware and shareware).

Spyware performs sneaky activities without the user’s consent. Spyware usually:

• Installs itself on your computer without your knowledge or consent.
• Transmits a unique code to identify you (usually for advertising purposes).
• Collects/Transmits information about your computer use or other habits.
• Downloads files or runs programs on your computer.
• Mess up with your system settings.
• Keeps reinstalling itself, no matter how many times it was removed.

Spyware is also known as snoopware, PC surveillance, key logger, system recorders, Parental control software, PC recorder, Detective software and Internet monitoring software.

Scumware

Most Scumware is also considered to be Spyware since it usually includes programs which transmit your personal information. Scumware may be a software, scripts or programs that are specifically engineered to circumvent or steal revenue and traffic from web sites. Scumware is usually installed without consent and packaged with other programs such as popular file sharing programs or Adware.

Adware is advertising supported software. It can be downloaded free from the web but carries banner advertisements or links that attempt to create revenue for the company. It usually installs components on your computer that transmit marketing information to central servers which is then used to tailor and increase the effectiveness of advertising.

Impact on the Online Adult Industry

Malware / Spyware / Scumware fundamentally hampers the adult pay site’s success. Webmasters work hard and pay a lot to lead web surfers to their sites. But with these programs, prospective visitors are misdirected away and sent directly to the competitors’ sites through the ad texts that the webmasters themselves place and pay for in search engines.

Program owners and webmasters who are involved in this practice should be banned. The unethical marketing companies and businesses set-up and deploy malicious “traffic stealing”, user tracking, spamming, and banner ad switching as well as programs which can also steal your affiliate earnings.

This doesn’t make for good business and drives customers, and revenue, away. Aside from being annoying and unethical, these programs are also illegal in some states. Although there are currently no real laws against them as of yet, many new privacy laws to protect against these malicious programs are pending within the US.

Detecting Malware

An intrusion detection system (IDS) will likely spot any known Malware attack. You should always look for signs of Malware attack which include a sudden, unexplained spike in traffic; unscheduled server reboots; signatures of known exploits in log files; unexplained failed logons; evidence of a packet sniffer, and; a large number of spoofed packets detected leaving your network.

Protecting against Malware

Even before any Malware, Spyware, or Scumware strikes your computer, there are precautionary things you can do:

• Keep virus definitions up to date and run antivirus software on a regular basis.
• Update and download any advised security patches.
• Optimize your web browser’s security options.
• Never open suspicious messages or attachments.
• Never give out passwords or other protected information.
• If possible, opt to view messages in text only.

Getting Rid of Malware

There are some very good programs available which can successfully get rid of any Malware / Spyware / Scumware programs. Don’t attempt to delete any files or programs that you suspect are Malware, or you could cause yourself more problems than you solve. Instead, contact your security engineer immediately.

Article by UKWebmasters.net.