- 1,225
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- Age 29
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- Seen Feb 8, 2024
The scariest part about these things is that you may have them right now on your computer. No, they're not pedophiles, pornography, or pictures of ugly people. They comprise the groups spyware and malware that together can be referred to most accurately as illegitimate software. What's the big deal, you ask? Why do I care if I have spyware? You better do some digging and make sure you don't have any of this.
#8: Semi-transparent software
Okay, so this is the stuff that makes you lose about 2 and a half minutes of sleep each night. Not a big deal. Just your average spyware; it steals your browsing information and reflects it on the ads you see on its affiliated sites. If you browse sites about Oprah, you'll see Oprah ads. You really don't care, do you?
#7: Adverse software
You may have told this software specifically to download. You may not realize that it's illegit. You can remove it at any point. You can tell it what to do and *usually* what not to do. It doesn't send you pop-ups asking you to upgrade. And yet it's still in your personal space, stealing your information, and invading your privacy. Oh, but that doesn't bother you.
#6: Unsolicited software
Hmm... Okay, I've gotten one of those adverse things you were talking about. But I can't remove it! You lied! No, I didn't. This is like semi-transparent adverse software. You'll have a hard time removing it, you may or may not have asked for it, and it doesn't always do what you want it to.
#5: Covert software
Okay, great. You've got a completely transparent piece of trash on your computer. It's not hurting you directly, but it's wasting space. You cannot take it off without specialized software that you probably don't have. You're getting a few pop-ups. A few unsolicited emails. You can tolerate it but you sure are tired of it.
#4: Double Agents
Playtime's over. You just downloaded something that appears very legitimate. No reports from others about infection. You've got something someone else wants. You don't even realize how screwed up this software really is. It's in the control panel. You can remove it with the click of the button. You searched for it and intentionally downloaded without any second thoughts. And yet your hard drive is ready to abort mission. Scared now?
#3: Trojans
Rogue viruses being the most prevalent, this includes MSAntivirus and Conficker. Do you have one of these? Are you really convinced you're not in danger? This software will not be detected by 90%+ of anti-virus software. It's not in your control panel and the only way to get rid of it is to take Hijack This! and fish it out. That's probably the most tolerable negative consequence; whatever you do, don't pay for the full version or you'll really be scared.
#2: Semi-parasites
Are you having trouble sleeping yet? Are you on the edge of your seat? Oh, look, it's a semi-parasite. You didn't ask for it... but how do I remove it? It might be in my control panel, but it doesn't matter. I can't access any of my system controls. Waaah, what happened? Why is my computer screen so dark?
#1: Parasites
These may look like spyware, legit software, anything. Doesn't matter what it looks like, it's game over, Mister Computer.
#8: Semi-transparent software
Okay, so this is the stuff that makes you lose about 2 and a half minutes of sleep each night. Not a big deal. Just your average spyware; it steals your browsing information and reflects it on the ads you see on its affiliated sites. If you browse sites about Oprah, you'll see Oprah ads. You really don't care, do you?
#7: Adverse software
You may have told this software specifically to download. You may not realize that it's illegit. You can remove it at any point. You can tell it what to do and *usually* what not to do. It doesn't send you pop-ups asking you to upgrade. And yet it's still in your personal space, stealing your information, and invading your privacy. Oh, but that doesn't bother you.
#6: Unsolicited software
Hmm... Okay, I've gotten one of those adverse things you were talking about. But I can't remove it! You lied! No, I didn't. This is like semi-transparent adverse software. You'll have a hard time removing it, you may or may not have asked for it, and it doesn't always do what you want it to.
#5: Covert software
Okay, great. You've got a completely transparent piece of trash on your computer. It's not hurting you directly, but it's wasting space. You cannot take it off without specialized software that you probably don't have. You're getting a few pop-ups. A few unsolicited emails. You can tolerate it but you sure are tired of it.
#4: Double Agents
Playtime's over. You just downloaded something that appears very legitimate. No reports from others about infection. You've got something someone else wants. You don't even realize how screwed up this software really is. It's in the control panel. You can remove it with the click of the button. You searched for it and intentionally downloaded without any second thoughts. And yet your hard drive is ready to abort mission. Scared now?
#3: Trojans
Rogue viruses being the most prevalent, this includes MSAntivirus and Conficker. Do you have one of these? Are you really convinced you're not in danger? This software will not be detected by 90%+ of anti-virus software. It's not in your control panel and the only way to get rid of it is to take Hijack This! and fish it out. That's probably the most tolerable negative consequence; whatever you do, don't pay for the full version or you'll really be scared.
#2: Semi-parasites
Are you having trouble sleeping yet? Are you on the edge of your seat? Oh, look, it's a semi-parasite. You didn't ask for it... but how do I remove it? It might be in my control panel, but it doesn't matter. I can't access any of my system controls. Waaah, what happened? Why is my computer screen so dark?
#1: Parasites
These may look like spyware, legit software, anything. Doesn't matter what it looks like, it's game over, Mister Computer.