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The eight scariest things on the web
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. |
What is your point, exactly?
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This just seems like a passable explanation of malware plus scare tactics without a proposed solution. I'll provide one.
For Windows users, Firefox and ABP will block almost anything the net can throw at you, and if you're using NoScript, you can pretty much just chill (though NoScript is annoying to use). Avast! or Avira will prevent you from being stupid and running viruses manually, and if something gets past these measures, MalwareBytes can yank it off your hard drive. Other OSes tend to have less problems with malware, but I still recommend being careful on the internet. Social engineering, where a hacker (for lack of a better term) tries to fool you into running something malicious or giving away your information, is OS-independent. Never give credit information away on a site that isn't well-known (and that you didn't type directly into the address bar), try to stay away from sketchy sites. Regarding email, don't open email attachments from people you don't know, and don't respond to unsolicited emails. If you're unsure the sender is real, and there's a compelling reason to respond if they are (for instance, if they're claiming to be the FBI and require you to respond or go to prison), look them up online and call them (don't use contact information given in the email). The organization should be able to verify if they sent you such an email. |
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I think this thread is very useful for those who hear of "The Conficker Worm" or various other technological hazards on the news or other informative sources. It gives the name and how serious it is, so people know what to look out for.
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Thanks. This was pretty helpfu for someone like me who doesn't know a lot about viruses.
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I haven't run anti virus for near a year now and I haven't had anything go wrong with my PC. Anyone who gets these things must be trying to get them.. |
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Attack: malicious software Effects: records everything you do on your computer, including anything you type Items lost: passwords, bandwidth, identity, money |
For me trojans and adwares are scary in fact anything that can affect my computer is scary even tracking cookies are scary and this is not a joke, that's why I have heaps of program that rename, remove, delete, quantine, block, move to vault (?), immune and so on, on my computer.
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Thanks for the thread. It was pretty informative, and No.2 (Semi-Parasites) was a bit funny too [Waah! Why is my screen dark?] xD |
I have AVG.
It's really good. I haven't had any problems. Btw, that tracking keystroke thing sounds really scary. |
AVG is allright I guess but when I brought my new computer I brought norton just to be on the safe side
I guess im just lucky i've never had any virus thingy's |
Where's Serebiiforums on that list?
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Lol, did anyone else expect this thread to have links to some creepy shock sites?
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I see no reference to 4chan. This list is clearly innacurate.
Seriously, though, would you say that AVG free is enough to prevent major infections? It scans daily but doesn't ever seem to find anything... |
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Guys, get (BUY) and use a quality AV and routinely scan your comp for malware with something like A Squared Anti-malware and Hijack Free. |
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that's why people should use Macs
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