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During our daily research and quest to locate harmful software we come across
many types of applications and application components. Our current database has
literally millions of file samples from users with potentially infected systems.
Part of any researchers duty, is to look at the various properties of a file
such as installed location, internal version information, linked libraries and
other items that can provide "clues" about what the software actually does and
if it represents a potential threat. Many times we have files that are not
in their native environment, meaning that we have a few samples of the file, but
not the entire system configuration they were originally installed. This can
make it difficult to properly differentiate between harmful and legitimate
software components.
Spyware/Malware applications often try to disguise themselves as legitimate
software components by using the same name as a windows component but place
themselves in a... Click to view entire post
Posted : Wednesday, November 02, 2005 08:18 AM by Nick |
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I have been noticing an increasing trend lately where more and more users
want all software for free and feel they certainly should not have to pay to
block ads and detect and remove harmful software. The general comments we
receive seem to be centered around the fact that the user did not "put" the
harmful software on their computer and therefore should not have to pay to have
it removed. Some people even accuse us of being in "bed" with the spyware/adware
vendors in some sort of conspiracy to force users to purchase software to remove
the software that the adware/spyware authors create! It often amazes me at how
the human mind works :)
This of course is very frustrating as a professional software developer with a
staff that spends literally thousands of hours (and dollars) a year developing
professional software applications. Keeping up with the new
spyware/adware/malware that appears daily is not a simple job. It takes
skilled, trained professionals, to d... Click to view entire post
Posted : Thursday, October 20, 2005 11:08 AM by Nick |
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This subject seems to be gaining momentum every day. Many reputable security related and non-security related websites state this as a fact. I often wonder how these people that are non-technical in nature can make such a statement. To me, there is a perception that FireFox is more secure than Internet Explorer because of the fact that FireFox is currently a much smaller target in terms of the number of active users, and thus does not have as many publicized security issues.
As FireFox gains popularity and more users migrate towards using the browser, the spyware/adware/malware authors will find ways to exploit FireFox just as they have with Internet Explorer and other popular software titles.
Internet Explorer is not without its own flaws, but has received a bad reputation regarding security especially with the use of ActiveX Controls as they allow a hacker or spyware/adware application full access to the system. FireFox has the same issues with the XPCOM plugins - if a user allo... Click to view entire post
Posted : Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:53 AM by Nick |
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