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Rogue AntiSpyware Distributes Spyware
John Stith
Staff Writer
2006-03-08
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Rogue antispyware programs sometimes are the best products out there. They're not beholding to any other companies, they probably won't get sued, etc. Occasionally one comes along through causes as many problems as it solves. This time, it seems to be Spy-Shield.
Spyware Warrior Suzi Turned reported she saw and ad with the term Spy Sweeper(a name for a Webroot antispyware program) in Google AdWords. She clicked on the ad and it took her to the Spy-Shield site (not WebRoot's). She noted some suspicious characteristics of the site. She points out that below the "free download" button is a message:
We provide Spy-Shield free of charge, including updates, upgrades and customer support. We are able to do this with the help of integrated ads that are displayed periodically through Spy-Shield. These ads are tasteful and non-intrusive.
The trick apparently comes in when the user starts to install Spy-Shield. When you click on the install button, one must agree to install "BestOffersNetwork," which used to be DirectRevenue. A EULA shows up after you start to run the installer for Spy-Shield. If you tell it know, Spy-Shield won't install.
Turner ran the Spy-Shield, after installing the adware. She checked for updates and hadn't noted any sine 12/26/2005. She then ran first the quick scan and the full scan. The quick took about 30 seconds, the regular, full version took about 30 seconds. Nothing was found though she did state the machine was clean other than the "BestOffersNetwork" stuff.
She dumped the adware and the program still ran and it did. She then did a little research, checking out the background of the software but didn't find much. It's not the same thing as SpyShield. The domain information wasn't terribly revealing because it's registered through a proxy registrar. The IP address this site is tied to also hosts six other domains, including three porn sites.
This should tell users to be careful when using rogue software. While it can get benefit, there are also legitimate concerns. Make sure, before you use this stuff, check out some reviews about the product.
Tag: Spyware
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About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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