--Glenn

P.S.  This is one that keeps recurring.  Business Week (as noted in the article) was the latest hit.  Even Ziff Davis isn't invulnerable, believe it or not.  Or Homeland Security (I have a lot of faith in that one, since I'm a criminal for being epileptic:  I invite the State of Oregon, Jackson County, the Sheriff's Office, or Mikey Winters to sue me for libel:  GFL, in old military communications terminology).

--Glenn

Moving to Linux isn't a solution in any way, and I won't even ever migrate wholly to it.  I might go into why it's not anything approaching a solution at some other time...

--Glenn

The executable that's offered could be AV2009Install_77011807.exe There could be any numbers in behind the words.

This malware has been removed from too many machines in the last month or so, ranging from home PC's, to corporate machines, that have corporate AV installed on them.

Note, that Malwarebytes Antimalware (malwarebytes.org) program removes the program with out any problems. You don't need to buy anything (unless you want continuous protection - but I run it once a week to keep an eye on things)
Run a full scan using the free version, remove everything it finds and you should be good to go.
Another issue I've found is that some machines infected with this also have a secondary infection which turns your machine into a mass mailer spewing out thousands of spam emails (this may or may not be related to the first infection). So as well as doing the above, make sure the PC has up to date anti-virus software and run a full scan.
I hope that this will help others in the fight against the crap that is out there

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The AntiVirus 2009 attacks are particularly troublesome as they can download and install silently on a PC by just visiting a website. However, the payload still requires a mouse click when the Antivirus pop-up suddenly appears stating the user has an infection. These are very advanced malware attacks to prevent, detect, and clean so avoidance is your best defence.

In fact, this clever social engineering attack may simulate past experiences where the legitimate Anti Virus product has found a virus and presented it to the user. Users who are not technically inclined may even think this is their own Anti Virus system warning them.

When a malware pop-up appears of any type, your PC is in trouble at that point. Sometimes however you can avoid more extensive damage by exiting out and getting immediate help in cleaning. If you can safely exit out of these types of pop-up windows your system for silent downloaders, sometimes your PC may not become infected.

Avoid any clicking or pressing the enter key, as “NO” or “CANCEL” may be secretly programmed to be a “YES”. Malware writers won’t have the best ethical conduct and they want to use any mouse click available to let the attack enter into the Windows environment (even a “NO” or “EXIT”).
Instead use this approach:

USE TASK MANAGER TO SAFELY EXIT MALWARE ATTACKS

1. The easiest way to launch task manager in Windows is to press: Ctrl+Shift+Esc

2. Press the applications TAB (if it’s not already positioned there)

3. Select the pop-up TASK

4. Press End Task button at bottom to close it

5. Then seek technical help on cleaning … If you’re not experienced, my #1 tip is to have a friend or relative help you so that you do this safely and minimize losses to your PC.

Additional resources can be found from these experts below:

How to Safely Close a Pop-Up Window In Your Browser
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=32872

Don’t Close That Pop-Up Window! - Clicking “No” May Mean “Yes”
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/popupsands…epopup.htm?nl=1

How to invoke Task Manager
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Task_Manager
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323527

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frequently, people ask how they know if the site they landed on is serving up a safe program or if it is dangerous. One consideration is Web of Trust, a free Internet security addon for your browser. In fact, based on the results illustrated by Certified Bug in What is WOT, it appears that WOT is much more responsive than the formerly acclaimed McAfee Site Advisor.

Other steps to take are to stay up to date with security updates for all your software, not just Microsoft updates, install and maintain anti-virus software and a firewall. Additional solid advice is available in Bill Pytlovany's recent article, Where did my Spyware come from?.

What do you do if your computer does become infected with one of the rogues like XP Antivirus? First and foremost, do not fall for the scam and send any money. Do not click any of the links they provide. Next, I would recommend installing, updating and runing a scan with Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM), allowing it to remove what is found. In providing help on the forums, I have seen how effective MBAM is in removing not only rogues like XP Antivirus but other malware as well.

Concerns about your PC security? We help thousands of new users every day to rid their PC of high risk spyware, adware, trojan, virus and rootkit infections
Is your PC really is safe?

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Download it directly from this page…(Win2K, XP, 2003 and Vista)

*************************************************************

*******************************************************************************************************

Click the green loops above to get the download and leave me a comment below this entry if you wish for some assistance.

*************************************************************

Greetings and welcome to(TONS) of

information site that can help you, your family and everything you do on the internet.

But please this is for personal computers only All prgrams that are offered on deigratia.wordpress.com and links from this site too are free!  In no way should anyone ask you for monies for any of these. I help and ask for no monies either. Donations to the actual sites that make these programs are suggested.

SCAN YOUR COMPUTER !!!

Antivirus *FSECURE*

Don’t stop when you find the first piece of malware. It is not uncommon for a computer that has been exploited through a security flaw to have been penetrated more than once. Also, some malware opens backdoors that facilitate the installation of software that enables use of the infected computer by remote control.

Most links on this site are going to open in a new window if you just click on them, but if you press down the ball on the mouse it will open a new Tab.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/

http://makeashorterlink.com/?I213211E4-Symantec’s Security Check

F-Secure Online Virus Scanner

ANTISPWARE *X-CLEANER*

Webroot Software Free Spy Audit

By FaceTime Security Labs, makers of the X-Cleaner Spyware Remover

eTrust Pest Scanner

http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan/

Thank you for that cleaning first, this will assist you in what you really require and the stuff here are security programs this should ensure that the program functions the way it should. Also note these programs are being used are no problem but Ram is suggested min. (512MB). Right-click on the "My computer" and click Properties. The main display window should say how much RAM.THE best and least expensive upgrade for your computer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Web of Trust (WOT) as a way to help recognize rogues when surfing the web by warning you before you interact with a risky website. In a comment to that article, Deborah from WOT posted a link to a video illustrating another scam designed to part you with your money. As Deborah explained, WOT tested it on a clean virtual machine and it reported finding over 500 errors, 31 of them classified as severe!

Because the video is a clear example of what people are faced with every day, I decided to share it here. The information presented in the fake scan in the video appears credible so is it no wonder why people panic and fall for these scams? Don't you be fooled!

The extra layer of security provided by WOT will help keep you safe from online scams, identity theft, spyware, spam, viruses and unreliable shopping sites. Definitely worth considering!
http://www.mywot.com/

**********************************************************

*If you need more sites for an online scan try these……*

Kaspersky - Onlinescannerhttp://www.kaspersky.com/de/virusscanner

Online-Scan (Panda Total-Scan)

ESET Online Scannerhttp://www.eset.com/onlinescan/

Bitdefender/Onlinehttp://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html
When a threat is detected by the the BitDefender Online scanner, it will first attempt to disinfect (repair) the file, and only if it cannot be repaired, it will delete it. However, you can elect to change the secondary action from delete to “Report Only” or “Prompt for User Action”, so an infected system file is not deleted. This is the safest option to guard against false positives and system files that have been “patched” by malware. It is also the safest option if heuristics are used in detection, which they are by default.

Please refer to this BitDefender Set Scan Options image for further clarification.

The options which are checked (enabled) in the image are the BitDefender default scanning options, and they may be changed.

Windows Live Free Scan - PC safety scan

McAfee Avert Stinger

Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system. Stinger utilizes next generation scan engine technology, including process scanning, digitally signed DAT files, and scan performance optimizations.

http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

AntiTrojan Scans - Run one: Install the 30-day trial of TrojanHunter v. 5.0 (Win 98, ME, 2K, XP, 2003, and Vista)

**********************************************************

These signs are created and served by danasoft.com’s webserver in real-time for each person that views them. Your IP address and other information are only visible to YOU, not to others, but because people see their own IP address and computer information displayed on a blog or in a public forum, they think that their information can be seen by everyone!

Read the privacy policy for more details. Click Here!

Securing Your Web Browsers document

More Info found at this Page………click Here

See anything that you think requires my attention? I have changed somethings due to your requests, If for any reason you have not heard from me please scan your computer with the suggested programs above. Thanks for I do always reply, but the mail has to reach me first. Good Luck.

Well then feel free to click on image.I will respond either soon or immediately!Truth is the way things are.

FF Rep: "Thank you for calling Finally Fast, my name is Brian, may I have your first name please?"

Me: "My name is Steve."

Brian: "Hi Steve! And may I ask which of our software you are calling about today?"

Me: "Well, I saw your ad on TV and my computer isn't real slow, but it couldn't hurt to make it a bit faster, right?"

Brian: "Of course not, and may I have your last name?"

Me: "Shyster" (I didn't think this would work and had to bit my tongue afterwards)

Brian: "Thank you mister Shyster...Now Mr. Shyster, you remember when you first got your computer and it was really really fast? It's probably gotten a lot slower since then, hasn't it?"

Me: "Oh, not really too much, I don't think.....but your software will make my computer faster right?"

Brian: "Yes, because it goes through and eliminates registry errors and spyware and the fragmentation thats been happening on your computer"

Me: "I don't think I have a registry"

Brian: "Well, every PC has a registry, and the registry is where your programs store all their settings and things like that, and over time, it can have thousands of incorrect settings in it, and our software eliminates that, and the spyware and fragmentation.

Me: "What is fragmentation exactly? I've heard of that somewhere before."

Brian: "Fragmentation is what happens when the files stored on your hard disk are broken into pieces, and our patented software eliminates this"

Me: "So I need your software to get rid of these registry errors and fragmentation?"

Brian: "Yes, thats right. You may have some spyware too."

Me: "Spyware? I'm not following you..."

Brian: "Bad software that breaks into your computer and steals your private information"

Me: "Like my social security number and tax return information?"

Brian: "Yes, do you have any antivirus software?"

Me: "No, I've never really needed any"

Brian: "Hmmm, you probably have some spyware problems then..."

Me: "I've never seen any"

Brian: "Well, that doesn't mean it isn't there...I think I've determined the software you need from us, we've got a great deal on [product] for only $29.99 with a year of support, and we've seen that make internet connections 300% faster, and for $19.99 you can get [product] which will eliminate spyware, and for another $19.99, you can get [product] which will defragment your hard disk and clean up junk files....how will you be paying for this?"

Me: "Well, I have some licensing questions..."

Brian: "Of course"

Me: "I have a number of PC's I'm interested in using your software on, and I really wouldn't want to copy and use them again without your permission....so my question being..How many computers am I licensed to run this software on?"

Brian: "Well, we do offer all the software on CD ROM for an extra $12.95 each"

Me: "That sounds good."

Brian: "So may I have your credit card information? I'll make sure this gets right out to you."

Me: "I just a couple more questions, I'm sorry to impose..."

Brian: "Alright..."

Me: "Is your software compatible with Wine?"

Brian: "What is Wine? I have no idea what that is"

Me: "It emulates the Windows API, I run all my Windows software through it"

Brian: "Oh well, yes, our software is compatible with all versions of Windows"

Me: "So running it in Wine on Linux would be ok then?" (I thought he'd catch on here)

Brian: "Yes, it should support the Linux editions of Microsoft Windows" (punching myself on the forehead and grinding my teeth)

Me: "Oh, good! I was hoping you would say that"

Brian: "So are you ready to place your order?"

Me: "Sure."

Brian: "Is it a credit card, debit, check by phone?" (Like hell)

Me: "A credit card"

Brian: "Can you give me the 16 digit number?"

Me: "Sure, but I just thought of one more question"

Brian: "Yes?"

Me: "How do you spell SUCKER, sucker".......rick roll till the line goes dead (starting from "Never gonna give you up")

If you want to Rick Roll them by phone:

http://prankdialer.com/rickroll.php

Or there's the Captain Picard song:

http://prankdialer.com/dr.php

Or "You Spin Me Right Round"

http://prankdialer.com/spin.php

Phone Number:

1800-384-1179

I looked at the domain registry and found an Adam Schran, who is the CEO of the company, and left a few rickrolls in his voicemail by playing them into the phone, Schran is at:

215-320-6000 Ext. 111

Finally, E-Commerce Guide mentioned Schran and his "company" back in 2001:

"The company's CEO is 25-year-old Adam Schran, who told me that Ascentive's first two software programs, webROCKET and winROCKET, were developed by his brother Andrew, 14, who began writing the code when he was 11.

Andrew is "now serving in an advisory role," Schran said. "We have software developers on staff and they have engineered all of our other house-developed software (BeAware, ActiveTime, ActivePrivacy, RAMrocket)."

http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/news/trends/article.php/884011

Great place to go and do something about the BAD sites.

- MIR

Godaddy signing a security certificate for a SPYWARE VENDOR!

As part of the Chris Pirillo is an idiot deal I checked out Godaddy:

And found that they are providing security certificate signing for spyware vendors, this helps people like the type behind the rogue anti-malware look more legitimate when they take you to their page asking you for your credit card number.

Chris Pirillo is advertising for Godaddy's services heavily, so I just wanted to point out how unscrupulous they are right here and now.

(Note that I am using Linux, which is immune from their crap, do not go to their site!)

HijackThis is a free utility which quickly scans your Windows computer to find settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs. HijackThis creates a report, or log file, with the results of the scan.

IMPORTANT: HijackThis does not determine what is good or bad.
Do not make any changes to your computer settings using HijackThis unless instructed by a member of the HJT Analyzers/Malware Hunters group of Smokey's Security Forums.

Procedures before submitting a HJT log to Smokey's Security Forums

- Please register on the forum... Here, it is for free.

- Before submitting a HJT log to Smokey's Security Forums, we ask that you follow this procedure first as described... Here.

- At the moment you have followed all instructions post your HJT log on the forum... Here.
Then please wait for your log to be answered. Answers, help and support will be given by full qualified HJT Log Analyzers/Malware Hunters. The offered HJT services are for free also.

See ya, ;)

Starbuck
Team Leader HJT Analyzers/Malware Hunters

Dulu  'udah ngadu' untuk di rehabilitasi tapi ternyata baru di tanggapi sekarang :-) dan akhirnya.

Dapat surat cinta dari stopbadware :

We have received and processed your request for review of your website, rasyid.net/.  Google's most recent test of your website found no badware behaviors on the site.  As such, the Google warning page for your site has either already been removed or should be removed shortly.  In addition, if your site has been listed in our Badware Website Clearinghouse, we will remove your site from the Clearinghouse list.

Sometimes website owners are confused about why Google placed a warning in the search results for their site.  In many cases, a website run by an innocent site owner has been hacked by a malicious third party, causing the site to distribute badware without the site owner's knowledge.  If your site was distributing badware because it has been hacked, then simply removing the bad code from your site is not enough to keep your site clean in the future.  You will also need to work with your hosting provider to fix all security vulnerabilities associated with your site.

Please note that we will be retesting your website at periodic intervals in order to monitor that it remains free from badware.  If we find that you are hosting or distributing badware in the future, the reviews process may take considerably longer than the original review.

Answers to commonly asked questions from site owners who are the subject of Google warnings can be found at:  http://stopbadware.org/home/faq#partnerwarnings
For tips on keeping your website clean and secure, please visit:  http://stopbadware.org/home/security

The StopBadware Team

Efek yang terasa visitor dari google gak sungkan lagi tuk berkunjung hehehehe.

kembali ke server.

From Java Anonymous Proxy (JAP) Homepage:

JAP makes it possible to surf the internet anonymously and unobservably.Without Anonymization, every computer in the internet communicates using a traceable Address. That means:

- the website visited,
- the internet service provider (ISP),
- and any eavesdropper on the internet connection

can determine which websites the user of a specific computer visits. Even the information which the user calls up can be intercepted and seen if encryption is not used. JAP uses a single static address which is shared by many JAP users. That way neither the visited website, nor an eavesdropper can determine which user visited which website.

Sound great. Especially because the software and services are free. But after reading the DSLR post my mind about JAP changed.

SUMware mentioned in the DSLR post an 2003 SecurityFocus article about the fact that JAPs anonymity service was (and still is?) back-doored. Sound not good anymore, sound really bad.

Excerpt SF article:

The popular Java Anonymous Proxy (JAP), used to anonymise one's comings and goings across the Internet, has been back-doored by court order. The service is currently logging access attempts to a particular, and unnamed, Web site and reporting the IP addys of those who attempt to contact it to the German police.

We know this because the JAP operators immediately warned users that their IP traffic might be going straight to Big Brother, right? Wrong. After taking the service down for a few days with the explanation that the interruption was "due to a hardware failure", the operators then required users to install an "upgraded version" (ie. a back-doored version) of the app to continue using the service.

"As soon as our service works again, an obligatory update (version 00.02.001) [will be] needed by all users," the public was told. Not a word about Feds or back doors.

Fortunately, a nosey troublemaker had a look at the 'upgrade' and noticed some unusual business in it, such as:

"CAMsg::printMsg(LOG_INFO,"Loading Crime Detection Data....\n");"
"CAMsg::printMsg(LOG_CRIT,"Crime detected - ID: %u - Content:
\n%s\n",id,crimeBuff,payLen);"

and posted it to alt.2600.

Soon the JAP team replied to the thread, admitting that there is now a "crime detection function" in the system mandated by the courts. But they defended their decision:

"What was the alternative? Shutting down the service? The security apparatchiks would have appreciated that - anonymity in the Internet and especially AN.ON are a thorn in their side anyway."

Sorry, the Feds undoubtedly appreciated the JAP team's willingness to back-door the app while saying nothing about it a lot more than they would have appreciated seeing the service shut down with a warning that JAP can no longer fulfill its stated obligation to protect anonymity due to police interference.

A press release from ICPP assures users that JAP is safe to use because access to only one Web site is currently being disclosed, and only under court-ordered monitoring.

But that's not the point. Disclosure is the point. The JAP Web site still claims that anonymity is sacrosanct: "No one, not anyone from outside, not any of the other users, not even the provider of the intermediary service can determine which connection belongs to which user."

This is obviously no longer true, if it ever was. And that's a serious problem, that element of doubt. Anonymity services can flourish only if users trust providers to be straight with them at all times. This in turn means that providers must be absolutely punctilious and obsessive about disclosing every exception to their assurances of anonymity. One doesn't build confidence by letting the Feds plug in to the network, legally or otherwise, and saying nothing about it.

Telling us that they only did it to help catch criminals isn't good enough either. Sure, no normal person is against catching criminals - the more the merrier, I say. But what's criminal is highly relative, always subject to popular perception and state doctrine. If we accept Germany's definition of criminal activity that trumps the natural right to anonymity and privacy, then we must accept North Korea's, China's and Saudi Arabia's. They have laws too, after all. The entire purpose of anonymity services is to sidestep state regulation of what's said and what's read on the basis of natural law.

The JAP Web site has a motto: "Anonymity is not a crime." It's a fine one, even a profound one. But it's also a palpably political one. The JAP project inserted itself, uncalled, into the turbulent confluence between natural law and state regulation, and signaled its allegiance to the former. It's tragic to see it bowing to the latter.

I don't know JAPs anonymity service is anno 2008 still back-doored.

Main queustion after the JAP back-doored issue is, can we ever trust JAP again?  My answer is a clear NO. JAP will always have an element of doubt.

SecurityFocus hitted the nail with following remark in the article:

Anonymity services can flourish only if users trust providers to be straight with them at all times. This in turn means that providers must be absolutely punctilious and obsessive about disclosing every exception to their assurances of anonymity. One doesn't build confidence by letting the Feds plug in to the network, legally or otherwise, and saying nothing about it.

I share SFs opinion. Therefore, stay away from JAP.

De acordo com o blog do StopBadware.org, a versão 11 do aplicativo instala uma versão reduzida do Rhapsody Player, programa necessário para reproduzir canções compradas através de um serviço mantido, também, pela RealNetworks, e que não é removido do computador caso o RealPlayer seja desinstalado.

Um dos problemas quando algo assim acontece é que, por não saber que o software é instalado e continua residente mesmo após desinstalação do software principal, falhas de segurança importantes que são corrigidas pelas empresas não receberão a atenção devida, deixando as máquinas vulneráveis.

Ryan Luckin, porta-voz da RealNetworks, se desculpou oficialmente pela falha e informou que uma correção que remova completamente os componentes está em desenvolvimento. "A RealPlayer não está fazendo nada de forma maliciosa ou colocando seus usuários em risco", explicou.

Em uma versão anterior (10.5), ainda disponível para download através do site oficial, um recurso chamado "Message Center", que enviava alertas sobre placares esportivos, vídeos e outros conteúdos, era ativado automaticamente, sem consentimento do usuário. Este recurso foi modificado para o lançamento da versão 11.

Fonte: Geek 

In a report published Thursday, StopBadware.org faults the latest version of RealPlayer for secretly installing its Rhapsody Player Engine during the RealPlayer installation.

"RealPlayer 11 does not disclose that it installs Rhapsody Player Engine, and does not remove the software when RealPlayer is uninstalled," StopBadware says in the report.

Rhapsody Player Engine is required to access RealNetwork's online music service. But because users are not told that they have installed the product, it could become a liability, using up the computer's hard-drive space or processing power, or even creating a security risk for consumers if bugs are discovered in Rhapsody, said Maxim Weinstein, StopBadware's manager.

Both RealPlayer 11 and the older RealPlayer 10.5 software are considered "badware," the report states.

Real Player 10.5 suffers from a different issue, however. Users who download the software without filling out the RealNetworks product registration page end up with a piece of software called Message Center, which then proceeds to deliver ads to the user's computer. "It's installing, essentially, a piece of adware without giving users information about that up front," Weinstein said.

RealNetworks spokesman Ryan Luckin said a check box on the registration page is used to notify users that Message Center would be installed. Users who clicked through the registration page without filling out any information would have the software installed.

Although the issue was fixed in version 11 of the player, RealPlayer 10.5 is automatically downloaded via the Firefox browser's "Missing Plug-in" feature and is still widely used, Weinstein said.

Until RealNetworks is up-front with users about what software they're actually downloading, StopBadware recommends that consumers avoid its media player.

Luckin called the Rhapsody issue an oversight. "The fact that when you uninstall RealPlayer we don't go back and uninstall Rhapsody is an oversight and is something we should address in the future," he said.

A widely used alternative to Apple's QuickTime and Microsoft's Windows Media Player, RealPlayer has a history of making invasive changes to users' computers. The Message Center software has come under fire in the past, and in 1999 computer security consultant Richard Smith discovered that the software was quietly sending information to RealNetworks servers.

StopBadware's findings apply only to the Windows versions of RealPlayer's software, Weinstein said. RealPlayer also runs on other operating systems, including Mac OS X and Linux.

Supported with funding from Google, Lenovo, and Sun Microsystems, StopBadware evaluates software and warns consumers of products that engage in deceptive behavior, such as tracking user behavior or installing programs without telling consumers.

Although RealPlayer 10.5's Message Center feature may be more noticeable and annoying, Weinstein said Real Networks should fix both problems as soon as possible. "It's hard to say that one is worse," he said. "They're really two sides of the same concept of just not telling users what's going on."

StopBadware asegura que la versión 10.5 de RealPlayer es un Badware, según argumenta "pues instala publicidad abiertamente y con toda impunidad en la computadora del usuario."Además aclara que hastala versión 11 es badware porque "no documenta el hecho de que instala el Rhapsody Player Engine, y no lo remueve del sistema una vez que RealPlayer es desinstalado."

Ryan Luckin, vocero de RealNetworks insiste que ambas versiones antes mencionadas no son para nada badware, pero admite que hay errores y malas interpretaciones por parte de los usuarios para ambos productos. Dice que se harán cambios en ambas versiones para responder a la clasificación que StopBadware les ha puesto. "Ninguna de las versiones de RealPlayer ponen al usuario en riesgo, no son malware (programas maliciosos) ni instalan ningún programa de terceros en la PC," afirma Luckin.

Según StopBadware, la definición de Badware es "software malicioso que sigue los movimientos de un usuario en línea y reporta esta actividad a grupos de mercadeo para que éstos puedan atacarte con publicidad dirigida."

Según Luckin, en la versión 10.5 de RealPlayer, Stopbadware argumenta que el centro de mensajes que viene integrado, muestra publicidad que usualmente son de contenidos de RealNetworks, como audio, video o actualizaciones. Este centro dem ensajes está contenido por default cuando al versión 10.5 es instalada. Luckin asegura que una versión futura de RealPlayer preguntará al usuario si quiere que se instale dicha característica, aunque también afirma que esta característica no debería ser etiquetada como publicidad, pues nungún comercial de terceros es mostrado en estas alertas.

El problema con la versión 11 es algo distinta, puesc uando desinstalas el programa, este no quita todos sis componentes del sistema, como por ejemplo el Rhapsody Player Engine que es usado para visualizar contenido codificado usando el formato Rhapsody. Hecho que Luckin reconoce, pues el control ActiveX de Rhapsody es dejado aún cuando se desinstala el RealPlayer 11.

Ryan asegura que RealNerworks está de acuerdo con StopBadware en requerir que el programa sea removido en su totalidad cuand ose desinstale, "ese fue un error, y lo corregiremos," comenta Luckin, aunque no pudo asegurar cuándo ni cómo RealNetworks cambiará el comportamiento de desinstalación de RealPlayer 11.

I've long hated RealPlayer for its obtrusive interface, its insistence on recording information, registering you for services you don't want or need, installing extra programs and spyware on your computer... basically, their overall blatant disregard for your privacy and their exclusivity with particular online content, etc. I've been anti-RealPlayer since college. That means these folks have been on my shit list for eight or nine years.

FINALLY, someone else has noticed. StopBadware.org consider themselves a "neighborhood watch" team that reports on downloadable software and outlines their recommendations as to what people should put on their computers. They are lead by Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute. Pretty heady credentials.

RealPlayer, I'm elated to report, has recently been added to the watchdog's current list of internet badware.

To put it simply, the software opens a line of communication between your computer and the skeevy folks at RealPlayer that not only transfers personal usage information, but also bogs down your computer by soaking up memory and littering your hard drive with spyware. And as the report cites, if you try to remove the software from your computer, all of those background programs are still there, without your permission, and continue to communicate to RealPlayer.

How bout them apples.

As if that weren't bad enough, RealPlayer also hides within their licensing agreement a clause that signs away rights to your computer's hard drive, so that at any time, Men in Black from RealNetworks have the right to show up at your door, confiscate your computer, step on your 6-week-old puppy, kidnap your children, and force you to eat silverware. I'm telling you, these people are BASTARDS!!

Search engine spamming or Black hat SEO is very active and have grown much prominent nowadays. The website owners (under the Black hat SEO groups), uses unethical, objectionable, and illegal techniques to deceive the search engines and get the higher rankings in the Search engine result pages. This a very chronic and pesky dealings of the search engines and is struggling very much to get rid of these spammers and complex groups.

The Microsoft researchers are also startled of the fact that the numerous junk listings were created from just two web hosting business firms. Also, 68percent+ advertisements were rested only by three advertising groups. The researchers also detected the fact that there are more than 30 percent fake web pages are created for the keywords like ‘drugs’ and ‘ring tone’. The average spam density was 11 percent for 1,000 keywords they used in their research.  They considered the large advertising companies guilty for a significant share of spam problem.

“Ultimately, it is advertisers’ money that is funding the search-spam industry, which is increasingly cluttering the Web with low-quality content and reducing Web users’ productivity,” they write in the paper, which will be presented in May at the International World Wide Web Conference in Banff, Alberta. Mr. Wang, group manager and senior researcher for cyber security and systems management at Microsoft, said, “The good guys are part of the problem.”

Search Engine spamming is growing interrupted and would prove a serious threat to the Search engine world in the near future. The overall amount of e-mail spam has more than doubled in the last year, according to Postini, a communications security firm. Everyday, we domestic internet users, get junk mails from different spam source, loaded with malicious softwares. So something need to be done to stop this.

Realated Articles:

Researchers Track Down a Plague of Fake Web Pages

Microsoft Tracks Down Mass Fake Web Pages

Research paper uncovers root of nuisance Web pages

Related Link:

War on Search Spam: Shifting the Battleground by “Following the Money”

Recommended Download:

Spam Double-Funnel:Connecting Web Spammers with Advertisers

Google is always making efforts to protect users from badwares (spyware, adware, malware, etc) by warning people using Google search before they visit sites that are known for distributing such malicious software. However unfortunately, your site may be tagged as such without you knowing it. Your site may in fact be distributing such badware even without your knowledge.

So how do u know u'r flagged as badware by Google? First go to http://www.google.com/webmasters/ and click on to Webmasters Tools. Select the site you want to manage. You should be able to see this under the Summary Section if your site has been flagged as a Badware.

My site is Not distributing Badware! What to do now? 

Now Google's algorithm for tagging your site as Badware is based on Stopbadware.org.  If you site is tagged wrongly, you'll have to send appeal emails to appeals @ stopbadware.org.

Related Links:
Questions about websites that are the subject of Google warnings
Google Blog on Badware
Google: How can I find out if my site has been identified as a web site spreading malicious software and what can I do if it has?