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Beware of Internet Spies within Your Computer Midst
David Walter
February 9, 2002
I recently installed a free piece of software from download.com which promised to help convert certain file types on my computer. No problem, the software worked as expected, but much to my chagrin I discovered that at the same time as it was installing the software that I downloaded, it was also installing a hidden application on my computer without my knowledge.
This type of hidden application is known as "spy ware".
Yes, in the background it installed a pesky little piece of software called Ezula, which is basically a utility that hijacks your web browser while you surf.
What it does is monitor your activity while you are connected to the Internet, and catalogues this information in a database. By studying your search habits, Ezula compiles a list allowing them to have accurate market research which they can sell to advertisers looking to conduct targeted marketing campaigns-without your knowledge.
As well, it scans the pages that you view, and then creates links around keywords such as "shopping" or "gifts" that fit seamlessly into the page. When you click on these links, Ezula sends you to the site of one of their advertisers.
In other words, if you were looking at the site of "Leaping Larry's Stereo Boutique", Ezula would highlight a keyword like "stereo" that when clicked on would send the user to one of Larry's competitors without Larry ever knowing. This would be like watching television and having somebody replace the commercials-which finance the production and delivery of your favourite program-with commercials from a third party. In effect, they are stealing potential customers from the legitimate advertisers.
I began to search for resources to rid my computer of this invasive plague. In a short time I discovered a great program that rids your computer of such applications called Ad Aware which can be downloaded free of charge from www.lavasoftusa.com.
I ran this program and discovered that not only did I have Ezula on my machine, but also about a dozen other files which served to monitor my web browsing activities. If you've surfed the web before, I am willing to bet that you have at least one variety of these files hiding on your computer. Download Ad Aware today to destroy these files, and run it frequently. It's unbelievable how many occurrences you will discover on an ongoing basis.
The biggest culprit has been the download of the Napster-like file-sharing program called KaZaA. Ezula hides itself within this popular download, and installs itself on all machines that run KaZaA. Other programs out there such as Gator will disguise themselves as "password completers" or "on-line dictionaries", but rest assured, this is in all likelihood just a front meant to hide the true intentions of the software developers.
For more information, visit the site www.scumware.com which explains these invaders in more detail.
David Walter is a Community Access Program member who staffs the public access computers at the Ingersoll Public Library, a branch of the Oxford County Library.
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