Anyone who’s been using the Internet has no doubt been affected/infected by this garbage. These “programs” range from tracking your behavior, popping up unwanted ads, rewriting links on websites and more. The problem is they’re good at what they do and in many cases the user has no idea what’s going on.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about (don’t worry, many people don’t), then I recommend taking a moment to understand what this is about. Awareness is the key. As a service to the community, listed below are links to websites for more information about these programs and more importantly the tools you can use to remove these from your system.
ADWARE, SPYWARE, & MALWARE INFORMATION
The Spyware Guide
http://www.spywareguide.com/
Defining Malware: FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/topics/virus/malware.mspx
Are You Infected? Detecting Malware Infection
http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1666
Adware, Spyware and other unwanted “malware” - and how to remove them
http://cexx.org/adware.htm
Messenger Service Spam
http://www.spywareguide.com/txt_messengerspam.html
About Gator
http://cexx.org/gator.htm
Gator is also dynamically inserting ads on top of ads already on the page. They look and feel like the site’s real banners, but place ads for things the actual Web site never intended–including ads for competitors’ products and possibly even adult materials. Among other things, this ‘steals’ advertising revenue from the legitimate owner of that Web site, as their banner is inaccessible and covered up by the Gator ad.
Web sites prey on rivals’ stores
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-271196.html?legacy=cnet
While Gator is free, the company that makes it sells keywords to marketers that lets them launch pop-ups at opportune moments–for example, when a Web surfer visits a competing site.
…
In one extreme example, San Francisco-based eZula has been working with file-sharing networks Kaazaa and iMesh to superimpose links to marketers’ sites over text on Web pages.
ADWARE, SPYWARE, & MALWARE REMOVAL/PREVENTION TOOLS
Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/
Spybot Tutorial to set up and scan
http://forum.gladiator-antivirus.com/index.php?showtopic=8630
Ad-aware
http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/
Ad-aware Tutorial Updates & Scanning
http://forum.gladiator-antivirus.com/index.php?showtopic=8050
Trend Micro - Free online virus Scan
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/