IT Security Blog

Check Out Where you Download Music

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Downloading files such as audio on the web is nothing new. In fact, it has become an addicting way to get good music absolutely free. But before we do go on enjoying this privilege, we also have to take into consideration that freebies can provide us more than good files to cherish. They can also carry viruses to which many of us may not be totally aware off.

One thing about viruses is you cannot immediately pinpoint them. Unless you have a very reliable virus scanner, chances are you may not even be aware that you have malware or viruses on your computer. This has been proven before. Not until you are able to do a proper scan for potential security threats to your computer and the files in it will you wake up and see at the mess you have downloaded. You may have gotten the files free from the web but you also have bonuses like having a totally infected computer for all your effort.

This is not new to us anymore. We have been hearing such problems from friends or even reported in leading websites such as technology-based articles. The threats are for real. Apparently we just choose to ignore these warnings at times and while single computers can be remedied, what if you are a workstation inside a network?

Viruses and Trojans can easily make their way and multiply to other sites. Through connectivity which a single PC may have, it would not be surprising to note that having lurking viruses that can spread like crazy can really occur.

Auditing Download Practices

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Downloading practically anything on the web is only normal. It is the primary basis and tag that the Internet has gained over the years, especially if one talks about music and images available over the Internet. While downloading practices by people have no limit whatsoever, it would be wise for people to stick towards the reliable and suggested sites such as that of Tucows and Download.com for programs and files needed. The Internet simply has too much unknowns that places workstation at risk.

Security on Downloads

Viruses and infected sites are normal over the web as well. Phone dialers usually associated with pornographic sites may soon be installed on the computer desktop of any person without their knowledge. Further, the presence of malware and worms may be lurking around simultaneously with the actual download. Symptoms such as slower browsing and peculiar pages that appear on start-up should keep anyone worried. It may just so happen that they have been intruded by untoward programs and viruses gotten online.

[tags]downloads, music, graphics, images, applications, malware[/tags]

Spyware Defined

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Spyware is any software that covertly gathers user information through the user’s Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today.

Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer‘s memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware’s home base via the user’s Internet connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general system instability.

Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other applications, such as chat programs or word processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will either use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another party.

Licensing agreements that accompany software downloads sometimes warn the user that a spyware program will be installed along with the requested software, but the licensing agreements may not always be read completely because the notice of a spyware installation is often couched in obtuse, hard-to-read legal disclaimers.

[tags]spyware,licensing,downloads,software, it security[/tags]