Is That Picture Worth Downloading?

Is That Picture Worth Downloading?

It’s a well known fact that downloading certain kinds of material is more dangerous than others. Outside of any possible moral, philosophical, or comfort factors, there are security reasons that make the PG-13 (and higher) side of the Internet a hotbed of potential problems for your PC.

But adult sites aren’t the only ones that get targeted. Celebrity/gossip sites, thumbnail/graphic sites, video sharing sites, and even Harry Potter related sites are all targets; often without the knowledge of the site owner.

Once installed on your machine, spyware and Trojans can track your every move. Any link you click, site you visit, or text you read. There have even been cases of spyware creators blackmailing victims they’ve been spying on in an attempt to get cash from them.

Titillating, popular, and/or well-trafficked content on the Internet is big business, and the malware developers of the world know it. Because it’s content that get a lot of eyes looking and clicks happening, the malware folks take advantage of that fact and spread their wares on sites that cater to looky-loo’s. As such, every bikini-wearing beauty, her less-clothed sisters, and other video/picture/movie websites are a possible suspect for computer infection.

So before you head to that site, click that video, or download that picture, think about what you (or rather, your PC) could catch if you do.

If you're looking for great anti-virus software that won't break the bank, try StopSign. You don't pay extra for tech support for difficult malware, and our web protection software just works. Download & install StopSign to find out why our members choose us over the other options.

What’s a “botnet”?

What’s a “botnet”?

botnet (bot·net) noun A collection of software robots that’s normally associated with malicious software. Botnets are notorious for being platforms for spam distribution.

The term botnet can refer to any group of software “robots” and normally consists of a collection of compromised (“zombie”) computers running the botnet software. In most cases the PCs running the botnet software are turned into zombie computers unknowingly, usually through drive-by downloads (software that is downloaded and automatically installed through exploited browser vulnerabilities, or by software worms, Trojan horses, or other malware). Botnets are usually controlled remotely by a botmaster using a central command-and-control interface on his or her computer.

A really good botnet can be installed on a user’s machine and never arouse any suspicion to the user through normal means of detection such as computer performance slowdowns, increased bandwidth usage, pop-ups, etc. It’s possible that a PC can be the unknowing accomplice to a number of blackhat operations, including:

  • Spam:

    By utilizing it’s network of zombie computers, a botnet can be a powerful spam distribution platform. Millions of spam emails are sent out by botnets every day.

  • DDoS:

    With enough infected computers, issuing a Distributed Denial of Service Attack (flooding a website with enough bogus traffic to bring it down) can easily be done with a botnet.

  • Spreading malware:

    A zombie PC in a botnet can also be set up to not only self-propagate onto other unsuspecting computers, but it can also be a delivery system for other forms of malware, too. (viruses, spyware, Trojans, etc.)

  • Information collection:

    Sometimes the only job of the zombies in a botnet is to collect information about the human host: what they click on, who they email, their passwords, etc.

If you're looking for great anti-virus software that won't break the bank, try StopSign. You don't pay extra for tech support for difficult malware, and our web protection software just works. Download & install StopSign to find out why our members choose us over the other options.