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Internet Explorer Plug-Ins and Other Spyware
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A subscriber of ours recently hit, by mistake, what he thought was an Explorer upgrade option. It turned out to be a pop-up
appearing legitimate but really was not. Other internet users have downloaded free programs only to
discover additional unwanted software was downloaded at the same time.
A quick bit of research on the web will find hundreds of cries for help from people who've done the same thing. It appears
that these plug-ins allow other software, known as spyware, to be downloaded to your machine and this is where the problem occurs. What is
even more remarkable is that by downloading this software, their license grants them the right to install software
add-ins on your computer at their will. Take a look at what the software license for Intelligent Explorer, for example, says:
"You grant to us the right, exercisable by us until you uninstall the Software or this agreement is otherwise terminated,
to provide to you the Service of downloading and causing to be displayed advertising material on your computer, through
'pop-up' or other display while you use your browser. You acknowledge and agree that installation of the Software
may automatically modify toolbars and other settings of your browser. By installing the Software you agree
to such modifications."
The company is incorporated in Belize and know that the vast majority of people will either not read or not understand the implications of this license!
Some users have found highly objectionable pop-up advertisements generated by this software bundled with
Intelligent Explorer in the form of extreme pornography.
These plug-ins can create a new home page, as well as start up and endless loop of pop-ups. You can remove the view bar,
but then starting up Internet Explorer will cause it to reappear.
So what should you do? There are several steps to take to both minimise the risk of getting infected by spyware, and
to get rid of anything already on your computer. As the vast majority of spyware affects only Internet Explorer,
one of the simplest actions is to use Firefox instead. This browser also offers many other useful features not available
with IE and is highly recommended in its own right.
Unfortunately, many sites are still not fully compatible with Firefox, so for those occasions when you have to use, IE, Microsoft
gives the following advice:
Step 1: Use a firewall
While most spyware and other unwanted software come bundled with other programs or originate from
unscrupulous Web sites, a small amount of spyware can actually be placed on your computer remotely by hackers.
Installing a firewall or using the firewall that's built into Windows XP provides a helpful defense against these hackers.
Step 2: Update your software
If you use Windows XP, one way to help prevent spyware and other unwanted software is to make sure
all your software is updated. Visit Microsoft Update to confirm that you have Automatic Updates turned
on and that you've downloaded all the latest critical and security updates.
Step 3: Adjust Internet Explorer security settings
You can adjust your Internet Explorer Web browser's security settings to determine how much, or how
little, information you are willing to accept from a Web site. Microsoft recommends that you set the security
settings for the Internet zone to Medium or higher.
Recommended Spyware protection
Once you've minimised the risk of infection, you'll then need to install and run anti-spyware
software to deal with any spyware or adware that gets through.
Google have added two new applications to their FREE Google Pack to make your PC even safer: Symantec's Norton Security Scan, which detects and removes
viruses, and PC Tools' Spyware Doctor Starter Edition, a top-rated anti-spyware utility. Both are
free and include automatic protection updates with no paid subscription required. The Firefox browser
is also included in this package. This is the package I'm using both on my own business computer, and on my son's computer,
where the first scan revealed (and removed) over 3000 infections! Just click on he banner above to donload your free pack.
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