SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Spyware
Gid Rid of Spyware on My System
What
is Dialer Software? How Do I Spot It?
There
is horrifying software out there today that can really
make a person wish they never had Internet. You thought regular spyware was bad, this is much worse. This
program will use your modem to dial long distance numbers and
1-900 numbers that you will be charged for. The phone bills
are outrageous and it is the computer owner who must pay them.
Some of these will run while you are surfing the web. They
will drop your connection and then dial up on a new number.
Other types of dialers wait until you have sat on idle for
a specific amount of time and then start dialing out. Most
dialers are downloaded via Active X script. So you need to
be sure that your browser is set to reject these types of files.
At the very least your browser should give you a warning if
one of these tries to load or run. Modem hijacking is not new
by any means and still affects dial-up users today. What the
program does is to disconnect you from your usual dial-up number
and reconnects you to a more expensive number. You can also
be hooked to 1-900 numbers as you sit in idle.
These
dialers can be disguised in pop-up advertisements or in
downloaded programs on the net. A user will go to close
the window and accidentally initiate the download of the software
instead. It may also be hidden with in certain downloads such
as gambling, adult content, gaming, or music files. Once the
file has been loaded a dialer box will come up on your screen
to show that it is actually dialing. You will hear your modem
try to connect. What you may be browsing may stop responding
to you or freeze up. You probably will just assume that you
got disconnected and your modem is just redialing out. Many
folks have no clue that the software has even downloaded in
the first place. All Internet providers and dial-up users are
susceptible to this malicious software. The customers are fully
responsible to pay the bill that incurs. When a program is
downloaded it need to have the terms and agreements accepted
at that time. The phone company doesn’t care if something was
hidden on your download.
There are ways to prevent modem hijacking so you won’t have
to suffer these outrageous charges. Many dial-up companies
offer a program that only allows long distance dialing if you
have the correct PIN number. This can prevent your computer
from dialing unauthorized numbers. Users need to be more careful
when downloading programs off the net. They need to make sure
they know exactly what is being loaded and if the site is a
secure one. Users should read the entire agreement and disclosure
information before downloading to make sure that there is nothing
hidden in it. When shutting off pop-up windows slow down and
be careful. Make sure that you click on the appropriate box
to close it or right click it in your task bar to close it
out. If you don’t touch it you cannot download it by mistake.
Disable Active X or change your browser to warn you when a
code attempts to run. Make sure potentially dangerous sites
are blocked or that you have high protection when browsing.
Ask your phone company to put a 1-900 block on your phone
as well as a block on international calls if you don’t call
out of the country. Anytime your modem starts to redial a connection
that you didn’t prompt cancel the dial out immediately. Check
to see what number it was dialing. If it is your normal dial-up
number then continue, but if it starts with 011 or 1-900 stop.
Copy down the number and report it to your phone company so
it can be blocked. Once the number is blocked it can’t be used
to dial out. Disconnect your telephone line from your modem
when not on the Internet. This will keep someone from dialing
out while you are idling. Make sure if you find out that you
have a dialer in your system you remove it promptly. Use an
anti-virus or anti-spyware program to detect and remove the
software from your computer. There are also anti-virus and
anti-spyware programs that catch problems in real time. This
means before the program can download your program will be
able to detect any malicious software and deny it access to
your system. This feature is a lifesaver for many people and
stops most unwanted attempts on your computer as you browse.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
> Home > Spyware Articles:
Main Page |
