The Computer Virus Industry

[Mythopoeika]

I know from experience that SUPERAntiSpyware are one of the companies who bombard you with adverts saying you have spyware etc and you should use the product. I had a do a while back with getting bombarded with ads from them, telling me I was infected.
I don't know why they try to force you to use a "free" product. I spose it's so that you think it's wonderful for getting rid of the nasties and so then you go and donate.
Seb.

Really? I have been using SUPERAntiSpyware for a while now, and I haven't been bombarded with adverts. None, in fact.

 

[BuckeyeJones]

I know from experience that SUPERAntiSpyware are one of the companies who bombard you with adverts saying you have spyware etc and you should use the product. I had a do a while back with getting bombarded with ads from them, telling me I was infected.
I don't know why they try to force you to use a "free" product. I spose it's so that you think it's wonderful for getting rid of the nasties and so then you go and donate.
Seb.

Really? I have been using SUPERAntiSpyware for a while now, and I haven't been bombarded with adverts. None, in fact.

Greetings,

Nor have I....

PEACE!
Buck

 

[jubecrew]

:lol:

I have always found your quandary regarding Anti-Virus companies manufacturing viruses is quite a fact. There are many companies out there who seem to make quite a living off fear mongering PC users and Mac users alike into feeling as they need their software to be virus free. To me it would almost be foolish of them not to take advantage of writing destructive software to then write the fixes, its a lot easier to solve issues when you know what created them EH EH HEHE

Worms, trojans, any malware are typically not created by this companies, however their own anti virus software does act like a trojan horse within your system, making every program depend on it to go through, which will eventually bog down your system over time and constant checks itself.

Most people will always upgrade to the latest and greatest OS's their maker puts out and shoves down their throats, more then likely you use Vista and later downgraded to XP.

I have to honestly say, once one the internet, all machines are effectible. PC's more so, as most big time companies run on these platforms and obviously looking for the biggest baddest explosive effect, every maker wishes to infect more then the last! This means hitting the people where the people congregate. The latest OS!

I used to run 98 quite a bit in windows before switching to Mac. Linux based OS's are harder to infect as most these things being made are written on the platform of free BSD , Linux or Unix. Although with more people switching over to Mac, sooner or later your strongest OS will be that made by the people who create the stuff. Normally back doors are put in place even by these people in case their locked out of their computers. Linux distro's you will note are plenty, and all Linux really is, is a totally configurable OS, where you install and handle everything yourself.

There are many types of internet attacks ranging from information theft, program theft, warez or program / music sharing through bit torrents, file sharing of copyrighted form of any kind. There are DoS attacks, spoofing, phreaking, crackers, key gen makers, web site password crackers.... gesh theres quite a large underground society lurking on the internet.

Most of these people can be found via MAC SNAK or MIRC for windows which are internet chat relay services that pretty much can be totally shadowed and bug free rooms where illegal activities can be bragged upon, listed, files shared and traded, techniques shared, programs and scripts. Its the worst of the worst combined with the most sheltered and secluded of society. My suggestion is looking on Dalnet or Undernet servers as well as Efnet servers if your progressively looking to research more on these types of subjects.

 

[KarlD]

Most computer viruses(virii ?) are written to target security problems in microsoft products such as internet explorer and the latest operating systems. if you ditch them and use alternative freeware internet browsers/email programs such as firefox/thunderbird which are better written have more features and less security problems then a lot of viruses simply will not work.

 

[jubecrew]

agreed that 3rd party by products that are not in popular demand and use are less likely to be exploited, firefox was a great browser in its release day, reminiscent of the first release of netscape, such a smooth easy to use great browser.

DoS attacks are simply a bunch of pings being sent to a specific IP address from multiple locations simultaneously. Most computers can flood a specific IP address and hang a modem up, or give a computer a blue screen by using just one connection.

This is also a way people shut down major websites. By releasing a worm virii that spreads like wild fire from a program it's embedded into or an email. Eventually when the Master Control program is enabled, all the other slave computers ( infected ) will switch on and do as their Master controls. This was responsible 4 years ago for google and yahoo being shut down, having millions of host computers pinging the servers hosting the websites, which eventually hung up on themselves. The more computers infected, the greater the harm.

Also an interesting factoid to note, the last couple American Idol shows have had the votes swain by computers that were programmed specifically to call the # and press the vote, then hang up and repeat the result. This may have made someone who may use the contest as a gambling outlet, rigging the results

My highest advice to anyone whom is concerned with any of this stuff, is to first download some decent anti virus programs that are free, I used to use AVG, adaware and spy bot search and destroy. If you are weary on programs having virus's / worms / giving your data out, or people connecting to your computer to hack data onto it, the chances are slim but not far off. You should pick up a program called a Firewall that will monitor and log the IP traffic as well as port traffic all programs will use to connect out to the internet, as well as allow you to, Allow or Deny specific programs to access the internet, as all internet activity will first go through the firewall program.

The next piece of advise is for all of you whom may or may not purchase items with rebates via a credit card and have to mail in the UPC with an information piece of paper + send the receipt. Please use a black perm marker to blank out your credit card # as it will appear in full. I cannot stress this fact, as these information cards you fill out, give all personal information or enough of it at least to either steal your identity with the right phone calls, and or steal you credit card for fraudulent use!

 

[Mister_Awesome]

Boy, I had problems with viruses way before I had the internet! My computer was wiped out by the deadly Michaelangelo and Friday the 13th viruses, which respectively formatted my hard drive and continually deleted random files, if I recall. The amount of viruses out there, relative to how much more accessible and common computers and internet access are, is about what I'd expect, really. Thankfully, they're much less brutal nowadays. (Someone once told me that this was because if you wiped out a big corporation's hard drive, they could come after you legally, though I'm not sure how they'd figure out you did it.) I don't think there's any reason to suspect the virus scanner companies are padding out the numbers.

On a side note, related to what's also been discussed, I have McCaffee, and while it doesn't catch everything and it only stops viruses every once in a while -- though that's partly due to me being careful where I go and my internet options -- I'm very thankful for what it does stop! It is pretty irritating when something major gets through, though.

 

[w_kein]

Most computer viruses(virii ?) are written to target security problems in microsoft products such as internet explorer and the latest operating systems. if you ditch them and use alternative freeware internet browsers/email programs such as firefox/thunderbird which are better written have more features and less security problems then a lot of viruses simply will not work.

That may have been true 5 years ago, but today Firefox is one of the most popular browsers around. As such, the virus writers are concentrating their efforts on it as well.

You best bet in fighting malware is to get a free antivirus program with an active guard, such as Avira AntiVir, and a good spyware deterrent, such as Spybot Search & Destroy. Most importantly, keep them updated! Updates are released almost daily.

Of course, you also have to be wary of what you click on. The number one way people get their computed infected is when visiting a website, a pop up appears informing you that you are infected. Once you click on that, you are done for. That's how they get you. To security guys like myself, it seems silly. We laugh at that stuff, and can hardly believe that anyone actually clicks, but it happens.

 

[Cavynaut]

Has anyone else used Windows Live Onecare? It's spent most of its time on my computer telling me that "Onecare User Agent has stopped working", (whatever that might mean), and now that the subscription is due it has decided to warn me that my computer is in danger of having its security compromised. I'm sure that it's just a coincidence. Turns the firewall off all by itself as well.

 

[Bigfoot73]

The online security company PC Tools has just published a survey, featured in the current PC Advisor email newsletter:-
41% of all respondents in UK, Germany and France use only one password for all their online accounts and logins.
German PC users are most diligent at deleting files from unkown sources, but that's with only 9% doing so.
Only 57% of global computer owners have security software installed. Britain is ahead of this trend with 75% having security, although a third never update it.

Now if the security software industry were to be believed, our computers should all be dysfunctioning spambots by now. Yet they aren't. Such claims are grossly at odds with statistics like this.

Most 'professional' versions of anti-virus apps are bought by IT jobsworths arse-covering for fear of what the boss would say if the freebie happened to let malware in. Of course if more bosses saw surveys like this and put 2 and 2 together the anti -virus industry could well and truly catch a cold (sorry, I just had to...)

 

[ramonmercado]

Symantec says more than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past 12 months. I bet they're just saying that to scare you into buying Symantec software.

Millions tricked by 'scareware'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8313678.stm

The scam is difficult for police and other agencies to target
Online criminals are making millions of pounds by convincing computer users to download fake anti-virus software, internet security experts claim.

Symantec says more than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past 12 months.

The download is usually harmful and criminals can sometimes use it to get the victim's credit card details.

The firm has identified 250 versions of scareware, and criminals are thought to earn more than £750,000 each a year.

Franchised out

Scareware sellers use pop-up adverts deliberately designed to look legitimate, for example, using the same typefaces as Microsoft and other well-known software providers.

They appear, often when the user is switching between websites, and falsely warn that a computer's security has been compromised.

If the user then clicks on the message they are directed towards another site where they can download the fake anti-virus software they supposedly need to clean up their computer - for a fee of up to £60.

Con Mallon, from Symantec, told the BBC the apparent fix could have a double impact on victims.

It is very prevalent and it's growing very quickly out there on the internet

Con Mallon, Symantec
"Obviously, you're losing your own hard-earned cash up front, but at the back end of that, if you're transacting with these guys online you're offering them credit card details, debit card details and other personal information," he said.

"That's obviously very valuable because these cyber criminals can try to raid those accounts themselves or they can then pass them on or sell them to others who ultimately will try to use that information to their benefit not yours."

The findings were revealed in a report written following Symantec analysis of data collected from July 2008 to June 2009. Symantec said 43 million people fell for such scams during that period.

It has become so popular that the rogue software has been franchised out.


Fake reviews help build the credibility of bogus anti-virus software.
Mr Mallon said some scareware took the scam a step further.

"[They] could hold your computer to ransom where they will stop your computer working or lock up some of your personal information, your photographs or some of your Word documents.

"They will extort money from you at that point. They will ask you to pay some additional money and they will then release your machine back to you."

The scam is hard for police or other agencies to investigate because the individual sums of money involved are very small.

Therefore, experts say users must protect themselves with common sense and legitimate security software.

'Steal your identity'

Tony Neate, from Get Safe Online, told the BBC the threats presented by the internet had changed in recent years.

"Where we used to say protect your PC... we've now got to look at ourselves, making sure we're protected against the con men who are out there," he said.

"They want you to help them infect your machine. When they've infected your machine it's possibly no longer your machine - you've got no control over it.

"Then what they're looking to do is take away your identity, steal bits of your identity, or even get some financial information from you."

He added: "They used to be 16-year-olds in their bedrooms causing damage with viruses. Now those 16-year-olds have grown up [and] they're looking for money, they're looking for information."

 

[Mister_Awesome]

I keep saying that going on the internet is like going to the worst part of town at night. 40 million sounds like a crazy high number, though!

 

[Jonfairway]

hmmmm seems to be a shortage of real conspiracys being available to discuss.

there will always be people trying to disrupt by creating malware and viruses, this does not mean that companys like sophos etc are the perps making this happen.

if you want to look at something suspicious, still not a conspiracy mind, ask yourself this.

why do all the ISP not block email borne viruses before they even get deleivered, companys use apps to do this at the network perimeter, as do companys like blackspider.

perhaps the only conspiracy is to rob businesses of some money to pay for extra security.

ISP's are in the perfect position to sort this once and for all , could it be some sort of legistration that stops them blocking ?

Even Google mail do not trust their own attachements going though to customers in PDF format, they issue a warning !!!!

I don't think its a conspiracy though

 

[Heckler]

I don't think its a conspiracy though

The ISP that delivers mail to a company doesn't scan for viruses either, it just delivers, in the same way it delivers data packets to the punter in the home. It is the company's responsibility to scan the emails for viruses/malware/spam just as it's the end user's responsibility to scan theirs.

And even if the ISP did scan all incoming mail for viruses what would they do with that mail, quarantine it (and deal with a flurry of calls to release the emails) or delete it (and deal with a flurry of calls to find out why a mail wasn't delivered)?

 

[Nephilm]

In regards to computer viruses in the 80's and 90's there were numerous groups who specialised in the creation and distribution of viri.

It was a challenge to the creators, to make the virus more complex, more stealthy, smaller, faster - and in some cases "funny".

There is a train of thought that one of the most virulent virus writers was a Bulgarian chap who went under the name of "Dark Avenger", it is also thought that he also Vesselin Bontchev - a leading Anti Virus researcher.

Interestingly enough, it was Vesselin Bontchev who in turn "found" or was provided with the Dark Avenger viruses - which in turn is more interesting, as apparently with an interview with Sarah Gordon, Dark Avenger despised Vesselin Bontchev.


So that leads to the question, why would Dark Avenger provide the samples to Vesselin Bontchev?

Plausable points being:

A) To show how clever he was a virus writer - and it those days he was.
B) He is one and the same, Vesselin Bontchev - and it would provide income to virus solutions that Vesselin Bontchev provided.
Therefore, people went to Vesselin Bontchev if they got hit with a virus.


Google Dark Avenger Dos Viruses, and Vesselin Bontchev.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.11/heartof_pr.html

By the way, there is a possibility that there was a second "actor" involved, namely Todor Todorov....

Or are they all the same person.

Consider this now, Vesselin was at some point working with Frisk Anti Virus.....