Wednesday, September 18, 2013

PUPs - No Virus But Just As Nasty


Updated Oct. 27th, 2013

The latest and fast growing trend of cyber crime against the unsuspecting user of a Windows PC is a new breed of malware, so called PuP programs (Potentially Unwanted Program).

These programs technically are not viruses; that is why anti virus programs don't find them - although there are some special programs for geeks and technicians that can clean this stuff from your computer.

You can easily check your computer for at least a few the most commonly encountered names.
  1. Open the Control Panel
  2. Set "View by" in the right top corner to Small Icons and 
  3. Open Programs and Features
You find names of PuPs that I have encountered in this list. Warning: The list is long, by it's very nature incomplete and it keeps growing almost every week. Please be aware that spelling, capitalization, prepended or appended numbers or syllables and inserted or omitted spaces are common and still denote the "main offender" as worthy of removal.

The somewhat good news: Many of these pieces of trouble can be uninstalled, that is removed, from right there in the Programs and Features window where you just found them.

The really BAD news: Even if you uninstall them successfully there will be leftovers in web browsers and other important locations in the operating system.; especially Google Chrome seems to be likely to retain some of that. These leftover entries can be numerous, affect functioning of web browser(s) and significantly hamper the computer; they can only be removed with some specially written very detail oriented clean-up programs.

Well, you know who can help, don't you?

Please remember: Toolbars are forbidden, no matter who promises what, no matter how tempting the name and no matter who made the tool bar! If you find any toolbars remove them right away.

If you find folders with names from random letters or numbers like for example:
         pgmfkblbflahhponhjmkcnpjinenhlnc
you have a clear indicator of malicious software. You know who can help, don't you?

If you wonder how all this stuff got on the computer then please read the explanation  here.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

PUPs - The List


This is the list of PuPs that I have encountered; it is not comprehensive and it is growing almost daily...

Update February 12th 2014: This list now is 313 entries long and the malware programmers create new names every day. Keeping this list up-to-date has become increasingly time consuming and I will in the future add only well descriptive new names. 

This list makes sense only as part of this article on PuPs.


1clickdownload
24x7 Help
adawaretb
AdpeakProxy
Advanced System Protector
alotToolbar
ammyy
Amonetize
Anti-phishing Domain Advisor
aol toolbar
apn
apnupdater
AppGraffitti
Application Updater
Ask Search
Ask Toolbar
Ask Web Search
ask.com
AskPartnerCoBrandingTool
AskPartnerNetwork
AskSearch
AudioToAudioToolBar
AVG SafeGuard toolbar
AVG Security Toolbar
avg-sitesafety-plugin
AvgToolbar
AVS4You
Babylon
BabylonToolbar
Backupstack
BatBrowse
BearShare
bearshare applications
BearShareMediaBar
bearsharemusicboxtoolbar
BigFiah Games
BingBar
BitGuard
Blekko
blekko toolbars
blekkotb
Body Media Sync
boost_interprocess
Browser Helper Objects
Browser Manager
browserconnection
BrowserMngr
browsersafeguard
Buzzdock
BuzzdockTease
caphyon
chatsessionplugin
ChromeHelper
ChromeHelper
Claro / iSearch
CleanUp
Common Files\spigot
CommunityToolbar
Conduit
conduitsearchscopes
contextmenunotifier
CouponPrinter
coupons
Coupons Amazing
cr_installer
crossrider.com
CrossriderApp
custominternetsecurityimpl
datacontrol
DataMngr
DealPly
DealPlyLive
Default_Page_URL
defaulttab
defaulttabbrowser
DefaultTabSearch
DefineExt
Delta
Delta Search
DeskBarEnabler
Distromatic
Dogpile
driver robot
driver-soft
DriverCure
DriverUpdate
DropDownDeals
DynConIE
EasyCopyND
eBay.lnk
escort
eSupport.com
Extreme Flash Player
F3PopularScreenSavers
Facemoods 
Fast Free Converter
feedmanager
file scout
File Type Helper
Findgala
FirefoxHelper
FirefoxHelper
FirstRowSportApp.com
firstsearch
Fkash Player Pro
FLEXnet
FocusInteractive
Free Offers from Freeze.com
Free Ride Games
Freecause
FreeRIP
Freeze.com
FromDocToPDF
Funmoods
funwebproducts
GamePlayLab
genericasktoolbar
Globasearch
GreatArcadeHits
HiDefMedia
Highlightly
historykillerscheduler
HotspotShield
I Want This
Ibryte
ibrytedesktop
IBUpdaterService
iecookiesmanager
IeHelper
IeHelper
iLivid
iLividIEHelper
ilividsetupv1.exe
Iminent
Inbox
inbox toolbar
InstallCore
InstallIQ
InstallServices64\
InternetHelper3.6
InternetUpdater
InternetUpdaterService
ironsource
isafe
iwon
LaunchApp
LCTaskAssistant
LessTabs
Level Quality Watcher
LinkSicle
LyricSing
MapIt
MapsGalaxy
mediabar
MetaStream
metastreamctl
MixiDJ
Mobogenie
MocaFlix
Music Toolbar
my-web-search
mybabylon
MyBabylontb
MyPC Backup
MyScrapNook
Mysearchdial
MyWebSearch
mywebsearch bar
OnlineMapFinder
OpenCandy
optimizer pro
OptimizerPro
ParetoLogic
pc cleaners
PC Health Kit
PC Health Kit
Pc Performar
pc speed maximizer
pchealthboost
pcpro
pdfforge
PerformerSoft
PIP
playbryte
PlayFizz
priam
priam_bho
pricegong
pricesparrow
Privitize
Prod.cap
Protector
protector_dll
protectorbho
pseudotransparentplugin
QwixLinx
RadioBeta
radiorage
Re-Markable
RebateGiant
RebateInformer
Recipehub
RegClean Pro
Registry Mechanic
ReMarkIt
roboot
roboot64
RoyAlCoupon
savesenselive
SaveValet
ScorpionSaver
ScreenSaverInstaller
scripthelper
Search Bar
Search Page
SearchAssistant
SearchPlzBar
SearchProtect
searchprovidermanager
SearchQmMdiaBar
Searchqu
Searchqu Toolbar
SearchquMediaBar
SearchScope
SearchSettings
SearchYa
SecondStepInstaller
selectrebates
SevereWeatherAlerts
shop to win
Shopping
shopping sidekick
shoppingbho
ShopToWin
shopwithshelly
Site Ranker
SmartBar
Snap Do
SocialBit
SocialPrivacy
Softonic
SoftonicDownloader
software assist
Software Update Utility
solid savings
Sparktrust
SpeedAnalysis
speeddial
SpeedMaxpc
speedupmypc
SpeedyPC
spigot
SPUpdater
Start Page
StartNow Toolbar
StartSearch
StatusWinks
Strongvault
supreme savings
Swag Bucks
SwiftBrowse
Systweak
Tarma installer
tbcommonutils
tbdownloadmanager
tbhelper
TelevisionFanatic
thirdpartyinstaller
TidyNetwork
toolbar
Toolbar Cleaner
toolbar3
toolbarbroker
TotalRecipeSearch
Translate Genius
Trymedia
Uniblue
URLSearchHooks
utorrentcontrol
V9
ValueApps
Video downloader
VideoDownloadConverter
videodownloadconverter search scope monitor
ViewpointMediaPlayer
viprotocol
VirtualBee
visi_coupon
VisualBee
vProt
w3i
Wajam
WajamUpdater
Weather_Notifications
WeatherBlink
WeatherNetwork
Web Assistant
web-search
WebCake
WebSteroids
WeCareReminder
WeDownloadMgr
Wheather Alerts
WhiteSmoke
wincert
Wincore MediaBar
WinPcap
wiseconvert
WordOv
YahooPartnerToolbar
Yontoo
yontooieclient
Zoom_Downloader
Zugo
---------------- End of List

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.



Video vs. Privacy


A few times customers have asked why they can't watch videos on some web sites. Mostly they suspect Firefox to be the reason because they can see the video clip in Internet Explorer or Google Chrome just fine.

It is not Firefox that blocks the videos, it is something that I install in Firefox that causes this effect. Please bear with me.

Regularly I advise my customers to use Firefox to "go to the Internet", that is for every day web browsing. And I set Firefox up in a way that
  1. Advertisements from commercial advertisement servers are blocked.
  2. Google and Yahoo search results warn from known potentially dangerous web sites.
  3. Google's pervasive tracking is minimized
  4. Facebook's pervasive tracking is minimized
  5. Local weather conditions are displayed without installing PUP software.
    (PUP stands for Potentially Unwanted Programs; see Wikipedia about mal-ware.)
Much of Google's and Facebook's tracking is done by small programs embedded in many, many web sites. These small programs send information about every step you do on the web to Google, Facebook and third parties, to companies that secretly want to collect this information about you. It is like Big Brother is watching all the time!

Numbers  3 and 4 above are blocking this "secret" transfer of information about what you do on the Internet. Quite a few web sites are programmed in a way that the video is only shown when this communication to the third parties has happened!

All the aforementioned leaves us to decide:
Is this video more important to me than my privacy? (See below.)
If you are NOT on Facebook related content mostly the blocking effect comes from the program behind above number 3; it is called Google Disconnect. When Google Disconnect is active (when you are on a web page that wants to send information to Google) you see in your browser's address bar a red dot with Google's "g" in it. If Facebook Disconnect is active you see a blue dot with Facebook's "f" in it. Here is what it looks like (look for the red oval):
If you decide FOR watching the video then just click on the red "g" dot and then click "Unblock x Google requests" where "x" is the number of requests. The web page will reload and you can watch the video.

And naturally Google (and/or Facebook) will know about your interest in this video.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.



Cybercrime


If you ever wondered about the how and why of virus programs, cyber crime and all that nasty stuff then please take 18 minutes out of your busy schedule and watch this video.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.



Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Social Media and Teenagers

I ran across a link to a blog post that may be a good read if you have teenagers of any sex. The post was written to a girl but it equally applies to boys.

This lady says it in a really nice and polite way. Most teenagers just don't believe it, but whatever they put out there will stay out there forever! This one "oh so funny" picture from long gone high school days has in the past and will in the future ruin promising careers, promising relationships and more.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.