Computer users face new scourge

Millions of consumers are struggling with a recent surge in what experts call spyware or adware

Chuck Harris remembers when the Internet was fun and he'd spend hours reading his favourite news sites or browsing the shops. Then, a few weeks ago, he lost control of his computer. It turned into a giant electronic billboard.

The Web browser was taken over by a company he didn't recognise. Pop-up windows tried to download stuff he didn't ask for. Strange icons kept appearing offering low home mortgage loans.

Harris spent days trying to fix the computer, but the programs had multiplied to the point where he couldn't run anything else. He had to buy a new computer, but now he and his wife use it only when absolutely necessary.

As if computer users didn't have enough to worry about with hackers, viruses, spam, and other online menaces, now comes a new scourge. Millions of consumers are now struggling with a recent surge in what computer experts call spyware or adware.

Redirecting browsers

The terms apply to a broad range of programs that users download from the Internet, usually without intending to. Unlike the occasional pop-up ad, these electronic hitchhikers are hidden programs that stay on the computer's hard drive. They keep serving up advertisements, redirecting browsers to certain Web pages or reporting the computer user's movements and personal information. Or all of the above.

Some spyware comes attached to free, brand-name software that users want and install themselves - instant-message, video-player and file-sharing programs, for example. A reference to the spyware may be included in the legal jargon of one of those on-screen installation agreements that computer users routinely accept with the casual click of a "yes" button.

Others come unbidden as a side effect of browsing shady sites. Many appear on people's machines simply because they are connected to the Internet.

Experts estimate that tens of thousands of spyware and adware programs circulate on the Internet. For now, the problem of such unauthorised software almost exclusively affects Microsoft Windows users. It's by far the most popular operating system and the same features that make it so versatile also make it easier for intruders to run programs on it.

Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates, in a speech to Silicon Valley technologists last month, said that while he's never had a virus infect his computer, he's been surprised to find many spyware and adware programs that he never authorised on it. He said he has directed the company to launch a new project to create a "cure".

The National Cyber Security Alliance, a partnership between the tech industry and the Homeland Security Department, estimates that 90 per cent of computers using high-speed Internet connections have collected at least one spyware or adware program, causing a loss in productivity, extra customer support, and repairs.

Colleen Ryan, a Dell Inc spokeswoman, said the programs have done damage both in dollars and reputation to the technology industry. Since August 2003, she said, customer support calls to Dell related to spyware have gone from slightly more than two per cent to between 10 to 15 per cent.

"Plug and play"

Using a computer was supposed to get easier, not harder. At the height of the dot-com boom, companies promised "plug and play" functionality so that even "dummies" could use the latest technologies to download music, create family videos and build blogs.

But along the way something changed. The Internet got a lot more dangerous, forcing consumers to take on more responsibility for protecting their machines.

Online bugs

Harris installed a firewall to protect against hackers, a virus protection program to stop online bugs. He made sure to use e-mail on the Web rather than a program that downloads it to his computer. He avoided installing instant messenger and chat-room programs.

"All, apparently, to no avail," he said. Harris said he equates the problem to "someone breaking into your house." He believes more responsibility should fall on companies to make sure the machines are protected.

It is difficult for even the most technology-savvy to avoid the problem. In June, Philippe Ombredanne, a systems administrator and programmer, bought a new computer. He said he was feeling lazy so he put off installing security software for a day.

When he woke up, the computer was infected with one virus and about 30 spyware or adware programs, forcing him to erase data and programs from his hard drive and reinstall everything from scratch.

The SANS Institute, a Bethesda, Maryland-based computer security research centre, has studied what it calls the "survival time" of an unprotected computer hooked up to the Internet. A year ago, the average time before it was compromised was about 55 minutes. Today it's 20 minutes.

The challenge

Johannes Ullrich, a technologist with the SANS Institute, said the challenge in controlling the adware and spyware programs is that they fall in a grey area between legitimate software and hacker-type programs designed to take over a computer.

"It's sometimes hard to figure out where they originally got adware from, whether it was part of an attack or whether a person installed it themselves without really knowing," Ullrich said.

Meanwhile, the problem of adware and spyware is creating a new type of Internet user - one who is disenchanted with empty promises and just wants the basics to work.

Some are sticking to dial-up Internet service rather than upgrading to broadband because higher speeds on an "always on" connection create more opportunities for infection.

What you can do for a healthy computer
Computer users, particularly those relying on Microsoft Windows software, can take a number of steps to guard against online menaces such as hackers, viruses and spyware.

• Install a Firewall: Programs such as ZoneAlarm ward off hackers and certain types of spyware and adware. They allow you to close certain online entrances, or ports, to your computer that you don't use regularly. They also alert you to unauthorised attempts to access your system.

A router, a device that allows more than one computer to share an Internet connection, can provide an additional layer of protection. Outside Internet traffic "sees" the router, not the computers that are connected to it, making them more difficult to target.

• Install and Update Antivirus Software: Software from McAfee, Symantec and other companies identify and delete viruses and other programs that can damage hard drives, send unauthorised e-mail or take over machines to perform other tasks.

• Use Anti-Spyware Software: Ad-aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, Spy Sweeper and other programs identify and delete programs that track user activity or serve ads.

• Protect E-mail With Spam Filters: This software blocks unsolicited
e-mail messages and those that might harbour viruses or other trouble.

• Download Software Updates: These are patches that fix vulnerabilities in recent releases of products such as Microsoft Windows or Internet Explorer.

• Other Precautions: Some computer experts recommend using non-Microsoft operating systems such as Mac or Linux. Hackers and other mischief-makers have been less aggressive about targeting computers running those systems. Windows users can also insulate themselves from some problems by using a non-Microsoft browser, such as the free Mozilla Firefox.