[ecomcity]

Now the wanks at Gator -180Solutions -WhenU are joining forces with the P2P music/video a S/W downloaders to hide bundles of Adware/Theftware programs the infestation game widens...

Adding to the misery of web shoppers and surfers, getting their systems hijacked by P2P downloads are the scumbag affiliates and programming hackers, monitized by the BHO's, throwing out 200 Bogus Anti-Spyware detect removal programs. Unbelievable list of 200 known bogus programs acting as fronts for the CC thieves, ID theft, info peddlers pushing worthless or destructive programs on our customers systems.

AM's should look over this list and ferret out affiliates of theirs who are party to these consumer scams. No need letting the tricksters hide as they sure are not playing by the merchant's TOS on their regular sites. Check the available Whois info on any domains show here....
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_...e.htm#products
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Sample of rogue activity spreading... "Note on UControl: UControl is an adware-supported anti-spyware program offered by the well-known adware vendor WhenU (1, 2). The UControl anti-spyware scan engine is supplied by Aluria Software, makers of Aluria Spyware Eliminator, a well-known anti-spyware program. On Oct. 27, 2004 Aluria announced that it was de-listing WhenU's adware applications from Spyware Eliminator (1). Within days after that announcement it became known that Aluria had decided not just to remove WhenU from its definitions database -- it had decided to partner with WhenU and offer an adware-supported anti-spyware scanner (1, 2) through WhenU's WhenUSearch toolbar. (Aluria also supplies the scan engine for the America Online [AOL] Spyware Protection program, though AOL has apparently stipulated that WhenU will remain targeted within that application. [1])
As explained in my several postings to the DSLReports.com Security forum (1), it is important to recognize that there are two distinct and separate issues here: 1) Aluria's decision to de-target WhenU; 2) Aluria's decision to partner with WhenU, an adware vendor. Even if WhenU merited de-targeting because of improvements to its privacy practices (a point we dispute), Aluria should never have entered into a partnership with an adware vendor because of the serious conflict of interest problems that such a deal raises. Not only does it put Aluria in the untenable position of having a financial stake in the adware advertising market, but Aluria and WhenU are now offering a anti-spyware scanner that removes competitors to WhenU. That undeniable conflict of interest makes Aluria and WhenU untrustworthy sources for an anti-spyware program, and other reputable critics agree with this assessment (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

It should be noted that several reputable anti-spyware companies have also been approached by adware vendors looking for similar deals (1, 2, 3, 4). They all refused on principle, as one would expect an anti-spyware firm to do. In choosing to partner with WhenU, however, Aluria has effectively decided to keep company with other disreputable vendors that bundle adware with their anti-spyware programs (1, 2), all of which are listed on this page.

Even putting aside the controversy over the Aluria/WhenU deal, we simply cannot recommend an anti-spyware scanner that bundles adware, as the UControl scanner does, given that there are a number of excellent adware-free alternatives available to those looking for an anti-spyware scanner (1, 2). In this judgment we are completely consistent with our earlier decisions to list other anti-spyware applications that are adware-supported or that install spyware. Neither can we recommend Aluria's Spyware Eliminator in the light of Aluria's partnership with WhenU, for all the reasons elaborated above."

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_...e.htm#products

[ecomcity]

Looks like the BHO/Malware infestation Adwhores are funding the Russian mobsters via an organized typo-squatting attack. Very ugly bundle of adware/trojans/spyware and identity theft tied to search portal common mis-spellings. Similar cybercriminals lurking under affiliate monitized spoofs are bombarding Net connected Cellphones with the same trojans using the tired FREE GAMEs ploy hoping to pass the malware viruses to computers interfaced to cellphones. The infestation games will just get worse till all networks bann any BHO's from paying affiliates to install their crapware.

Finnish Security firm, F-Secure has discovered a spyware threat that infects computers when users accidentally misspell 'Google'. Users that do misspell the popular search engine may end up getting their computers infected by Trojans and spywares hosted on malicious websites that holds resemblance to the site's name.

The company found that a site 'www.googkle.com' was one such site that runs a script to automatically download and install harmful Trojans and spyware on the computer of susceptible users. According the security company's website, once a user's computer has been attacked by the malicious website, it installs several malware applications such as Trojan droppers, Trojan downloaders, backdoors, a proxy Trojan and a spying Trojan along with adware-related files, leading to the computer being infected by a host of viruses.

The whole package also includes a 'svchosts.exe' file which is a Trojan dropper and puts a file named 'svchosts.dll' into the Windows system folder that places a fake virus alert on the desktop warning the user that the PC is infected.

The fake alert which is created by placing a HTML file on the desktop allows the user to click on the alert leading to a pre-defined website, which points to 'topantivirus.biz' - a site that offers links to different websites that offer anti-virus and spyware cleaners for download. F-Secure has warned users not to visit the 'Googkle.com' website, while they claim to have reported the case to concerned authorities.

also see ... http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5686764.html

[chetf]

You forgot to add ms's "antispyware" software to the list...