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Operations: What You Need to Know

This Week's Top 10 Spyware Threats

When is adware like spyware you may ask as you look down our top 10! It surely is just as intrusive and it does transmit disease aka popups and of course there is the tracking of what you are doing. They are all dangerous, of this there is no doubt and you have to be on your toes as a user. For example I think some of the most problematic are toolbars. I say they are trouble because they look like they will help you with finding things research etc. But the reality is they track your every move. Then there are those malware used in online media which tell you to download another piece of software in order to catch your favorite movie. What you will be catching is perhaps your least favorite Trojan. For example our Number 1 on the malware hit parade is known as Trojan-Downloader.Zlob.Media. This is a Codec Trojan Downloader. Simply put, a codec is a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal.

Trojan-Downloader.Zlob.Media-Codec is a program of this ilk that typically purports to be a needed upgrade to Windows Media Player in order to view videos on certain websites. However, Trojan-Downloader.Zlob.Media-Codec actually downloads and installs additional malware on the user's machine.

And it is a high risk exploit installed without your interaction through security exploits, and can severely compromise system security. Such risks may open illicit network connections, mutate to stay invisible, disable security software, modify system files, and install additional malware. These risks may also collect and transmit personally identifiable information (PII) without your consent and severely degrade the performance and stability of your computer. It will silently download and install rogue security programs such as SpywareQuake, SpyFalcon and WinAntivirusPro, but may install other malware as well. Some variants have backdoor functionality, giving a remote attacker the ability to control and use the infected machine for malicious purposes. Here is this week's Top 10 bad guys.

Trojan-Downloader.Zlob.Media-Codec Trojan Downloader

Virtumonde Adware (General)

Trojan.FakeAlert Trojan

ClickSpring.PuritySCAN Adware (General)

WhenU.Save Adware (General)

Hotbar Toolbar

NewDotNet Browser Plug-in

180solutions.SearchAssistant Adware (General)

VirusBurst Rogue Security Program

Starware.Toolbar Toolbar

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