adware and wayne cunningham

ZDNet Resources

• sort by:
• Relevance
• Date
• Popularity

Virus-borne adware

News.com reports that a virus masquerading as the iTunes installer file sneaks four adware applications onto infected computer systems. The online uproar against adware and spyware evolved because of tricks such as drive-by installs and undisclosed third-party downloads. This latest trick install, using a virus spread over AIM, shows just...

Tags: Spyware, Spyware, adware & malware, Viruses and worms, SECURITY, Cyberthreats, adware, virus

Blog posts 2005-07-21

Microsoft should buy Claria

After being knocked out by a bout of the flu for a week, I'm back. Of course, I thought I was still having fever-dreams when I read the stories about Microsoft considering buying Claria. On first glance, it doesn't make much sense. Microsoft's image has enough problems without bringing in...

Tags: Microsoft Corp., Claria Corp.

Blog posts 2005-07-01

Adware on Bittorrent

Adware distributors have seeded the Bittorrent network with their wares, calling into question adware makers claims of clamping down on affiliates. Many different types of files get downloaded over Bittorrent, from Linux distributions to copyright infringing media files. Now, a few of the latter have included adware from DirectRevenue and...

Tags: adware, DirectRevenue

Blog posts 2005-06-17

Spyware violates Computer Abuse Act

During our Antispyware Workshop, I was intrigued by the notion that existing laws can be used to prosecute adware and spyware makers. So I've been reading the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and it seems to me that this act, which details criminal penalties for violations, can come in to...

Tags: computer, adware

Blog posts 2005-05-13

EU privacy laws

A couple of posts ago I wrote about an EU Directive, and how an attendee at our Antispyware Workshop told me it would severely affect adware. Either I misheard him or he got the designation wrong, but instead of it being Directive 8446, like I said earlier, my research has...

Tags: Spyware, Spyware, adware & malware, Viruses and worms, SECURITY, EU Directive, adware

Blog posts 2005-05-10

Notes from the workshop

Yesterday's Antispyware Workshop was incredibly successful because of all the amazing people that showed up. I would really like to talk about everything that happened, but there was so much I can only offer some of what I feel are the most important nuggets to come out of it. Strangely,...

Tags: adware, WhenU

Blog posts 2005-05-04

The news is out, and so is adware.

You've probably heard by now that Download.com no longer lists programs that contain adware. We had been debating this move internally for a while. Once we made the decision, it took about a month to enact it properly. There are a couple of caveats. Download.com is not deciding what is...

Tags: adware

Blog posts 2005-04-28

Ask Jeeves for adware

It was pointed out to me recently that search company Ask Jeeves is a fairly big player in the adware market. I guess I should have known this, but last year Ask Jeeves bought a company with the mild-mannered name of Interactive Holdings. But look behind the curtain and see...

Tags: adware, Ask Jeeves Inc.

Blog posts 2005-04-22

WhenU make adware

Lavasoft is currently facing the wrath of Ad-Aware users due to the fact that it removed WhenU from its definition file. A recent conversation I had with PC-Tools, maker of Spyware Doctor, gave me some insight into how this happened. Antispyware companies use a test, or matrix, to determine if...

Tags: WhenU, adware

Blog posts 2005-02-17

Additional Resources

Does anyone really like adware?

I bring up this question because adware company reps and adware apologists have been known to make statements about anti-spyware zealots (like myself, admittedly), that we think "our views are the views of every consumer". A few months ago I asked Spyware Warrior readers to respond to a few...

Tags: adware, advertisement

Blog posts 2005-10-19

Ask Jeeves gets answers

Ask Jeeves has been in the news several times recently. In May Ben Edelman asked "Does Jeeves Ask for Permission?" Ben documents a number of instances of misleading installations at websites targeted to children and a few installations through security exploits that were totally lacking in notice, disclosure...

Tags: Ask Jeeves Inc.

Blog posts 2005-09-12