Downloadware – Adware, Hijacker, and Trojan All Rolled Into One
Today we are going to discuss DownloadWare. The first thing you need to know is it is a clone. MediaLoads and ClipGenie are the same program as DownloadWare, but under different names. DownloadWare may have disguised itself as a toolbar that it may pretend is helpful. The purpose of most toolbars is to hijack your searches. DownloadWare is no different, but not only does it hijack your searches, it also hijacks your Web browser, taking you to their advertisers' sites.
The Trojan aspect of DownloadWare is seen in its behavior after install and how it will sometimes install itself without your help. If you did not install the toolbar yourself, then it installed itself via an ActiveX control called "Active Install." This is a built-in part of Windows, and some Trojans know how to manipulate it.
Another Trojan aspect of DownloadWare is how it can include other bundled software without your knowledge or permission. These bundles can include premium rate dialers from places like Movie Networks, MVP Networks, Popcorn.net, or Real-Tens. Bundled software can also include P2P software such as LimeWire or Mozilla. Also, if a network or Internet connection is available DownloadWare will connect to its server, which can direct it to download and install software from advertisers which can flood you with pop-ups or take you to Web sites you don't want to go to. These can install more Trojans and malware onto your computer.
If you try to remove DownloadWare the usual way via the "Add or Remove Programs" panel, you will find out on system reboot that the program did not uninstall and cannot be uninstalled that way. Do not allow this to alarm you. There are several anti-spyware products out there that can remove this threat to your computer. Look for one with a removal guarantee, as many on the market only remove 80-90% of the infection. Also look to see what awards have been won. If you find an anti-spyware with awards and a removal guarantee, use that one.
About the Author:
Carl runs a site devoted to helping you rid your computer from all sorts of spyware and malware at http://www.spyzooka.com/
