 (ARA) - We take the good with the bad: The same technologies that gave us the Internet and unprecedented opportunities have also brought us adware, spyware, viruses, phishing and a growing host of online threats. Malware - malicious software - is more than a nuisance. It puts users' safety and privacy at high risk.
In the early days of the Internet, the biggest problem encountered while surfing was adware, which delivered pop-up ads based upon users' surfing habits. Although Adware is a form of spyware, it was merely annoying. Now, however, the stakes are higher. According to iS3 research, about 94 percent of today's malware is used to commit identity theft and other types of fraud.
The face of cybercrime is no longer the lone hacker. It is a determined, organized effort by tech-savvy criminals who make billions of dollars annually stealing identities and personal data. A password, an account number or a social security number is all they need to commit fraud in your good name.
While criminals are stealing your identity, they can also involve you in their enterprise, without your knowledge. If your security is breached, your computer could be part of a bot net: compromised computers controlled remotely to launch spam or viruses. Other problems caused by malicious programming on your computer could include:
* Wasted time: Spyware can create pop-up ads that appear, seemingly at random, when Web pages are opened or closed. This can slow you computer to a crawl because many of the pop-ups spawn more pop-up ads as they are closed, in an ever expanding cycle.
* Offensive content: Targeted ads could display pornographic content or other unwanted material deemed offensive, especially in cases where more than one family member uses the computer.
* Programming errors: Programmers who write malicious code are not concerned about maintaining your PC's performance. Programming errors could cause your computer to freeze or even crash.
* Loss of control: Changes to your Web browser's homepage and other settings can hijack your searches or even turn off security protection, allowing your PC to be controlled remotely.
STOPzilla, iS3's award winning anti-spyware, kills online threats of all kinds. When you install STOPzilla on your PC, it does a deep scan of your entire system, and removes all traces of unwanted programming. It goes right to the heart of your PC's operating system and roots even the most dangerous, elusive spyware. After that, it's smooth sailing. STOPzilla will detect, block, and quarantine malware in real time before it can do any damage. Winner of the prestigious Editor's Choice awards by both CNET and Laptop Magazine, STOPzilla has been downloaded by users in over 60 countries since it hit the market in 2002.
"Installing STOPzilla is like putting body armor on your PC, notes Robert Deignan, vice president of Marketing for iS3, makers of STOPzilla. "Bullet-proof body armor."
"Online theft is not going away," adds Deignan. "Because it is so profitable and the risk of getting caught is so low, it's here to stay. And STOPzilla will be right there, keeping our subscribers at least one step ahead of the bad guys."
To download a free trial version of STOPzilla, go to www.stopzilla.com and see why STOPzilla is, "Anti-spyware made easy."
Copyright © 2008, ARAnet, Inc.
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