Internet users and blog-browsing addicts beware! As weblogs come free and are quite easy to use, they continue to gain popularity. Hence, criminals operating on the Internet are becoming more aware and are taking advantage of the use of these online personal journals to ensnare unwitting victims. Not long ago, spyware and malware were spread mostly through email and file-sharing, and system infection was prevented by spam blockers and email scanners. Nowadays, clicking on a seemingly harmless link can make you vulnerable to those with shady intentions in an instant.
A common practice of computer crooks involves making up phony weblogs that look harmless or genuine. They then embed viral codes or keylogging programs within the site, and send out the blog’s url address through spam e-mail, chat rooms or instant messenger. Even innocent blogs that allow comments that are not moderated may fall be victimized through comment spam leading to infected blogs. The trick lies in convincing the potential victim to click on a link that activates the malware embedded in the blog site, or leading them to input valuable information within the fraudulent blog, such as credit card details and account passwords, which the keylogging program then records and automatically sends to the site owner.
In computer and information technology, “malware” is a term that generally refers to software that is intended by the creator to cause damage or break into a computer system, often without the knowledge or informed assent of the owner. The different types of malware include computer viruses, Trojan horses, adware, worms, and spyware. On a more specific level, spyware is a type of malware that is primarily used for profit. Produced commercially, these programs are used for collecting information about the users of a computer system. It does this by activating pop-up advertisements, as well as changing the normal activity of a system’s web browser in such a way that the creator of the spyware benefits financially.
A typical sign that a spyware is in effect, is when a standard search engine query is redirected to a different page filled with paid-for ads. A certain type of spyware, at times referred to as stealware, does as its name implies; it steals from a genuine business or website owner by overwriting relevant marketing codes, such that the income value goes to the spyware author instead. Malware can also be used to thieve directly from the infected computer’s user, by installing keyloggers that record specific keystrokes as the user types in passwords, or other valuable information like credit card numbers. The malicious program then sends this information to the spyware creator, and that’s how the stealing begins.
In the case of a malware-infected blog, the site itself deceitfully serves as host to the malicious program. The setup is one that often allows malware to get past detection and filtering systems unnoticed. Furthermore, having a somewhat permanent place in the world wide web, it is always accessible to Internet users