[Tech] Spyware: a volte la cura e' peggiore del male

Secondo News.com alcuni programmi "anti-spyware" in realtà installano a loro volta dei programmi di questo tipo, rivelandosi dei veri e propri Cavalli di Troia.



Il sito riporta l'esempio di SpyBan, un software che può attivare sul computer che sta "proteggendo" l'installazione di un prodotto, Look2Me, che secondo Symantec ricade a pieno diritto nella categoria dello spyware:

A CNET News.com test of SpyBan on Jan. 29 found that the software did remove some adware components but also confirmed that it led to the installation of a file that Spybot and security firm Symantec identified as Look2Me. Symantec lists Look2Me as a spyware application, while its rival PestPatrol defines the same application as an adware program.



"Look2Me is a spyware program that monitors visited Web sites and submits the logged information to a server," Symantec reports on its Web site. According to PestPatrol, Look2Me is categorized as "software that brings ads to your computer. Such ads may or may not be targeted."



Who is SpyBan?



Information and links on SpyBan's Web site disappeared late on Monday, following inquiries from a CNET News.com reporter. An e-mail to a generic "info" address at the SpyBan Web site elicited an initial reply, but the company did not reply to questions about its software.



Prior to going dark, the SpyBan Web site contained no information about its corporate parent, and the domain name database --Whois-- that typically contains contact information for companies contained none for SpyBan.



A Look2Me license agreement found on a cached Google Web page identified Minneapolis-based NicTech Networks as the software's "owners/authors."



A trace of SpyBan.net's Web domain name late on Tuesday showed that the site was hosted at the same Internet address as NicTech Networks. The SpyBan e-mail also originated from that IP address. Repeated calls to NicTech were not returned.

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Segnalo anche Spyware Warrior, un blog che si occupa specificamente di spyware.