Membership Up a Scam: Avoiding the Auto Dialer Virus

For many, the daily walk to the mailbox evokes mixed feelings:
The joy that your favorite monthly magazine - or a friend
handwritten letter (a surprise e-mail age) may
Waiting is contrasted with anxiety, how many bills the postman
He left.

Now think about your phone bill is thicker and heavier
than normal. If it opens, instead of the "Declaration
stuffers "from telephone company's marketing department, which
BillDozens of pages ending in a month in total
almost $ 5,400.

A quick look at the details shows that hundreds of calls
100-900 the same number. "A mistake," she insists. After all, they
the only person in the house, and you never called a 900 number
before. In reality this is not an error. In this true story
Homeowner had fallen victim to one of the oldest computer scams
such as the virus' Auto-Dialer.

How is this Information SecurityNightmare Begin

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What is an "auto-dialer"? Some time ago, the phone company
came with a feature that allows merchants to reach a wider
Range of clients to enable consumers to make payments using your
Phone bill. If you do not have a credit card you have chosen one
900 Number of voice or modem connected (for websites).
Every minute that you use the service, was charged a feerange
from $ 1 to $ 5 or more per minute. At the end of the month, the fee
appeared on your phone bill. Many services were legit: Consumers
called to offer weather, horoscope and gambling this
Feature. But many merchants sold expensive phone or online adult
Content.

As an auto-dialer was installed Get

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But, as was $ 5,400, taxes at the end of the person, the telephone bill?
AlthoughMany of these services, you must physically
Dial the number or visit online instructions
choose the modem to the telephone number, this will happen without the user
Knowledge. In the above case, the person infected computer
with an auto-dialer virus. Travel somewhere in its web, the
Link to a site that seemed rather confused message
instructed him to hit "OK" the message away. What
this personknow that he has decided to download, install,
and run a mature content auto-dialer.

Behind the scenes, auto-dialers are installed, inspected
the presence of a modem and a dial tone, and then went to compose
Overseas an 900 number over and over again. Even if the person
sailed with an always-on connection to broadband Internet, the
Modem remained so you can send and receive faxes. One problem:
When not with the modem has remained connectedin
Phone jack. Why should it unplugged? It's not like it
could not hurt, right? Wrong.

How to protect yourself

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Unfortunately, there is no single solution to avoid these types of
malicious acts. A short list of protective measures
: Includes

1) If you no longer need a modem in the computer, remove. O
at least unplug the phone line fromModem;

2) Install anti-virus software like Symantec or Trend Micro
Norton Anti-Virus. Many are designed to prevent such
malicious software or "malware." More importantly, make sure that
The subscription for new virus patterns is ongoing and
configured to automatically download and install updates;

3) Install and regularly run Adware protection solutions such as
Search Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot & Destroy;

4) Do not, under anyCircumstances the indiscriminate "OK"
Pop-ups or similar mishaps safely without advance what
Consent to.

This story is not fiction, in fact, it happens often to
Businesses and consumers, children and adults. But at least
savvy among us can thwart such an attack. A quarter of boys
recently avoided potentially thousands in fees when a
Auto-dialer was downloaded and installed. How? Had detached
the modem.

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