Dial-a Scam: Avoiding the Auto-Dialer Virus

For many, it recalls the daily walk to the mailbox with mixed feelings:
The joy that your favorite monthly magazine - or a friend
hand-written letter (quite a surprise e-mail age) may
The waiting is countered by anxiety, how many bills the postman
left.

Now, imagine coming over your phone bill, thicker and heavier
than normal. If you open, instead of "declaration
stuffers "from telephone company's marketing department, the
BillDozens of pages of long-term in a month in total
almost $ 5,400.

A quick glance reveals the details of hundreds of calls
same number 100-900. "A mistake" you insist. After all, you are
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
House had fallen victim to one of the oldest computer scams
on: Virus "Auto-Dialer.

How can the Information SecurityNightmare Begin

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What is an "auto-dialer"? Some time ago the phone company
it came with a feature that allows merchants to reach a wider
Range of clients from the consumer, the payment on your
Phone bill. If you do not have a credit card you have chosen one
Number 900, by voice or modem can be connected (for websites).
Every minute of the service, was charged a feerich
from $ 1 to $ 5 or more per minute. At the end of the month, the charge
appeared on your phone bill. Many services were legit: Consumers
Once called, horoscope and gambling, this
Feature. But many merchants sold expensive phone or online for adults
Website.

How did an auto-dialer installed Get

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But as $ 5,400, came at the end of the tax on telephone bills of the person?
AlthoughMany of these services, the user must physically
Select the number or visit on-line from the declaration
Modem to dial the number, can occur without the user
Knowledge. In the above case, the person infected computer
with an auto-dialer virus. Somewhere in his travels the web, not
linked to a website that appeared a rather confusing message
told him to "hit" OK "to set the away message. What
this person is notknew that he had decided to download, install,
and execution of offensive content auto-dialer.

Behind the scenes, the same auto-dialer installed, tested
the presence of a modem tone and line, and then went on to compose
Overseas 900 number over and over again. Even if the person
sailed with always-on Internet connection to broadband,
Modem remained so you can send and receive faxes. One problem:
When not with the modem has remained connectedin
Jack. Why should disconnect it? Do not Like
can hurt, right? Wrong.

How to protect yourself

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

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

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

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

4) It is not in anyCircumstances, blindly "OK"
Pop-up or similar mishaps not certain in advance what you
tune.

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

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