Adware-infected PCs net slimeware firms $3 a pop

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/02/adware_market_estimate/ ^ | 2nd February 2005 | John Leyden

[holymoly]

Adware infections net the purveyors of slimeware software around $3 a year for each infected PC, according to estimates from anti-spyware firm Webroot Software. Using this figure and stats from its own malware auditing services, Webroot guesstimates the illicit advertising market underpinned by adware infection of home and business PCs could be worth up to $1.6bn a year.

According to Richard Stiennon, VP of threat research at Webroot, the illicit ad market enjoys approximately the same growth rate as the legitimate market. But that's where the similarities end. "It [adware] has a similar bus model and some of the same affiliates as the spam industry. Adware is not just used to serve up ads for penis pills though. Sometimes legitimate companies - whether they realise it or not - purchase ad views from adware firms," he said.

It's hard to square Webroot's $1.6bn estimate with the observable size of adware market. The company looks to be on much firmer ground in working out how much adware agent makes its owner, because its assumptions derive from the public disclosure of firms operating in the market.

Stiennon notes that adware company Avenue Media claims the 2m PCS running its software brought in $7m of revenue per year in its lawsuit against rival DirectRevenue, whose VX2 package allegedly disables Avenue Media's software. Claria (the firm formerly known as Gator) revealed that its software was loaded onto 40m PCs, bringing in $90m in revenue a year in public fillings made in 2003.

From these two data points we get an estimate that each item of adware generates between $2.25 and $3.50 per year from each infected PC. That's an average of $2.95 per-infection-per-year, Stiennon says in a recent opinion piece on CIO Update. But simply averaging the two figures is a questionable statistical assumption and worse is to follow.

Stat attack

Webroot's spy audit suggests an average PC on the net (whatever that is) has at "least two pieces of adware on it". ClickZ Stats indicate that there are 280m active PCs on the internet. Multiplying the number of PCs by the average number of adware items on each by the revenue per app figure allows Stiennon to guesstimate that the illicit advertising market is worth $1.6bn a year.

This calculation assumes a uniform distribution of spyware, among other statistical sins. Estimates on the damage caused by malware are a notoriously inexact science. The same seems to apply to looking at the adware market.

Stiennon told El Reg that machines loaded with more than three pieces of adware slow down to the extent they are less effective cash generators. This may be the case but we remain unconvinced about Webroot's headline figure for the illicit ad market of $1.6bn, which it compares to the $10bn a year pulled in by Google, Yahoo! DoubleClick et al. ®

[holymoly]

I just downloaded the spybot thing and once it was finished, before I run it, a warning came up from IE saying the publisher could not be verified....is that a bad thing?

I'm not sure what you mean. Once it was finished doing what? Downloading? Installing? Updating?

You get a warning from Internet Explorer? What exactly does this message say?

Did you download Spybot S&D from http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html?

There are some knock-off anti-spyware programs which (fraudulently) use the name/term "Spybot" to fool/trick people. This is one reason you should never "Google" for anythig of this type. (The Spybot website has a warning regarding this.)

[El Gran Salseron]

I suppose that if one wants to sacrifice speed and functionality to a whim and use Mozilla then it is one's choice.

I keep it only as a backup and continue to use the superior IE.

[zeugma]

hahahahahahahhahaa! Thanks! Yours is the funniest thing I've read all week!

[OldFriend]

Help.......I removed the old Ad Aware and installed the newest one.......but it's now showing up on my desktop......but it is showing that it's been installed.

Help HELP

[OldFriend]

Help.......I removed the old Ad Aware and installed the newest one.......but it's NOT showing up on my desktop......but it is showing that it's been installed.

Help HELP

[holymoly]

I suppose that if one wants to sacrifice speed and functionality to a whim

Hardly a whim.

The U.S. Government Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the public and private sectors) has advised people to stop using Microsoft Internet Explorer.

See: Vulnerability Note VU#713878)  Excerpt: "There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain/zone security model, local file system (Local Machine Zone) trust, the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) document object model (in particular, proprietary DHTML features), the HTML Help system, MIME type determination, the graphical user interface (GUI), and ActiveX. These technologies are implemented in operating system libraries that are used by IE and many other programs to provide web browser functionality. IE is integrated into Windows to such an extent that vulnerabilities in IE frequently provide an attacker significant access to the operating system.

It is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser, especially when viewing untrusted HTML documents (e.g., web sites, HTML email messages). Such a decision may, however, reduce the functionality of sites that require IE-specific features such as proprietary DHTML, VBScript, and ActiveX. Note that using a different web browser will not remove IE from a Windows system, and other programs may invoke IE, the WebBrowser ActiveX control (WebOC), or the HTML rendering engine (MSHTML)."

I also refer you to the following:
An extended explanation on why Internet Explorer is insecure

[holymoly]

Is Ad-Aware showing up somewhere under "Start > Programs"?

[Corin Stormhands]

Okay, I think I can walk you through this.

Go to the start menu and click on "all programs."

You should see the Ad Aware in the list. Go to it and right click, go to "send to" and "create a shortcut."

If that doesn't work, following the same route go to your "C" drive, then program files. You should see it there. Right click, go to "send to" and "create a shortcut."

Then it "should" be on your desktop and you can open it from there.

[OldFriend]

Ad Aware 6.0 is still showing even tho I removed it and installed the new Ad Aware SE

[holymoly]

Ad Aware 6.0 is still showing even tho I removed it and installed the new Ad Aware SE

That is very strange. I would try this:

Uninstall every version of Ad-Aware (use the un-install found in "Start > Programs > Lavasoft...")

Reboot your system. Re-install Ad-Aware SE.

[OldFriend]

Am re installing the Ad Aware SE..........for now my programs and my Start is still showing Ad Aware 6.0

I am so totally un-tech it's pathetic.

When the new install is complete I'll try to follow your instructions.....if you read about me in the paper you'll know I shot my computer......

[dennisw]

I believe there are pre-made hosts files available for download like with Adblock.......

There is one at PC World that's updated as to how it edits your hosts file


http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.txt
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

[JenB]

Did you uninstall the old version first? If not, do that. Try rebooting, too.

[OldFriend]

uninstalled and it's still there.......after rebooting....will try to reinstall the new version

[JenB]

Does it show up on your "Add/Remove Programs" menu? If it does, remove it again. If it doesn't, don't worry about it, just run the new version.

[holymoly]

uninstalled and it's still there.......after rebooting....will try to reinstall the new version

Is Ad-Aware 6 still there? Or just a shortcut to it?

[OldFriend]

Thank you everyone.......it's WORKING........

I clicked on save rather than open and that seems to be why it never apeared on the desktop.

When I went back, after rebooting, and clicked on open and reinstalled it is now on the desktop and working........

You guys are the best and so patient with this old lady.......again, thanks so much.

[gogeo]

That's what I understand. At least I can assume it won't screw up Windows if I use it.

[zeugma]

At least I can assume it won't screw up Windows if I use it.

YMMV, but I'm not so sure that is a safe assumption. A lot of people assumed the same thing about XP-SP2.Good luck with it though. :-)

[MHGinTN]

Thank you! I'm nearly sixty; she's too young for a crusty writer to chase, but I really appreciate having a picture in memory when I hear her.