(Page 2 of 3) Once installed, PCs running the Trojan horse will contact multiple Web sites and download a slew of unwanted programs such as PurityScan advertising software. PurityScan is an adware program that can cause pop-up windows containing unsolicited ads to appear. The application also keeps track of the user's online activity.
Two Wrongs
Rob Ayoub, an analyst at the research firm Frost & Sullivan, said two facts stand out regarding the MySpace infections. First, home users are clearly not as educated about the need to make sure they have up-to-date patches and other security fixes installed. Second, MySpace needs to have a better security system to identify dangers hidden in the ads they serve.
If you are a legitimate business with a legitimate Web site hosting banner ads, you have a responsibility to keep the service  clean, Ayoub said. "MySpace has some problems and this is a real blunder on their part. I can't believe any business would not scan or take more caution with banner ads posted on their sites. Ad network or not, there is no excuse for them not having a checking system."
One million people is a very large number, Ayoub said, and it demonstrates that the technology industry, and security firms and software makers in particular, might not have done enough to impress upon home users the importance of downloading patches. PCs that have not been updated exponentially increase problems with viruses, spyware and adware.
"MySpace should have been checking and users should have been patching," Ayoub said. "And because of that combination you have a million downloads."
Some PC users have said their reluctance to install patches and updates centers around the fear that any changes will negatively impact their computers. However, Ayoub pointed out, unwanted changes or problems with updates is relatively rare these days.
"There was a time when you had to watch and be very careful with your patches," Ayoub said. "And some of the big ones are a problem, but there haven't been big problems with patches for ages."
Home users, Ayoub predicted, will not start to take security seriously until Internet service providers start to make antivirus and antispyware software compulsory. That may or may not be the best solution, he said, but incidents like this are a "perfect storm" for users not protecting themselves. (continued...)
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