Extortionware: The New Spyware You Can't Remove, Not Without Paying, Anyway

[george]

You've seen inline ads. You've seen popups. You've dealt with spyware and heard about Sony's rootkit. Well, there's a new game in town.

Software installed by a site called Popcorn.net can be installed legitimately from the site, but it's also been put on peoples' computers without their permission. I was reading about it in Maximum PC - it's a movie downloader that comes with a trial, but when the trial's up, simply removing it is not an option. You can pay Popcorn.net to have it removed, or you can start a paid subscription, and Popcorn.net is allegedly fighting users who try to remove it without paying.

However, it's illegal - they're being sued by the state of Washington and California is about to get involved. They're mainly saying that software should never be installed without the computer owner's knowledge or permission, and that third-party software needs to be able to be removed. If you do a Google search for Popcorn.net, you'll find plenty of removal tools, should you get stuck with this nasty new variation on malware Maximum PC is calling Extortionware.

Ugly, ugly business. I hope these people get sued for everything they're worth and get thrown out on the streets. Sony got busted for the whole rootkit fiasco, Microsoft was sharply criticised for false alarms with the Windows Genuine Advantage - a startup had no business doing something similar, and for it they ought to be destroyed.

Source: Invision Power

[MarkBKK]

(Strange ''Edit'' function)

Edited November 3, 2006 by MarkBKK

[Casanundra]

Sounds like a Thai girl I once knew.

She installed herself in my Condo and was a bugger to dislodge again.