Spyware Information: ABetterInternet
This application is adware. Adware is not normally a threat, but is usually considered a nuisance. It might have been installed by another application. It can pop up advertisements even if you have a popup blocker on your computer. It can monitor your computer usage to generate ads that you are more likely to respond to. Adware can consume processing power and network bandwidth, thus slowing down your computer and interrupting your workflow.
- Size: 65,536 bytes
- Threat level: Medium (more info...)
- Detections: 18,570 this month: 0
- Author: BetterInternet, LLC
- Appeared: November, 2003
Research
- Method of infection: ABetterInternet can be installed via drive-by download from some websites. It is also bundled with some free programs and installed by other spyware.
- Advertising: ABetterInternet creates targetted popup and popunder advertisements regardless of you're using their main application.
- Privacy issues: ABetterInternet tracks your web-surfing habits and reports that information back to its servers, which Better Internet sells as aggregate information.
- Privacy policy: Available online here. Highlights are shown below:
"Advertisements may be displayed of advertisers who pay a fee to BetterInternet and you may be provided with and/or redirected to content of other parties and/or links to third party websites or content or offered the opportunity to download software from third party software vendors. BetterInternet is not responsible for the privacy practices of such advertisers, content providers, third party software vendors or websites. BetterInternet encourages you to read the privacy policies of such advertisers, content providers, third party software vendors and websites."
"BetterInternet may use invisible tracking or counting devices known as "web bugs" to register that a particular web page has been viewed and/or "cookies" or alphanumeric identifiers that BetterInternet transfers to your computer's hard drive through your web browser to enable BetterInternet's systems to recognize your web browser."
"BetterInternet also collects and may use certain other types of non-personally identifiable information, including: certain of the web pages that you view, the amount of time that you spend on certain websites, your responses to ads served by BetterInternet, certain software installed to your computer and software characteristics and preferences, non-personally identifiable information on web pages and forms, software usage characteristics and preferences, and your ZIP code. BetterInternet associates this information with a randomly-generated anonymous identifier for your computer and may use this information to enable the functionality of the Software, to periodically update the Software, to deliver and display ads served by BetterInternet of advertisers who pay a fee to BetterInternet, provide you with or redirect you to content or websites of such advertisers or other parties and offer you the opportunity to download software from third party vendors."
"BetterInternet may share non-personally identifiable aggregate information about you with third parties, including advertisers. "
- Security issues: ABetterInternet can silently and automatically update itself without human interaction. These updates can contain arbitrary code and can cause any number of problems on your computer.
Spyware Detection Stats
- Spyware Fingerprints: 91,859
- Detections: 6,792,656
- Detections this Month: 803
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