What is rogue software

What are rogue software and what are the categories of rogue software? Rogue Software "is software that is somewhere between viruses and regular software.

A computer virus refers to a class of programs that own or make other programs have the ability to destroy systems, harm user data, or other malicious behavior. Such programs often affect the use of computers and can reproduce themselves.

Formal software refers to: for the convenience of users to use computer work, entertainment and development, public release of software for the community.

"Rogue Software" in between the two, at the same time with normal functions (download, media playback, etc.) and malicious behavior (advertising, backdoor), to bring real harm to users.

Classification of Rogue Software

According to different characteristics and hazards, the majority of computer users of the rogue software mainly has the following categories:

1, advertising software (Adware)

Definition: Adware refers to programs that are downloaded and installed on a user's computer without the user's permission, or bundled with other software to obtain commercial benefits in the form of pop-up ads.

Hazards: Such software is often forced to install and can not unload, in the background to collect user information for profit, endanger the user's privacy, frequent pop-up ads, consumption of system resources, so that its operation slowed down.

For example: A user installed a download software, will always pop up with advertising content of the window, interference normal use. There are also some software installation, will be in IE browser toolbar location to add its function irrelevant advertising icon, ordinary users difficult to clear.

2, Spy Software

Definition: Spyware is a software that can install backdoor and collect user information without the user's knowledge.

Hazard: The user's privacy data and important information are captured by the backdoor and sent to hackers, business companies, and so on. These "backdoor programs" can even make the user's computer remotely manipulated, forming a huge "zombie network", which is currently one of the major hidden dangers of network security.

3, Browser hijacking

Definition: Browser Hijacking is a malicious program, through browser Plug-ins, BHO (Browser helper Objects), Winsock LSP, and other forms of the user's browser to tamper with, so that the user's browser configuration is not normal, was forcibly directed to the commercial web site.

Hazards: Users browsing the site will be forced to install such plug-ins, ordinary users can not unload it, hijacked, users as long as the internet will be forcibly directed to its designated site, seriously affecting the normal online browsing.

For example: Some undesirable sites will frequently pop up the installation window, forcing users to install a browser plug-in, or even do not solicit user opinion, the use of system vulnerabilities in the background forced to install to the user's computer. This kind of plug-in also uses the nonstandard software writing technology (this technique is commonly used by virus) to evade the user uninstall, often can cause the browser error, the system unusual restart and so on.

4. Behavioral recording Software (Track Ware)

Definition: Behavioral recording software is the software that steals and analyzes user's privacy data without user's permission, and records personal behaviors such as user's computer usage habits and internet browsing habits.

Harm: Endanger the privacy of users, may be used by hackers to conduct network fraud.

For example: Some software will be in the background to record the user visited the site and analysis, and some even sent to a specialized business company or organization, such organizations will spy the user's hobby, and the corresponding advertising promotion or business activities.

5, malicious sharing software

Definition: Malicious shareware refers to the sharing of software in order to gain benefits, the use of deception means, trial traps, and other ways to force users to register, or bundled in the software all kinds of malicious plug-ins, without permission to install it into the user machine.

Hazard: Use "trial traps" to force users to register, or you may lose data such as personal data. Software-integrated plug-ins can cause user browsers to be hijacked, privacy stolen, and so on.

For example, when a user installs a media playback software, it is forced to install software that has nothing to do with the playback function (search for plug-ins, download software) without explicit prompts, and the user does not uninstall the Player software automatically when uninstalling the software.

Another example is a cryptographic software, after the probation period, all the encrypted data will be lost, only pay to buy the software to retrieve the lost data.

With the development of the network, "rogue Software" classification is becoming more and more fine, some new types of rogue software is constantly appearing, classification standards will inevitably adjust.