Dialing Dangers

Has your computer's internet modem suddenly started dialing automatically without your permission? It doesn't happen to everybody but for those of us who are a little more "adventurous" and approach the more dangerous regions of the Internet, you're bound to run across these Internet Dialers.

Internet Dialers are small spyware programs that get downloaded to your computer and then installed. They often seek permission by getting you to agree to sign (clicking 'yes' is equivalent to signing) an ActiveX applet or a popup asking you if you want to download a certain something something. Reckon, experience surfers know about the severities associated with download these programs but for those who are still relatively new to the Internet, this can turn into a messy situation quite quickly.

Dialers will connect your fax modem to somewhere overseas and all you get is stuck with a long distance bill. What exactly is the benefit of doing so? I wouldn't know because I pull the plug right when I know something's not right. So next time when something is offered to you for download, be very careful.

Written with permission from: http://www.surf-safety.com/dialers.php