Blocking Adware, Spyware, and Malware using the Hosts File
May 28th, 2007 - by James D. Murray
There are many bad places on the World Wide Web. And by bad I don’t mean poorly designed Web sites containing pages filled with useless information (my personal Web site would qualify here). I am referring to Web sites that are specifically designed to do bad things to your computer. These so-called malicious Web hosts have but one purpose: to infect your computer with Adware, Spyware and even Malware when you visit their Web pages. There is a lot of money to be made in stealing your private information, tracking what you do on the Internet, and gaining control of your computer. Malicious Web sites are a significant tool used to accomplish these nefarious goals.
I know what you are thinking: “There are a lot of free Spyware and Malware scanners out there. I’ll just use one of those!” Yes, there are many free and low-cost anti-Spyware and anti-Malware programs. However, most virus and Spyware scanners work by identifying malicious software after it has infected your computer (and if you attempt to remove the Malware you can never be sure that it is truly gone). In other words, scanners are reactive to the presence of malicious software on your computer. What you really need is protection that is proactive and prevents the Malware from infecting your computer in the first place. And wouldn’t it be nice if this protection were simple to install, transparent to operate, and be free of charge as well? Have you ever heard of the hosts file?
There are many bad places on the World Wide Web. And by bad I don’t mean poorly designed Web sites containing pages filled with useless information (my personal Web site would qualify here). I am referring to Web sites that are specifically designed to do bad things to your computer. These so-called malicious Web hosts have but one purpose: to infect your computer with Adware, Spyware and even Malware when you visit their Web pages. There is a lot of money to be made in stealing your private information, tracking what you do on the Internet, and gaining control of your computer. Malicious Web sites are a significant tool used to accomplish these nefarious goals.
I know what you are thinking: “There are a lot of free Spyware and Malware scanners out there. I’ll just use one of those!” Yes, there are many free and low-cost anti-Spyware and anti-Malware programs. However, most virus and Spyware scanners work by identifying malicious software after it has infected your computer (and if you attempt to remove the Malware you can never be sure that it is truly gone). In other words, scanners are reactive to the presence of malicious software on your computer. What you really need is protection that is proactive and prevents the Malware from infecting your computer in the first place. And wouldn’t it be nice if this protection were simple to install, transparent to operate, and be free of charge as well? Have you ever heard of the hosts file?
