Cyber Fraud - Bot Networks Churn Out Adware

Adware Bot Network Churns Out Big Profits

The end of the 90s saw the famous 'dotcom' boom, a period which moved enormous amounts of money into the Internet. But it didn't last long. The bubble burst as quickly as it was formed.

However, the Internet is still a good source of income for many cyber-criminals who take advantage of the Internet and its users to commit fraud, theft and other crimes.

A clear example is Jeanson James Ancheta. After creating a network of bots (computers infected with a code that obeys external commands) that infected 40,000 computers, he installed adware on them without the users realizing it.

The network of bots started to generate income for the creator. Unaware to users, by showing advertisements for which Jeanson James Ancheta received considerable payments, he received up to $60,000 from single companies in some cases.

We urge all of our readers to check their computers for malicious code that their current antivirus solution has not detected.

The danger of forming part of a fraud network is not just theoretical, but, as seen here, very real. A simple code can turn computers into zombies and make them part of fraud scams or simply, allow user information (including bank account access details) to be stolen.

Check your computer for adware and malware with the free tools listed in our resource links.