what is Malicious Dialers
Once installed, they
can be extremely
difficult to remove.
The dialer will
configure your
settings to route
you from your chosen
ISP to a network
specified by the
dialer's
programming. The
alarming part of
this is that you
could be charged any
amount per minute
that the dialer's
distributor has
selected, from
pennies to hundreds
of dollars. Most
often the only
indication that you
might have a dialer
on your system is
when you receive
your phone bill.
What is frightening here is that you do not need to download these programs yourself. A site might attempt to hide the installation by swamping your connection with popup ads so you do not notice the program attempting to install. If you do not have the appropriate security settings for your browser, these programs can and do install without any notice and do not require that you click to agree. A common method is to force a silent install and have wording in the application's EULA (End User License Agreement) that states that you agree to the charges if the software is installed. The dialer is installed, you connect to the net, and you are billed, regardless of whether or not you agreed to, or even knew that it was being installed.
When the charges on your phone bill finally arrive and you protest them, the dialer companies might make it extremely difficult for you to obtain credit for the charges. You might even be asked to send them a copy of your birth certificate or other personal information. Do not send any personal information!
What is frightening here is that you do not need to download these programs yourself. A site might attempt to hide the installation by swamping your connection with popup ads so you do not notice the program attempting to install. If you do not have the appropriate security settings for your browser, these programs can and do install without any notice and do not require that you click to agree. A common method is to force a silent install and have wording in the application's EULA (End User License Agreement) that states that you agree to the charges if the software is installed. The dialer is installed, you connect to the net, and you are billed, regardless of whether or not you agreed to, or even knew that it was being installed.
When the charges on your phone bill finally arrive and you protest them, the dialer companies might make it extremely difficult for you to obtain credit for the charges. You might even be asked to send them a copy of your birth certificate or other personal information. Do not send any personal information!