Program downloads from the Internet - a risky activity
The Internet offers a cornucopia of applications, movies, pictures, text - everything digital that can be imagined (and some not!). Navigating this plethora of alternatives and opportunities is difficult and can even be hazardous in several ways. In this article we shall discuss some of the pitfalls involved.
Selecting a computer program for a particular purpose
Almost every task that can be accomplished on a computer has several standard applications available as web downloads - for free or to purchase. How to select between the offerings? All those available will of course be marketed as "the best there is" by clever marketing people.
Even more disturbing - some of the applications that will be presented as perfect for your needs, may consist of harmful elements that can compromise your computer by installing additional malware or be malicious in themselves.
A case study
To test this issue, let us assume that you need a program to protect you from spyware.
One common starting point may be to use Google to search for such programs that are available from the Internet. Optimistically you insert the words "antivirus" and "download" in the search field and come up with almost four million hits - hardly a number of web pages that can be investigated in full. You suspect that there may be some free programs that you can use, and add "free" to the search criteria, which reduces the number of hits to something in the excess of two million still too much to cope with in full, and you will therefore most likely select semi-randomly one or some links.
If you are familiar with the names of the vendors of such programs, you will see that several well-respected companies, web addresses and products are shown; and you can assume that these are safe. However, if you are a novice in your knowledge of computer security and this industry, any name and web site may be as tempting as the other. And it is a known fact that fake, malicious antivirus products have become an industry on its own, and in recent months several security companies have issued warnings about e.g the products Antivirus 2008 and its many variants.
Some types of programs seem to be particularly tempting as vehicles to spread malware (like security programs). However, exactly the same set of problems is encountered if you are looking for most other computer program:
- There are lots of "candidates" available for you
- All are marketed in a way that intends to make you select that particular one
- Some may be produced by companies that you by coincidence know, some may not
There is really not any bullet-proof recommendation to solve this problem. One advice might be to always choose a program from a vendor you know (either a priori or by checking with people and/or web sites that you trust). The disadvantage of this strategy is that new, excellent computer programs from new and upcoming vendors will not be an option. Another - probably better - path of enquiry may be to check thoroughly on the many security web sites if the product you are tempted to download has been reported to be malicious or "rogue". This approach is probably sounder, but it will of course be more time-consuming.
A general approach is as always:
"When something is too good to be true, it usually is!"
This is a good guideline for selecting computer programs for downloading from the Internet, as well as for any other everyday choice you have to make.
The web as a source for (correct) information
It should be mentioned that some of the same considerations apply when you search for information on the web. Since anyone in principle can publish anything, you cannot be certain that the information you get is correct.
Cross-checking different web sites, and trust in reliable sources are good advices.
