The State Of Grayware On the PC

Checkers and Pogo writes "Grayware inhabits a murky area between pure malware and useful apps, and it's a growing problem. 38.1% of all malicious PC software falls into the grayware category, and so-called 'grayware 2.0' is targeting social-networking sites. Ars Technica's Jeremy Reimer notes, 'The "threat" of rogue applications like SuperWall wasn't immediately obvious: they seemed more like annoyances than real security risks. But as users entered more and more personal information into their Facebook accounts, it became clear that the possibilities for abuse were rampant. For example, because Facebook allows users to "tag" photos with the names of friends, it is possible for third-party apps to distribute photos that a user might only want to be seen by their inner circle of friends.'"

Comments

Goddamn BonziBUDDY

[eldavojohn]

Yeah, WinAmp was bad. But I'll never forget the day in college when my roommate downloaded and installed BonziBUDDY on my computer!

That goddamn ad injecting mal-ware sporting purple gorilla that was based on the dead soul of Clippy can rot in hell for eternity!

There's "free" as in gratis and libre and then there's a third kind of "free" as in wake-up-in-a-bathtub-packed-with-ice-minus-one-kidney free.

Re:Goddamn BonziBUDDY

[Sciros]

NOOOO stop bringing up BONZI BUDDY! What we thought would be an amusing evening of getting a purple gorilla to say things like "punch me in the testicles" and various "yo momma" jokes turned into a nightmare that can only be compared to when all the people in the beginning of Ghost Ship get cut in half by a cable and it looks really fake and lame but still gross. Only intead of a ship it was my computer, and instead of a cable, it was Bonzi. After much kung fu, I banished him from our dorm room, but he still haunts me in my dreams.

Re:Goddamn BonziBUDDY

[AioKits]

Arrgh, Gator... Don't get me started. One place I worked (not gonna name it, could get in trouble), all the secretaries had that damned thing on their systems cause of the cute kitten cursors they offered. We'd have to take the machine and most the times just restage it to clean it and hand it back. A few days later, gator was back. They wanted their cute kitten cursors. Eventually the net admin for that facility just blocked the gator site outright. He was forced to unblock it when a score of unhappy secretaries descended upon administration wanting their 'harmless kitty icons'. "But they're kittens! Who doesn't love kittens?!" *sigh*

Re:Goddamn BonziBUDDY

[crispin_bollocks]

My daughter, then 13, was a big fan of the purple gorilla, and had so many damn toolbars there was hardly any room for content in the browser. And let's not forget Gator!! "Dad, just click 'Allow' - that's what I do, it's quicker."

Re:Goddamn BonziBUDDY

[nexex]

Like this?

For the uninformed

[Ethanol-fueled]

These are the most popular examples of Grayware - avoid whenever possible:
-Norton anything
-Mcaffee anything
-Microsoft anything
-Myspace anything
-Facebook anything
-Sony anything
-iTunes
-"Quick"time
-Realplayer

Also:
-Never click on the duck
-Never click on the monkey
-Never click on the blinkenlights
-Never click on "yes" or "I agree" -If you still manage to get a popup, consult your country's extrortion laws

You've been warned.

There is no Dana, only Zuul.

[snarfies]

The article defines this "greyware" "vectors of attack." PROTIP: If the software has any sort of vector to launch any sort of attack on any machine, it is malware, pure and simple. Calling it "greyware" is a whitewash of some dark stuff.

MOD PARENT UP

[dreamchaser]

Even coining the term 'greyware' is just a form of social engineering. "Oh it can't be THAT bad. I mean, it's grey, not black."

Malware is malware. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call it a duck. There is no such thing as 'greyware'.

Re:MOD PARENT UP

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, I was originally gonna post something about DRM being grayware, since there's an arguably useful thing (media) with something else harmful (DRM) piggybacking on it. But if grayware is a sham term, then I guess that just means that DRM really is malware.

Suck it, Sony!

Shades of Gray

[suck_burners_rice]

If we're going to start using the term "grayware" to describe software that falls somewhere between a useful application and a piece of malware, then we need to start using the term "blackware" to refer to malware, and "whiteware" to refer to useful software. By the same token, some software could be "light gray ware," other could be "dark gray ware," et cetera. Whiteware that contains exploitable bugs should be termed "off-white ware" and security software which would otherwise be termed whiteware but could be used by a malcontent for evil purposes should be termed "whiteware with black polka dots." We could further extend this concept to include whiteware that could be dangerous if misused, such as software that controls a nuclear rocket; such software would be termed "redware." Software that helps the environment would be called "greenware." Now all we need is something for "blueware" and we can use the entire color space to describe a computer program.

"Greyware"? So let me get this straight . . .

[mmell]

If I rob a bank, I'm a felon.

If I'm hired to analyze security for a bank and use the knowledge I acquired during my analysis to rob the bank, I'm only guilty of a misdemeanor?