Computers & Information Technology

Few spyware programs are as potentially dangerous as Trojan Downloaders.  In fact, some of the most infamous program names in spyware are Downloader programs.  Zlob, Vundo and Keenval are well known and feared in the spyware world.  Keenval is particularly interesting, since its name has been given to two types of spyware.

Trojan Downloaders, such as one version of Keenval, don’t per se give you advertisements.  The insidiousness of these programs is that they bypass your security features and allow other programs to get on your computer.  This feature can range from being a mere annoyance to being an outright threat.

You see, the problem with Keenval and other Downloaders is that you never know what’s going to be downloaded.  It could merely be more spyware.  This alone is highly variable.  You could get pop-up generators, or Droppers.  You could also get Browser Hijackers.  Those are bad enough.

Even worse, Keenval can potentially download viruses and worms onto your computer.  While spyware compromises the security and stability of your computer, viruses and worms will actually do damage.  Viruses can destroy files and programs.  Worms replicate themselves on your memory, thereby actually destroying a physical part of your computer.  After a worm attack, you will pretty much have to call a professional to fix your computer.

Keenval isn’t just a Downloader either.  Depending on which release you look at, it can also be another form of spyware, previously mentioned, called a Browser Hijacker.  Browser Hijackers may not be quite as annoying as pop-up generators, but they’re no less effective at undermining the stability of your computer.

Briefly, the Keenval Browser Hijacker will take over control of your computer’s Internet browser.  It hides itself as a “Browser Help Object,” or BHO.  It steals data about your browsing habits and sends it to a remote server.  There, your information gets processed so that they can customize their advertisements.

Naturally, the scanning and communication that this version of Keenval does will use a large part of your computer’s memory without your approval.  Your computer will operate much slower for all this extra work.  It may even crash as the workload gets to be too much for it to handle.

How Keenval gives you your advertisements is by its newfound control of your browser.  Instead of going to sites that you actually want, Keenval will take you to the advertising sites that it wants you to see.  Needless to say, this can get quite annoying.  Especially when it can block the sites you want to see.

Keenval was released on the world back in 2005.  It distinguished itself back then as being a particularly difficult bug to kill.  For quite a significant amount of time, the only fixes that the antispyware programs could provide were manual instructions.

This represents a common fault among antispyware programs, in that it took them a while to provide an automatic fix for Keenval.  Only a few programs have since done anything to address this problem.  You can identify who has done this by the presence of a 100% spyware removal guarantee.

Carl runs a site devoted to helping you rid your computer from all sorts of spyware and malware at http://www.spyzooka.com/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Keenval is Keen on Infiltration