Believe it or not, some Internet “surfers” willingly permit spyware to hitch a ride onto their computers when they download freeware. Unfortunately, they believe it’s an acceptable trade off for the free service or entertainment they want. What they don’t consider are the unending problems spyware can cause, including damage to their computer’s operating system, loss of privacy, and identity theft. This careless attitude may have led to the recent widespread presence of an invasive software called Marketscore on college networks nationwide.
With its promise of accelerated browser speed, Marketscore installs on a user’s computer and then routes all of the user's Web activity – such as online purchases or Web page visits - back to the Marketscore servers. Once routed to these servers, the user’s Web information is used to create market research reports. Marketscore can even access data entered on “secure” Web sites. Passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account numbers - information that is supposed to be viewable only to the sender and the intended recipient - are all vulnerable to Marketscore.
According to its privacy policy, Marketscore insists that it is neither spyware nor adware. However, privacy policy terms are easily (and often) changed. Users have no guarantee that any subsequent privacy term changes won’t make additional, or even more intrusive, attempts at collecting user data.
Fortunately, if you are using UTnet (including Resnet), you don't need a Web accelerator such as Marketscore. You are already operating at a very high speed. Downloading a Web accelerator will only slow your connections because your information is rerouted through external proxy servers. The message of this story? Don’t download Marketscore.
If you believe you may have already installed Marketscore on your computer or if you believe your computer needs a Web accelerator, contact the ITS HelpDesk for instructions and information.
