Spyware Researcher Ben Edelman continues his investigation on C-NetMedia.
Critiquing C-NetMedia’s Anti-Spyware Offerings and Advertising Practices
Not every “anti-spyware” program is what it claims to be. Some truly have users’ interests at heart — identifying and removing bona fide risks to privacy, security, stability, or performance. Others resort to a variety of tricks to confuse users about what they’re getting and why they purportedly need it.
This article reports the results of my examination of anti-spyware software from C-NetMedia. I show:
- Deceptive advertising, deceptive product names, and deceptive web sit
e designs falsely suggest affiliation with security industry leaders. Details.
- The use of many disjoint product names prevents consumers from easily learning more about C-Net, its reputation, and its practices. Details.
- High-pressure sales tactics, including false positives, overstate the urgency of paying for an upgraded version. Details.
Note that C-NetMedia is unrelated to the well-known technology news site CNET Networks. See further discussion below.
Deceptive advertising, deceptive product names, and deceptive web site design falsely suggest affiliation with security industry leaders.
Some C-NetMedia products are marketed using practices, keywords, labels, and layouts that falsely suggest they come from security industry leaders. This suggestion comes from both the actions of C-Net itself, as well as from the actions of C-Net’s marketing partners.
Consider the top three ads for a Google search for “Spybot”, a popular early anti-spyware program (full name “Spybot Search & Destroy”). As shown at right, the top three ads each specifically mention “Spybot” — the first two, in directory names; the third, in its domain name. Furthermore, all three ads also include the distinctive and original phrase “Search & Destroy” that specifically describes the genuine Spybot product. Yet in fact each of these three ads takes users to the unrelated site spywarebot.com (emphasis added) (screenshots: 1, 2, 3). Clicking the first ad immediately takes a user to spywarebot.com via the ClickBank advertising network. As to the second and third ads, traffic flows through independent “landing page” sites which in turn show ClickBank links to promote Spywarebot. These landing pages are hosted on the deceptively-named domains named spybot-sd-info.com and www-spybotcom.com — each further (but falsely) suggesting an affiliation with the genuine “spybot” product.
Spybot Search and Destroy (Spybot-S&D) Official Home Page: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I have purchased the Spywarebot protection, and it is causing
problems with receiving my e-mails, as I have some protection
with the cable company I am with, I would like to cancel this program, as it stated it was possible up to eight weeks after pirchase.
HOW DO I DO THIS
Hello Clarence,
As you can see by the articles on Spywarebot, it is considered a Rogue:
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm#notes
Have you used the contact form to request a refund from the people you made the purchase with?
I would be interested in hearing how that goes down.
As you want to remove the program, look for it via Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.
Note: Spywarebot should NOT to be confused with the respected Spybot-S&D program, which is free for personal use.
I used the program (until the last update of Windows Vista) to my satisfaction.
The makers of the software indicate that their application is listed as a trusted Certified Microsoft application on their Microsoft Certified Software page.
Is Microsoft wrong?
Hello Frank, which program and on what page?