14 DAY TRIAL // Lawrence Abrams, a security researcher at Bleeping Computer, has stumbled upon a new type of adware that's not content with just blasting you with ads and collecting data on your system, as it also secretly takes a screenshot of your desktop and uploads it online.
Called Faster Internet, the program comes bundled with other legitimate software, but it is only when it's installed that the real damage is done.
The first thing it will do is to record details regarding each user's PC setup, a technique called fingerprinting, often used in advertising to distinguish between different users.
Faster Internet collects data such as motherboard, CPU, hard drives, network adapters serials, and other more.
Besides this highly personal information, the adware literally crosses the line and adopts a malware behavior when it takes a secret screenshot of your active desktop windows and then uploads it to an online server.
Adware could be used to steal sensitive information from users
"The problem is that when this program is installed, the user may have confidential documents, web sites, or programs open that will be now be included in the screenshot and uploaded to these scumbags," Mr. Abrams noted. "What if the victim had a password manager open to their online bank account, or their tax return showing their social security number and address, or private images that they do not want disclosed?"
Until older Windows versions die down and the Windows Store gains more traction, users will continue to be exposed to adware and the inherent threats it brings.
Besides Faster Internet, Mr. Abrams recently also discovered another sneaky program, called VNLGP Miner, which transforms your computer into a Bitcoin mining bot for the gain of an unknown attacker.
Below is an image of the application uploading a screenshot of the user's desktop to the URL "a.duofoldmortify.online/buploada.php," courtesy of Bleeping Computer.
