Overview
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Adware: Software that displays popup/popunder ads when the primary user interface is not visible or which do not appear to be assocaited with the product.
Spyware :
Worm: A program that propagates itself by attacking other machines and copying itself to them. Both worms and viruses are self-replicating code that travels from machine to machine by various means. Both worms and viruses have, as their first objective, merely propagation. Both can be destructive, depending on what payload, if any, they have been given. But there are some differences: worms may replace files, but do not insert themselves into files. In contrast, viruses insert themselves in files, but do not replace them.
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Origins
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Operation
General:
"Gator" is the name of the company producing this set of software ("The Gator Corporation") It is also the name of a free tool that comes bundled with other components. Most users and Internet sources refer to the entire package as "Gator." Since only the main ("Gator") module is at all visible to the user, and since it is inextricable from the other components, referring to the entire offering as "Gator" seems reasonable.
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Gator The main software, autocompletes Web forms. (Note that IE users likely have no need for such a component, since IE has included an AutoComplete feature since version 5.0).
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OfferCompanion. This is the advertising spyware module. It is responsible for recording info on your Web browsing habits, uploading info to the Gator advertising server, and downloading and displaying pop-up ads.
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Trickler (fsg.exe, fsg-ag.exe, fsg*.exe) An "install stub", a small program that is installed with the application you really wanted. (Gator almost always appears on your system due to installing OTHER software, and not the installer available from Gator's website.) When installed, Trickler inserts a Run key in your Registry so that it is silently and automatically loaded every time you start your computer. Trickler runs hidden and very slowly downloads the rest of Gator/OfferCompanion onto your system. It is suggested by some that this "trickling" activity is intended to slip under the user's radar, the steady, low usage of bandwidth going unnoticed. While often named fsg.exe, Trickler can go under other similar names, such as fsg-ag.exe (installed with AudioGalaxy) or another name containing "fsg" or "trickler".
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GAIN (GMT.exe, CMESys.exe, GAIN_TRICKLER_*.EXE) GAIN is short for Gator Advertising Information Network, and is the newest incarnation of the Gator product.
Advertising:
Yes. May superimpose ads on web pages. Note in the offer below "This ad... is not brought to you or sponsored by the Web site(s) you are viewing.
Info Collected:
Installed on more than 8 million computers, Gator sends some info about you, including first name, country, and postal code, to the Gator web site. As you browse, it also tracks which Web sites you visit, products you may view, and your responses to Gator-launched ads. All of this info is captured and forwarded to the company's servers. Gator sells the use of this information to advertisers who can purchase the opportunity to make ads pop up at certain moments, such as when specific words appear on a screen. It also lets companies launch a pop-up ad when users visit a competitor's Web site.
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Detection and Removal
Automatic Removal:
PestPatrol detects this.
PestPatrol removes this.
Manual Removal:
Go To the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
If you find the value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run\cmesys, delete it and reboot the machine immediately.
If you find the value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run\trickler, delete it and reboot the machine immediately.
Remove these registry items (if present) with RegEdit:
Remove these directories (if present) with Windows Explorer: