In computer news this week:

Lead: A new internet threat - scumware - comes in the form of a program called Ezula.

I had an assistance call from a client who said she seemed to have an abnormal amount of ads and popups everytime she used the internet. As soon as I sat down at her computer, I could tell something was very unusual. No matter what web page I went to, I see strange links and get popup ads, even on pages where I knew there were no popup ads. Every single webpage I went to had certain words underlined as yellow links, and even if you didn't click on the link, you'd get a popup ad related to an underlined word - almost as if an evil force had taken over her computer.

I noticed she had a lot of junk programs installed , and I asked if anyone else used her computer. Yes, her teenage daughter, who downloaded a lot of music files off the internet. And the program she used to download music files with was Kazaa - a free program for doing this, and what comes bundled with Kazaa is one of the most invasive programs ever to appear on the internet - one named Ezula - which takes over your computer and plunges you into popup ad hell.

The purpose of Ezula - also known as the Toptext plugin for Internet Explorer - is to turn words and links on legitimate web pages everywhere into yellow links to Ezula advertisers. The goal is to steal traffic from websites and to generate money for the Ezula advertisers.

If you have your own website, it is critical that you become aware of Ezula and what you can do about it, because it potentially can steal traffic and revenue from your site.

The worst part about Ezula is that it installs itself on your computer without you knowing anything about it, which is why critics call Ezula both a virus - in that it installs without your permission - and a hacker's program - in that it takes over your computer. It is estimated that as many as 7 million computers are now infected with Ezula.

And the company itself - at www.ezula.com - denies anything wrong about its product. In fact they brag about their new marketing relationship with the search engine looksmart.com, which to me is a good reason never to use Looksmart.

Information on scumware - this new generation of internet programs - can be found at scumware.com. Here you will find information on Ezula and other programs they consider to fall into the generic scumware category, which also includes Gator and you can view the scumware hall of shame.

But what do you do if you think you might be infected with scumware on your computer? Many websites provide detection of ezula and other programs and it is easy to find a small piece of code to put on your webpage to help your visitors see if they are infected.

I did this for my website - if you go to http://www.mtamicro.com/ezula you will see a screen that will tell you if Ezula is detected on your computer, and if it is - there is a link there to a site with removal instructions. You can also find detection and removal instructions at scumware.com and may other sites.

The internet is a new technology and comes with its own set of problems for which currently there are no laws or solutions.

Internet users need to realize the threats of the internet, as well as its many positives, and protect themselves, their families, their businesses, and in this case, their own webpages.

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 624-7230