You may come across some ads like---
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“Do you know that someone may be spying on you right now?’’… watching everything you do on your computer … tracking what sites you visit … where you shop on-line … and possibly even reading your personal documents and email?”
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It is true.These Spywares and Malwares have destructive powers which is a huge infringement of your privacy.
In short, Spyware is software which assists in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge.
Some of can be even dangerous; They are able to steal your credit card details and steal your valuable data. This is a review of the ‘King of Spywares’ ‘GATOR’
- Introduction
a. Gator is nuisance and can be termed as spyware, sending information about buying habits, etc. for information purposes. For this reason, many people won’t use it and want to remove it.
b. The Gator eWallet is provided free, because it is supported by advertising from the GAIN Network, which helps keep many popular software applications free in exchange for delivering advertising. As you surf the Web, you will occasionally see GAIN branded ads (pop-ups and others) selected based on your online activities. These ads are displayed by GAIN AdServer Software – not by any Web site. The Gator company recently changed their name to Claria.
c. Gator is smart online companion that fills out forms and remembers passwords. Gator comes with the OfferCompanion application, the premier application for saving money on the web.
They call themselves as ’Leader in Online Behaviour marketing’. I do not understand why?? There punch line itself shows the infringement to privacy. Claria currently offers two advertising services - the GAIN Network and BehaviorLink..
- Gator Components
a. Gator (iegator.dll and others)
Gator is the main software, which autocompletes Web forms (which is completely unnecessary for many users these days, since IE and Mozilla (and Netscape?) have had automatic form completion, password saving, etc. built in for some time.
b. OfferCompanion
This is the advertising spyware module. It is responsible for spying on your Web browsing habits, downloading and displaying pop-up ads, and transmitting (personal?) information to Gator.
c. Trickler (fsg.exe, fsg-ag.exe, fsg*.exe)
Trickler is 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 that this ’’trickling’’ activity is intended to slip under the user’s radar, the steady, low usage of bandwidth going unnoticed.
d. GAIN (GMT.exe, CMESys.exe, GAIN_TRICKLER_*.EXE)
GAIN is short for Gator Advertising Information Network, and is the newest incarnation of the Gator spyware.
Removal Instructions
Right click on the Gator icon in the System Tray and click on Exit.
From the Windows Start button select Settings and then Control Panel.
When the Control Panel window opens, double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon.
When the Add/Remove Programs Properties window opens, locate Gator in the list of installed programs. Click on it one time and then click on the Add/Remove button. Follow the on screen instructions.
Place a check in the box for ’’Delete User Information’’ if you want user information removed from the Registry. DO NOT place a check in this box if you want the user data retained for a new install of Gator.
This will remove the Gator program from your computer.
Although the above instructions will remove the Gator E-Wallet information, you may still have GAIN (Gator Advertiser Information Network) software installed. GAIN helps keep many popular software applications and services free in exchange for delivering ads, information, and software based on the web sites you view.
GAIN can only be removed by uninstalling the GAIN supported application. You cannot uninstall GAIN directly. Once the GAIN supported application has been uninstalled, GAIN will uninstall itself as well.
You may find lot of junk mails in your mailbox if you install gator as it actually recors your behavioural statistical data and then mail you.So beware of this spy....!!
The major browsers (IE, Netscape, Mozilla) now include an auto complete and password-remember feature for which Gator is mainly used so why you need Gator??
Simply remove it to make your PC faster and stable.