There is no such thing as free. “Free” software, music, video, and toolbar downloads are some of the the most common culprits for malware infection.
If you want to run software on your computer, you have to trust the software vendor not to do anything stupid, malicious, or sneaky on your computer. Most software vendors are trustworthy, and while they might engage in a little extra data collection, they are probably not going to do anything really malicious. But, there is really no way to know for sure what a program does. For example: do you know what files your program is accessing on your computer? Do you know what sites your program is accessing on the Internet? If you’re like most people, the answer is no. You don’t know, and I don’t know. So, I really don’t know what programs are doing with my personal data. You can experiment and explore with a few free tools (with the help of Wireshark and TCPVIew), but most of this information still eludes me.
(I know. I’m recommending you not download suspicious software, but I download and install some security software anyway. I guess I’m not a vigilant as I should be.)
Unless you are blocking a program’s access to the Internet, you really don’t know what it is doing with your data. There are software firewalls that can help control a program’s access to the Internet. One that I use is Zone Alarm. You Internet Security Suite probably has a software firewall too. Perhaps it can block a program’s access to the Internet.
I guess I would consider the motivation of the developers. If you’re buying software, the motivation is pretty clear; you are paying the company money in exchange for a useful program. But, what about free downloads? What is the motivation of the people who have developed that software? It’s not always very obvious. If it is an expiring demo, you’re probably OK. They want to sell you the software, and are willing to let you try it for free before you buy it. That’s pretty nice. If the download is just free, and you can’t see why, I would wonder about the motivation, and be hesitant to download and install it.
Once again, if you really want something to remain private, you can encrypt the information, or just unplug the computer from the network.
What to do:
a) If you can afford it, upgrade to get the new security sandbox technology.
b) If not, at least buy software that you need from legitimate sources. That way, you’re more certain about their motivation (they want your dollars, and you’re paying for their software outright).
c) Beware of programs you can download where the motivation isn’t clear. If you’re not paying the developers directly, you have to wonder “What’s in it for them?” Will they secretly be trying to perform identity theft or fraud? Not sure, but I would certainly be cautious.
d) Ask software vendors what information they access on your computer. It will probably be buried somewhere in the microscopic, legalese print in the End-User License Agreement (EULA). That’s the annoying box you have to click through to install the software, where you accidentally agreed to sell your first-born child into slave labor for the next 25 years. Yes, that one. JUST KIDDING. But seriously: I don’t know about you, but I don’t read the EULAs, so I don’t know what I’m agreeing to. Yikes!
e) Be suspicious of online software delivery
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