The Shareaza Virus
Shareaza is free peer-to-peer client used for downloading files from a file-sharing or a peer-to-peer networking website. The virus is not actually viral software, but is instead a copycat program. Because the application is functional but contains the potential for harm, it is instead referred to as riskware, or malware.
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The Real Shareaza
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A genuine copy of the software can be downloaded for no charge from Sourceforge.net. It allows users to connect up to four different P2P networks, such as EDonkey2000, Gnutella or BitTorrent. It requires no credit card number to install or use.
The Fake Shareaza
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The fake version replaces the original, and requires a valid credit card to work. Rather than the free service, it is a pay-to-use program, which will start billing after the free trial expires. Though functional, it is not owned by Shareaza.
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How it Works
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The fake software is disguised as an update of the original. A company called Discordia purchased the domain Shareaza.com, and the original software still checks this site for updates, even though it is no longer associated with the site. If the user clicks to update to version 4, he is agreeing to replace his genuine version with the riskware file.
Avoiding It
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Anti-viral software will not detect the discrepancy because it is not actually a virus. Only older versions of Shareaza are at risk, as the latest version, which can be downloaded from Sourceforge.net, no longer contains the bug. Always paying attention to pop-up dialogues is the surest way to avoid this scam, along with many others on the Internet.
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References
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