I ran the latest AW update (level 688) this morning and was unpleasantly surprised to see it run two Gator Gain spyware processes. These programs run while the update is processing and terminate when it finishes. They appear to be making internet connections while running. This occured on both home and work machines. I will post more info on where these programs are connecting when I have time to do the research. Below is a short description of the Gator Gain functions from the Webroot web site.

ADWARE Description:

Name:
Gator (GAIN)

Author:
Claria Corporation

Category:
Adware

Threat Assessment:
Medium




Description:

Gator (GAIN) is an adware program that has the ability to display banner advertisements based on your Web surfing habits.

Characteristics:

The Gator Advertising and Information Network (GAIN) has been reported to insert banner advertisements over the existing banner ads on a Web site. The program also has the ability to track the Web sites you visit and banners you click. The marketing information gathered allows Gator to display ads that are based upon your Web surfing habits.

Method of Infection:

Gator is bundled with numerous free software programs, including the popular file-sharing program Kazaa.