Peeping Aaron

And You Were Worried About Big Brother.  The national rental chain Aaron's is being sued for spying on its' customers  by using software installed on their rent-to-own computers without their knowledge.  The software, PC Rental Agent, is installed on the computers as a way to track the store's property and to act as a "kill switch" in case a person doesn't pay, but according to at least one Wyoming couple, it's also been used to secretly activate their laptop's webcam and even log keystrokes.  The couple,  Brian and Crystal Byrd, discovered this when an Aaron's manager came pounding on their door to repossess their Dell Inspiron with a photo of Brian using the computer taken with the built in webcam as "proof" that he'd been using it.  As it turns out, the Byrds had already paid for the laptop, a month early, in fact, but Aaron's goofed when they recorded the transaction.  Even if they had missed a payment, though, can a company just peek in on you whenever they want?   As a computer technician, I've seen this software at work.  It does just what it says- if you miss a scheduled payment, your computer is locked down, and the only way to access it is to call Aaron's and get a special (and very lengthy) code, not once, but twice.  I've also seen a lot of spyware.  That's 99% of my business.  From a privacy standpoint, I'd say "alarming" is a mild word.  Naturally, the Byrds were worried that someone from Aaron's had taken webcam pictures of Crystal or their daughter as they were coming out of the shower, or getting dressed.  It's not the kind of thing a person wants to find on YouTube.  What if Aaron's staff had taken pictures, then saved them to a flash drive and taken them home with them?  First, they called the police, who confirmed the computer has spyware installed on it, then they called a lawyer.  Now I know what you might be saying.  "Really, Mr. Johnson, you're such an alarmist!  This was one case!  And besides, doesn't Aaron's have a right to protect their property until the renter pays in full?"  Sure.  But that doesn't mean that my landlord can install a camera in my shower to make sure we aren't tearing the house apart.  I think people have a right to protect their investment, but I also think people who rent from Aaron's have a right to know that their privacy is being invaded.  And what else could be compromised?  Sony Entertainment can't protect your information, Apple is tracking your whereabouts, and Aaron's is watching you while you sleep...or worse!  People have their identities stolen everyday and their bank accounts drained...a rogue application takes over your computer and holds it for ransom until you pay $49.95 for a bogus antivirus program.  All of this goes on while you post on Facebook that you're not home, not even in town,, or that you just dropped the kids off at soccer practice.  In today's digital world, I'm worrying less and less about big brother...Aaron's and the like are creepy enough.
Read about it here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383216/Rental-chain-Aarons-caught-spying-customers-home-taking-webcam-photos.html
I stole the picture from
http://chris.pirillo.com/do-you-spy-on-your-children/

How You Got Spyware and Why You Won't Believe Me

Whenever a person brings me a computer with the complaint that it is slow, they can't get on the internet, or that they keep getting strange popups, I usually discover the problem is spyware. Also, whenever I tell people this, the reaction is pretty much the same. "I don't have spyware," they say, with a sneer on their faces as if I were a doctor who told them they have herpes. Yes, you do. And you probably got it from Facebook, MySpace, or one of those free applications you installed without reading the terms or conditions first. I know, I know, you use facebook all the time, and you've never had any trouble. Yes, I realize you paid for Limewire, but you didn't pay for the music you're "sharing," and you're oblivious to the other things you're sharing along with it. You don't have to take my word for it; go to snopes.com, or just do a little google search. Heck, it's even been on the network news. "But I have Norton (or McAfee, or whatever)! Shouldn't that protect me," you may be asking. NO. Why? Well, because you don't necessarily have a virus, what you have is a piece of malware that you yourself allowed on to your computer. Yes, you clicked on something. It may have been a hyperlink in an e-mail, a website you visited may have claimed you needed to download something in order to view the content, or maybe you saw a popup and tried to close it. Often, when you think you're clicking "cancel," or something to that effect, it actually starts a silent download, installing itself as a browser helper object (like your google toolbar), and since it's user-initiated, your antivirus software is instructed to ignore it. Something to remember- if you ever see a warning in your system tray or from anything other than the antivirus software you installed, it is bogus. Windows won't ever tell you you're infected. It doesn't care. I have witnessed these popups on legitimate, well-respected websites, too, so don't imagine that just because you are at http://www.nytimes.com/ that you are immune. The people who are responsible for these threats are very good at what they do, and the popups can be very deceptive, often mimicking the Windows Security Center or a known antivirus program. You should also be careful whom you decide to accept friend invitations from. There are "booby trapped" myspace profiles, and that message in your e-mail from the hot guy or girl you don't recognize that found you through the "friendfinder" is phony. I could go on for hours, and I could cite different sources, but the information is out there for you to find if you still don't believe me, so now I'll just tell you what you really need to know. The number one cause of spyware infection is user behavior and web surfing patterns. Don't click on stuff that looks suspicious or offers you free solutions for problems you don't have. Don't try to download or watch movies illegaly. Don't go looking for crackz or warez or try to find ways around paying for software and games. Avoid pornography-trust me, a subscription to Penthouse is way cheaper than a computer repair bill. If you use Limewire, Morpheus, Frostwire, or any thing like them, uninstall them. You are sharing more than you know- do we really need to have the "safe sex" talk here? Finally, read the terms and conditions and ask yourself: if this is such an awesome product, why are they giving it to me? Now, since you do all of the above and haven't had a problem yet, I know you don't believe me...but when you do get infected, I recommend this website http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ Follow the instructions to the letter, and you'll be back in business. Happy surfing!

The picture used is of "The Spy" from VALVe's "TeamFortress 2"