How are applications or items evaluated for inclusion?

applications are evaluated against the list of characteristics mentioned below. These are generally accepted criteria for listing items in this category of software products.

Rogers Yahoo!, supported by a third-party solution provider, PestPatrol, helps you find applications on your computer that have one or more of the following characteristics:

1. Changes browser settings including the default search provider, home page, and error page(s), without user permission.
2. Changes machine configuration in any way that changes security, without user permission.
3. Creates or modifies "hosts" file to divert domain references.
4. Displays pop-up/pop-under ads when main product is not running or ads that do not appear to be connected with the product.
5. Displays pop-up/pop-under ads that cannot be closed by clicking a "close" (red X) button in the upper right of the frame.
6. Modifies LSP stack by inserting additional referenced code without user permission.
7. Improper removal can result in lost Internet connection.
8. Installs even when the user selects "No" in response to question about installing the application.
9. Installs without notifying user and providing opt-out (drive-by download) from any site or other application.
10. Can't be uninstalled by Windows Add/Remove Programs and no uninstaller is provided with application.
11. Includes mechanisms to thwart removal by anti-spyware product (such as requiring manual entry of special code to run the uninstaller).
12. Defends against removal of or change of its registry entries.
13. Monitors the registry, and rewrites its settings as you delete them.
14. Uninstaller is actually a silent re-installer.
15. Uninstaller leaves components running after reboot.
16. Silently connects to an unintended site (with or without redirecting the address request) during a browser session, to transmit usage or other information to that site without user permission.
17. Silently connects to the Internet (after reboot) without user awareness or consent in that session.
18. Dials toll numbers without permission or user awareness.
19. Silently installs or updates without user awareness.
20. Includes a trickler or silent downloader that silently reinstalls some components after they are removed, without user permission.
21. Silently modifies information as displayed - changing search results, substituting ads for other ads, etc.
22. Silently tracks keystrokes or sites visited along with identification of the user/machine by IP address, GUID for that machine, email address, name, SSN#, phone number, credit card info, or other identifier without user permission.
23. Web page access times are significantly increased compared to a clean machine.
24. CPU usage is significantly increased when compared to a clean machine resulting in a notably degraded system performance.
25. Boot times are significantly increased when compared to a clean machine.
26. Meets PestPatrol's definition of any of the following: ANSI Bomb, AOL Pest, AV Killer, Backdoor, Binder, Carding, DDoS, Dialer, DoS, Downloader, Dropper, Firewall Killer, Flooder, Hostile ActiveX, Hostile Java, IRC War, Key Generator, Key Logger, Password Capture, RAT, Spoofer, Surveillance, Trojan, Trojan Creation Tool, Virus Creation Tool, Virus Source, Virus Tutorial, Virus, War Dialer, or Worm. Please review the PestPatrol category definitions.

Example: Rogers Yahoo! Anti-Spy can help detect a program if it "dials toll numbers without permission or user awareness."

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