Although abrupt pop-ups are usually seen as a potentially destructive distraction that sully the Web surfing experience, American telecommunications giant Comcast is hoping its new advisory pop-ups will result in an active user base that’s better armed to deal with online threats.
Comcast moves to battle botnets. Image: Comcast.
Initially launching a trial of its protective pop-ups for Comcast customers based in Denver, Colorado, the online provider hopes the service will be welcomed insofar as the preventative pop-up windows will alert users if their computer systems have fallen victim to a botnet infection.
For those not in the know, a botnet is a wide-ranging spread of vulnerable and infected systems – sometimes reaching into the millions – that’s used by cyber criminals to hog Internet bandwidth and spread masses of Spam mail designed to steal identities, hijack more systems and deliver Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.
If identified as being attached to a botnet, the subsequent pop-up window warns that “Comcast has detected that there may be a virus on your computer(s). For information on how to clean your computer(s), please visit the Comcast Anti-Virus Center.”
Clearly of the belief that its pop-up system is a vitally important introduction, Comcast has said that users can always choose to ignore the advisory windows if they so wish, but they will not be given the option to block the incoming warnings.
Furthermore, although warnings can be closed, they will continue to return once a week until the user acts to solve the botnet issue.
Comcast has explained that its service looks for irregular spikes in the amount of data coming in and going out of a user’s system, and is able to actively differentiate between bandwidth usage caused by legitimate multimedia downloads and the massive strain that accompanies the sudden dispatch of millions of Spam e-mails.
In order to prevent its pop-up service from falling foul of malicious replication, Comcast’s warnings will be accompanied by a coinciding authentication message sent directly to the customer’s personal e-mail account.
Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter
Advertising
Comment on this Story