tar, brush, I has them

"n addition to maintaining the server the 3D Screensaver trojans point to, Loads.cc also claims to be offering some sort contextual advertising consultation service, according to Danchev"

It's Phorm!

...any worse than Sunbelt's counterspy does (talk about slow! and the memory usage! oh lordy!)

What is a fancy 3D screen saver other than bling? Are these installed to impress strangers in airport waiting rooms or starfscks? Or does the more, er, intelligent PC/laptop user spend hours gazing at them in amazement whilst dripping saliva over the keyboard?

As pointless as a snake skin covered gold plated phone imho.

I only ever look at a computer screen whilst actually using one, so any kind of screen saver even a blank screen is wasted on me. Only those who choose form over function are ever caught out by screen saver based malware. Still there's one born every minute I have heard it said.

Maybe I am just paranoid for I have always associated free screen savers with malware, to me the two are terms are synonymous.

Just a naive question: I recall seeing those "click here for free 3d screensavers" in some more-or-less reputable sites (sorry, don't remember which one, but one was the site of a comics publisher). There were also several ads for "free ringtones", usually disguised as a silly flash game.

Assuming those ads were links to malware, how did they go into those sites? Even if they are randomly selected from an ad server, shouldn't the people who put those ads be responsible for the dissemination of this stuff?

... Sorry, I'll be leaving now.

I am no expert in such matters, but ad pushers cannot realistically be expected to analyse every free bit of software their clients ask them to advertise. So in such a scenario I would say yes, the client of the advertiser who's ad links to the malware is to blame. Not all malware pushers use ad agencies to punt their wares, some compromise web pages and place a link/pop up disguised as an ad to the malware. Some buy domains as a front just to host malware and sell "ad" space on the site knowingly to malware pushers. Some are still using the messenger service (thought this has been disabled by default since XP SP1) to spam whole subnets telling the user his/her registry is damaged and they should down load and install their registry fixer immediately.

Ads cost money, so when there is an ad for something that is "free", one can be pretty sure this is just a hook to catch the unwary which then directs them to even more PPC (pay per click) advertising or worse, a direct link to malware.

Unfortunately there are hundreds of thousands of Internet users, perhaps millions who are still not clued into this. It seems there are many gullible types out there who will happily click links willy nilly for a Britney screensaver, free ringtones or free laptop because they are told they are 1,000,000th visitor.

A fool and his money are easily parted... a fool and his computer are easily compromised.

They were invented to prevent burn-in in CRT monitors.

Anyone who still uses one of these power hogging , radiation producing , lead lined dinosaurs deserves to be infected with malware.

Use a power saving LCD instead, and banish the screensaver altogether. Set your OS to turn off the monitor after 10 minutes of inactivity ( saves the CCFL and mother earth).

Some of us like display devices with good grayscale tracking, low black levels, even color temperature, and fast refresh rates.

I will, long into the future, happily be using a big, honking 24" CRT monitor, which will help offset any sanctimonious earth-saving you're up to and then some.

Oh, and what's more, I also have an even BIGGER honking triple-gun CRT projector in my home theater. That thing uses even more power than you wish you had over other people.

As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to head over to my office and make sure all six CRT monitors are fired up and cookin'. Have a wonderful day, and don't let your feet get wet when the flood waters start coming up. I live on a hill.