Security Center: Stealth Dialers

• What stealth dialers are
• How to tell if you have a stealth dialer
• What to do if you think you have a stealth dialer
• How to avoid stealth dialers

What stealth dialers are

Stealth dialers are a type of malicious software (sometimes referred to as malware) that will use your modem to dial phone numbers without your knowledge, and/or without disclosing the numbers and their related charges. These phone numbers tend to be pay-per-minute long distance or even international calls.

Examples of stealth dialers are:

• Background autodialers, true stealth dialer - These are the most malicious type of stealth dialer. They will at random times, secretly dial and connect to an overseas server. Most of the time, this occurs when you leave the computer on over night. These lead to large, unexpected phone bills. It may even kick you off of your BCPL connection to dial its connection.
• Offshore gambling games - These stealth dialers come as games that allow you to play on the Internnet against other players. You acknowledge normally that it will dial a number to connect to the gambling server.
• Pornographic material downloaders - Most of the time these are described as a viewer program or an exclusive material downloader advertised as free. The problem is, the material is free, but your modem is most likely calling overseas to download this material. These still require you to open the program and initialize the action.

These are not the only types of stealth dialers, as they come in a wide array of variations and levels of maliciousness.

How to tell if you have a stealth dialer

• Unusually high phone bill listing calls that you did not make to exotic locations, such as Vanuatu or Tuvalu.
• Your phone line is busy when you know no one is using the phone or the Internet.
• Frequent disconnects.

What to do if you think you have a stealth dialer

• Use your antivirus and spyware scanning software. Most of the updated versions of these types of software are made to detect and remove stealth dialers from your system.
• Remove your phone line from the modem of your computer. If the modem can't get a dial tone, it can't dial. Remember, if your phone line is disconnected from the computer you also can't connect to BCPL.
• You can have your long distance dialing ability disabled if it becomes a serious enough of a problem. To do this, contact your long distance provider.
• Turn off your computer except when you absolutely need to use it.

How to avoid stealth dialers

• Avoid pages containing illicit material and avoid downloading any kind of software these pages offer.
• Install and update your anti-spyware and anti-virus software regularly.
• Consider a dedicated phone line for the computer that is restricted to only local calls.

Please Note:

BCPL.net is not responsible for any unwanted phone charges acquired from the activity of malicious software. The issue is similar to a houseguest picking up the phone and calling all his friends who live overseas, except this visitor is living in your computer.