Threat behavior
Claria.GotSmiley allows you to display a variety of emoticons in different e-mail programs—for example, Yahoo, Hotmail, and Outlook Express mail—but also bundles unwanted software called Claria.GAIN. You can download Claria.GotSmiley from the Claria and GAIN Web sites. If you click on banner advertisements on Web sites for this free program, the banner redirects your browser to the download pages for these free programs. You can find more information about this program on the Claria Web site.
The Claria.GAIN component of Claria.GotSmiley displays pop-up advertisements that have similar content to the Web site you are viewing. Claria.GAIN advertisements are identified by the word “GAIN” in the title bar of the pop-up advertisement or within the advertisement. Advertisements are sometimes displayed in GAIN supported programs. Claria.GAIN may also create desktop icons for installation files and links to advertisements.
The advertisements displayed are based on information that Claria collects about you and your Web browsing activities. The license agreement generally outlines the information that Claria.GAIN sends to Claria servers, which may include: first name, city, zip code, country, your computer IP address and security settings. Claria.GAIN also monitors Web addresses, content of Web pages, and the time spent at the Web sites you visit. Claria.GAIN assigns an identification number to your computer, scans the programs on your computer, and monitors how you use them. Cookie information is also collected, and other programs, such as media players, may be installed and configured to display advertisements on your computer.
To discontinue the display of GAIN advertisements on your computer, the license agreement for Claria products requires that you remove all programs supported by GAIN. You can uninstall these programs using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel. Any other programs installed to display advertisements by Claria.GAIN remain on your computer, and you may have to remove each individual program. Even if you buy a license for a free or trial version of these programs, your computer use may continue to be monitored.
The Claria.GAIN components are installed in the folder %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\CMEII\ and %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\GMT.
Prevention
