E-wallet

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This is about the Gator spyware/adware component. For the general term, see digital wallet.

The Gator E-Wallet was one of the earlier and better known forms of spyware and/or adware.

The program was described as your helpful online companion, that remembers your online logins and passwords. Unfortunately, the E-Wallet program installs GAIN, which is known to show pop-up ads and hijack Internet search results. It also returns visited websites to Claria Corporation's servers, so the program can analyze one's habits and thus display ads based on those habits.

1 How E-Wallet Gets on Your System
2 Removal
3 Other GAIN supported programs
4 External links

[edit] How E-Wallet Gets on Your System

It is true that this program can be downloaded knowingly from the Claria Website, but in reality this program is usually unwanted. Some versions of Kazaa and other P2P programs have been known to install this. Also, it may download by the means of an ActiveX applet in Internet Explorer. If you click "Yes" to a prompt for this program, it will download and install the E-Wallet app and the GAIN app. Some versions have been known to use a file called "Trickler" to slowly and stealthily install the program and the adware component GAIN.

[edit] Removal

According to the publisher, Claria, you can remove it VIA the add/remove applet in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. The adware "should" uninstall after all GAIN supported apps are gone. However if this does not work you may want to download an anti-spyware program. These automated programs can usually remove the E-Wallet Application and the GAIN Spyware App.

[edit] Other GAIN supported programs

Claria Corp. also makes other trivial programs that aren't major for computer users' needs. All of their programs are known to contain the GAIN spyware. $30 removes the ads, but the GAIN spyware can still send your surfing habits back to the home server. Other GAIN Supported apps include: