Virus Encyclopedia
Welcome to the Virus Encyclopedia of Panda Security.
Doubleclick | |
Threat Level Damage Distribution |
At a glance
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| Common name: | Doubleclick |
| Technical name: | Cookie/Doubleclick |
| Threat level: | Medium |
| Type: | Cookie |
| Effects: |
It is a small text file stored on the computer when visiting web pages. Though it does not pose a risk by itself, malicious use by other software could threaten affected users' privacy.
It does not spread automatically using its own means.
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| Affected platforms:
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Windows 2003/XP/2000/NT/ME/98/95 |
| First detected on: | Jan. 27, 2005 |
| Detection updated on: | Dec. 18, 2009 |
| Statistics | No |
Proactive protection: | Yes, using TruPrevent Technologies
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Brief Description | |
Doubleclick is a cookie. Cookies are small text files stored in the browser on the user's computer, when visiting web pages. Cookies store information that can be used for several purposes: to personalize web browsing, to gather demographic information about how many users visit a page, to monitor which banners are displayed to the user, etc. These uses are not, in theory at least, malicious. However, keep in mind that the misuse of cookies could threaten an individual's privacy. Doubleclick uses the following propagation or distribution methods: - Exploiting vulnerabilities with the intervention of the user: exploiting vulnerabilities in file formats or applications. To exploit them successfully it needs the intervention of the user: opening files, viewing malicious web pages, reading emails, etc.
- It is dropped or downloaded to the computer by other malware specimens, for example: Downloader.OXA, Downloader.VNR.
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Tech details
Effects |
Cookies store information that can be used for several purposes: - To personalize web pages to the preferences of each user.
- To gather demographic information about how many users visit the page and how long they spend viewing it.
- To monitor which banners are displayed to the user and how long.
These uses are not, in theory at least, malicious. Though it does not pose a risk by itself, malicious use by other software could threaten affected users' privacy, as cookies can be used to create user profiles with information that the user is unaware of, and sent to third parties. |
Means of transmission
Doubleclick does not use any means of transmission. Cookies are usually created by the web browser, when visiting web pages.
Additionallly, some cookies can be created by certain spyware or adware programs when they connect to their own websites, or also by some advertising banners.
Doubleclick does not spread automatically using its own means. It needs the attacking user's intervention in order to reach the affected computer. The means of transmission used include, among others, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, email messages with attached files, Internet downloads, FTP, IRC channels, peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks, etc.
