A dialer (or dialler) is a computer program which creates a connection to the Internet or another computer network over the analog telephone or ISDN network. Many operating systems already contain such a program for connections through the Point-to-Point-Protocol (PPP). A computer program or software program (usually abbreviated to a program) is a step-by-step list of instructions written for a particular computer architecture in a particular computer programming language. ... A computer network is a system for communication between computers. ... The telephone or phone (Greek: tele = far away and phone = voice) is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... An ISDN Telephone Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a type of circuit switched telephone network system, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires, resulting in better quality and higher speeds than available with analog systems. ... In computing, an operating system (aka, OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ... In computing, the Point-to-Point Protocol, or PPP, is commonly used to establish a direct connection between two nodes. ...

Many internet service providers offer installation-CDs which are meant to simplify the process of setting up a proper Internet connection. This is possible through either creating an entry in the OS's dialer or by installing a separate dialer (as the AOL software does). An Internet service provider (ISP, also called Internet access provider) is a business or organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. ... Internet Connections -T5 -T3 -T1 -Cable -DSL -ISP -Dial Up (56 K) -Dial Up (28 K) Left(Fastest) to Right(Slowest) To see how fast your internet connection is. ... America Online, or AOL for short, is a U.S.-based online service provider and Internet service provider that is owned by Time Warner. ...

Nowadays, the term "dialer" often refers specifically to dialers which connect without the user's full knowledge as to cost, with the creator of the dialer intending to commit fraud.

Fraudulent dialers

Dialers are necessary to connect to the internet (at least for non-broadband connections), but some dialers are designed to connect to premium-rate numbers. The providers of such dialers often search for security holes (usually in Microsoft Windows) on the user's computer and use them to change the computer to dial up through their number, pocketing the additional money for themselves. Alternatively, some dialers inform the user what it is that they are doing, with the promise of special content, accessible only via the special number. Examples of this content include software for download, (usually illegal) MP3s, pornography, and in the case of at least one website, 'underground' hacking materials such as viruses. A WildBlue Satellite Internet dish. ... In computer software a security vulnerability is a software bug that can be used deliberately to violate security. ... Microsoft Windows is a series of operating environments and operating systems created by Microsoft for use on personal computers and servers. ... MPEG Audio Layer-3, or more commonly refered to as MP3, is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format invented and standardized in 1991 by a team of engineers working in the framework of the ISO/IEC MPEG audio committee under the chairmanship of Professor Hans Musmann (University...

The cost of setting up such a service is relatively low, amounting to a few thousand dollars for telecommunications equipment, whereupon the unscrupulous operator will typically take 90% of the cost of a premium rate call, with very few overheads of their own.

Premium rate numbers, e.g. 900 numbers in the US, are an increasingly popular method for easy electronic payment for services. But if they are not careful, users could be charged up to $4.00 or more per minute through a dialer using one of these numbers. Typically, users will stay connected for at least 10 minutes, as the internet and modems in particular are inherently slow, and so the costs can really rack up. A 1-900 telephone number, in the North American Numbering Plan, usually has the form 1-900-###-####. A call to one of these numbers can result in a high per-minute or per-call charge. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... Electronic money (or digital money) refers to cash and transactions using electronic means, encompassing the use of computer networks (such as the Internet) and digital stored value systems. ...

Users with DSL lines (or similar broadband connections) are usually not affected. A dialer can be downloaded and installed, but dialing in is not possible as there are no regular phone numbers in the DSL network and users will not typically have their dialup modem, if any, connected to a phone line. However, if an ISDN adapter or additional analog modem is installed, the dialer might still be able to get a connection. A typical DSL Modem Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, is a family of technologies that provide digital data transmission over the wires used in the last mile of a local telephone network. ... A WildBlue Satellite Internet dish. ... An ISDN Telephone Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a type of circuit switched telephone network system, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires, resulting in better quality and higher speeds than available with analog systems. ... A modem (a portmanteau word constructed from modulator and demodulator) is a device that modulates a carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. ...

Malicious dialers can be identified by the following characteristics:

• A download popup opens when opening a website.
• On the website there is only a small hint, if any, about the price.
• The download starts even if the cancel button has been clicked.
• The dialer installs as default connection without any notice.
• The dialer creates unwanted connections by itself and without user interaction.
• The dialer does not show any notice about the price (only few do) before dialing in.
• The high price of the connection is not being shown while connected
• The dialer cannot be uninstalled, or only with serious effort.

Uploading and downloading are related terms used to describe the transfer of electronic data between two computers or similar devices. ... Dozens of pop-up ads cover a desktop. ...

Installation routes

Starting in 2003, new Visual Basic-scripts install a trojan horse which changes values in the Microsoft Windows registry and sets Internet Explorer security settings in a way that ActiveX controls can be downloaded from the Internet without warning. After this change is made, when a user accesses a malicious page or email message, it can start installing the dialer. The script also disables the modem speaker and messages that normally come up while dialing into a network. Users of Outlook, Outlook Express and Internet Explorer are especially affected if running ActiveX controls and JavaScript is allowed and the latest security patches from Microsoft have not been installed. The four colored boxes is the logo of VBA, and the two drums above them symbolize database connectivity Visual Basic (VB) is an event driven programming language and associated development environment created by Microsoft. ... This article or section should be merged with script programming language In computer applications, a script, roughly speaking, is a computer program that automates the sort of task that a user might otherwise do interactively at the keyboard. ... This article is about computer system security. ... Microsoft Windows is a series of operating environments and operating systems created by Microsoft for use on personal computers and servers. ... Registry has several meanings, all of which generally relate to its original or historical meaning as a written, official or formal record of information, or the place where such records are kept. ... Microsoft Internet Explorer, abbreviated IE or MSIE, is a proprietary graphical web browser made by Microsoft and currently available as part of Microsoft Windows. ... In programming, the Component Object Model (COM), also known as ActiveX, is a Microsoft technology for software components. ... A modem (a portmanteau word constructed from modulator and demodulator) is a device that modulates a carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. ... Closeup of a loudspeaker driver A loudspeaker, or simply speaker, is an electromechanical transducer which converts an electrical signal into sound. ... A computer network is a system for communication between computers. ... Screenshot of Outlook 2003 Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, and is part of the Microsoft Office. ... Microsoft Outlook Express is an e-mail and news client bundled with certain versions of Microsoft Windows starting with Windows 95 OSR-2. ... Microsoft Internet Explorer, abbreviated IE or MSIE, is a proprietary graphical web browser made by Microsoft and currently available as part of Microsoft Windows. ... In programming, the Component Object Model (COM), also known as ActiveX, is a Microsoft technology for software components. ... JavaScript is an object-based scripting programming language based on the concept of prototypes. ... Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKEx: 4338) is the worlds largest software company, with 2005 global annual sales of 40 billion US dollars and nearly 60,000 employees in more than 90 countries and regions. ...

Lately (March 2004), malicious dialers get installed through a nonexistent antivirus program. Spam emails from a so-called "AntiVirus Team" for example contain a download link to programs named "downloadtool.exe" or "antivirus.exe", which are malicious dialers. Other current ways are greeting card mails that link to pages forcing the user to install ActiveX controls installing dialers in the background. Anti-virus software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software (malware). ... A typical spam advertisement Spam by e-mail is one type of spamming that involves sending identical or nearly identical messages to thousands (or millions) of recipients. ... In programming, the Component Object Model (COM), also known as ActiveX, is a Microsoft technology for software components. ...

Hence links in spam emails should never be opened, automatically started downloads should be cancelled as soon as discovered, and one should check on each dial-up to the internet whether the displayed phone number is still the same. Another way to protect oneself is to disable expensive numbers using phone company services, but of course this disables all of them -- even the honest ones. A typical spam advertisement Spam by e-mail is one type of spamming that involves sending identical or nearly identical messages to thousands (or millions) of recipients. ... Uploading and downloading are related terms used to describe the transfer of electronic data between two computers or similar devices. ... TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company A telephone company (or telco) provides telecommunications services such as telephony and data communications. ...

Regulatory law in Germany

On 15 August 2003 a new law came into effect called "Gesetz zur Bekämpfung des Missbrauchs von (0)190er/(0)900er Mehrwertdiensterufnummern" ("Law for the combat of misuse of (0)190/(0)900 value added service numbers"). August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The law contains the following regulations:

• Forced price notices for service providers
• Maximum price limits, legitimacy checks and automatic disconnects
• Registration of dialers
• Blocking of dialers
• Right of information for consumers from the RegTP

On 4 March 2004 the German Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe decided that fees for the usage of dialers do not have to be paid if it was used without the user's knowledge. The word legitimacy comes from the Latin word legitimare and it has two uses: Legitimacy (political science) is whether or not people accept the validity of a law or ruling or the validity of a governing regime. ... Disconnection is the Scientologist practice of severing ties between a Church of Scientology member and the friends, colleagues, and family members who disapprove of, or criticize Scientology practices; that is, sources of disinformation (entheta), or Potential Trouble Sources (PTS), or Suppressive Persons (SP), that interfere with their progress in the... For blocking on Wikipedia, please see Wikipedia:Blocking policy. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Germany showing Karlsruhe Coat of Arms of Karlsruhe Karlsruhe castle at night Karlsruhe (population 282,595 in December 2003) is a city of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border. ...

See also

• ITIL
• Predictive Dialers
• Dialers — List of Dialers with manual removal instructions.
• ModemGuard Dialer protection software.