WinZix

Recently it was announced that there was a newer, more efficient type of compression, called a Zix file.   These files, marked by a .zix extension have been popping up online recently.  It’s since became apparent that it’s likely bogus and that people have been downloading a compression/decompression program that installs spyware, and worse on their computer.

What is it?

WinZix has been dubbed fully transparent adware by some.  If you’re brave enough to install it, the EULA warns you that the software chooses the error pages, search engine and more that you use – a red flag in and of itself, but also goes on to state that any attempt to stop any of its installed functions (such as popups) will result in it rewriting files, including, possibly, your hosts file.  Basically, this gives them the ability to redirect ANY site you visit to one of their choice.   Kaspersky reports a Trojan in it however, so the .zix file and Winzix itself should be handled with care, and possibly avoided at all costs.

Why is that Dangerous?

If you were to visit a phishing site, without knowing you were being phished, would you think that you’d given away your own details, or would you wonder instead, if the ATM you used was skimmed?  Would you do a virus scan if you knew exactly what was on your computer and it was functioning well?  WinZix does something that other compression files don’t and creates a dangerous environment on your computer.  Beyond that, many people claim that it doesn’t compress anything, and instead installs MORE spyware and adware onto your computer – several people have claimed that it has caused their computer to crash entirely, and that they’ve found Trojans.

I’ve Already Installed it – What do I do?

If you’ve installed, or opened anything with the .zix file extension, you’ll need to perform a full virus and adware scan.