What is Spyware ?
Spyware is best explained as software that infiltrates your computer and
captures your personal information, including tracking where you have been online (to sell this information to advertisers), capturing your keystrokes (which gives away your valuable passwords) and more - all without your knowledge or consent. Spyware can also scour your computer’s hard drive for your most important files and most private information.
A form of “malware” (which refers to malicious software), spyware differs from viruses and worms (also forms of malware) in that it doesn’t spread to other systems, opting instead to exploit your information for commercial gain, pocketing revenues at your expense.
Spyware is usually presented to the computer user as a pop-up ad or a standard Windows dialog box, asking a seemingly innocent question or giving away a product or service for free – both of which begin the download of the disguised spyware when you click on the ad. It doesn’t matter if you click on the “yes” box or the “no” box (or the “act now” box, etc.). The truth is that any activity in the pop-up window can prompt the download of spyware onto your desktop or laptop.
Some spyware takes the deception a step further and is even disguised as security software, playing on the fact that computer users are increasingly concerned about their computer’s safety and even more concerned about identity theft. When users download what they believe to be very beneficial security software, they actually receive very damaging spyware.
Surprisingly to many is the fact that spyware also comes “bundled” with other software, shareware, or downloads (including music CDs), making it impossible to detect without anti-spyware. When this happens, as the user installs the new software or download, the spyware sneaks in, too, again without the user’s knowledge; hence the name “spy” ware.
Experts caution that once spyware invades a desktop or laptop, it is usually accompanied by other damaging forms of malware. When this happens, your computer may start running slower or you may notice error messages, applications crashing, your computer’s entire system shutting down, or even problems connecting to the Net.
By then, the damage is done and your computer’s system may need a clean reinstall of all your software. You may also lose the files and information on your hard drive and may have already fall prey to identity theft or had your activity online tracked and sold to advertisers who want to target you with their products or services.
In fact, spyware has become such a burden on computer users that there now exists criminal and civil laws that allow for prosecution of unauthorized access to a computer. While only a handful of spyware creators have been prosecuted to date, the laws are toughening up, with lawmakers promising to pursue this further and to really “crack down” on this new form of crime.
In the meantime, protecting your computer from spyware invasion is a must and the only way to do is this is by installing reputable anti-spyware that detects any existing spyware on your computer’s hard drive and deletes it, while safeguarding your most important information from a future attack.
