How Does Spyware Infect A Computer?
You will almost certainly have heard about Spyware but you may be wondering what it is, how it might infect your computer and what you can do about it. Just how does Spyware work and what can you do to protect your computer and your personal information? Spyware is a form of tracking software that gathers information about computer users without their knowledge or consent. Spyware makes full use of all of the resources of your computer - memory, processing power and Internet connection bandwidth - to function. Spyware sits buried deep on the hard disk drive constantly monitoring, collecting data and relaying information back over the internet to its controlling source.
The main problem with Spyware is that, until it starts affecting the performance of your computer, you will probably not even be aware that you have downloaded these malicious pieces of software. Spyware File Modification Spyware can be used to hijack a computer; it is capable of modify and deleting files and can ultimately render a computer unusable. Spyware can be introduced on to a computer through an open Internet connection if security measures are inadequate. Some programs have known weaknesses which Spyware writers are only too happy to exploit. These vulnerabilities permit Spyware to be downloaded without the computer user doing anything at all to prompt such a download. However, the most common cause of Spyware infection does usually come from a proactive download of something. It may be a piece of music from one of the free sites; it may be a piece of shareware; it may even be that the user clicked on an advertisement, quite innocently but these are all ways in which Spyware distributors cloak their nasty little pieces of software and get them on to your personal computer without you even knowing it has happened. You may unwittingly have given your consent to the download by accepting a license agreement without reading it or fully understanding it. A classic example occurred whilst writing this article, which is worth sharing. Researching for information on different ways to detect Spyware the writer came across a report posted on the internet in pdf format. The file would not run through a web browser so, can you guess what's coming next, I downloaded it to view. I checked it with my anti-virus software and it received a clean bill of health. Within minutes of trying to open the zipped file I was inundated with advertisements regarding Adobe products. Now this is Adware rather than Spyware but it demonstrates how easy it is to let your guard down and allow your machine to become infected by these parasitic pieces of software. Spyware Security Patches There are a number of steps you can take to secure your machine from Spyware. First is to ensure that all of your programs are up to date with the relevant security patches. Actually log on to the sites and seek out the updates you need. Don't be fooled into following a link that suddenly appears on your computer telling you updates are available - this may be a Spyware hoax. Use an appropriate piece of Spyware removal software to scan, detect and remove all malicious files from your computer and choose a removal tool that will also immunize your machine from known threats. This process should be repeated at least weekly. Ensure your firewall is working with a suitable level of security set. Avoid downloads of free versions of anything. It used to be said that there is no such thing as a free lunch; well it appears that there is no such thing as a free piece of software - there will be strings attached. |