The Growing Problem Of Spyware And AdwareSpyware is any piece of computer software that collects information about computer users, including personal information, without their giving knowing consent. Spyware is often downloaded onto a personal computer, without the owner's knowledge, at the same time as free software is downloaded. Spyware is a major public concern regarding privacy on the Internet and this concern is increasing as the threat of Spyware grows larger. The issue of Spyware has become the most challenging security problem for all Internet users and is now a bigger concern than spam or virus infections. What is Spyware?
Spyware is computer software that is installed on a personal computer without the owner's consent. It is installed in a furtive manner to monitor or control the use of that computer. As well as monitoring computer use Spyware also collects personal information about computer users, once again without them giving knowing consent. Spyware can be inadvertently installed on a machine by an owner who downloads a piece of free software; the download of the software they want cloaking the simultaneous download of the Spyware. It is true that a lot of Spyware is simply used for marketing purposes and is not of the malicious type although it is still unwanted and unauthorized. What is Adware? Adware is a type of Spyware which, whilst it may be downloaded in a similar way, has a different purpose. Adware installs covert advertising software on a computer. Have you ever noticed an advertising banner appearing on your screen that has nothing to do with the site being viewed? That is almost certainly Adware. Adware is similar to Spyware in that it will embed itself deep within the computer making it almost impossible to remove. However, Adware tends not to be as malicious as Spyware in its intent - Adware is simply annoying. Adware becomes Spyware when it tracks the actions of the computer user and sends that information back to a third party. Spyware and Adware authors exploit security holes in web browsers or other software to infect a system. Known common browser weaknesses are in Internet Explorer and the Microsoft Java runtime. The popularity of both of these programs together with their history of security issues has made them a favorite target. Some forms of Spyware can disable firewalls provided by software, circumvent anti-virus software and reduce the security settings of browsers this in turn opens up the infected computer system to further infections. Some Spyware and Adware software make use of Rootkits to conceal themselves on hard drives which enable them to effectively self-heal as well as work to destroy any installed security program. It is because Spyware and Adware are installed deep into the computer system and because they work in a similar way to security software (through a technique called kernel-hooking) that they are so difficult to trace and remove. To reduce the risk of infection by Spyware on your computer be sure that you update your operating system and Web browser software regularly. Set the security settings of your web browser to a high enough level that you will detect any unauthorized downloads. Ensure that you have all the latest security patches installed. Windows users should additionally ensure that all security patches have been downloaded and are up to date. |