Spyware is a program that sends information from your computer to another without your knowledge. It can hijack your browser, show personal ads, and use your resources. It’s estimated that 90% of computers have spyware. Signs of infection include slow performance and unexpected ads. Anti-spyware programs can help remove and prevent spyware, but must be updated regularly.
Spyware refers to programs that use your Internet connection to send information from your personal computer to another computer, usually without your knowledge or permission. Quite often this information is a record of your ongoing browsing habits, downloads, or it could be more personal data such as your name and address.
Different strains of spyware perform different functions. Some might even hijack your browser to take you to an unexpected site, have your computer dial expensive 900 numbers, replace the home page setting in your browser with another site, or show you personal ads, even when you’re offline. The module that serves personalized advertisements is called adware also known as malware or scumware.
Some programs that have included spyware, such as RealPlayer, disclose this information in their terms and conditions when RealPlayer is installed, although most users don’t read the terms and conditions when installing software, particularly if it’s free. KaZaA, a free file sharing program, also includes it, and there are many others.
But spyware doesn’t have to be bundled with another application to find its way into your computer. In fact, most of them are installed stealthily. You might visit a website where a box pops up informing you that the site won’t display properly unless you allow it to install a file or plug-in. By answering yes to a prompt you don’t understand, you can allow spyware to load. You may also agree to upload a program that, unbeknownst to you, includes spyware code.
The concern with spyware, whether its presence is disclosed or not, and the reason why it is universally reviled by so many, is that the user cannot verify or monitor what is actually being collected and sent from their computer . There is no built-in mechanism for the user to oversee the process, and no checks and balances in place, legally or otherwise, to ensure security or confirm how information is being used. Spyware is virtually unregulated. Add to this unfavorable scenario the fact that it uses personal resources – bandwidth, processing power and memory – to perform work for an external entity at the expense of your privacy. However, some programs that include it are very popular.
It is estimated that 90% of all computers on the internet are infected with spyware.
Some telltale signs of infection are:
Your computer slows down to a crawl due to many of these programs using up your memory resources.
Ads appear even when you’re offline.
You click on a link to go to a site, but your browser gets hijacked and you end up on another site.
Your computer is dialing the numbers that appear on your phone bill by itself.
When you enter a search item, a new and unexpected site handles the search.
Your bookmarks change by themselves.
Click the home button but it takes you to a new site and when you reset the setting, the new site shows up again anyway.
You receive pop-up ads addressing you by name even when you haven’t visited the site you signed up for.
Some anti-spyware programs will scan your computer for existing software and notify you of what it finds. You can quarantine suspected bugs so they can no longer work. It is very important to read the manual as spyware removal can lead to system or software problems if done incorrectly.
After you run software to quarantine or remove spyware, be sure to use software to prevent the installation of new programs.
These programs are not loaded into memory or run in the background. They rely on internal databases of known spyware keys, which they use to scan and protect your system. Therefore, like an antivirus program, their databases must be updated regularly.
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