All About Spyware
Speaking generally, spyware is any software that:
- is installed on your computer without your knowledge or consent, or
- tries to make it difficult (or impossible) for you to remove it, or
- sends information about you, your computer, your files or your Internet use to someone without your knowledge or consent, or
- sends information about you and discloses this to you in an obfuscated way
Adware is very similar to spyware (for example, it will often embed itself deep within your computer and make it almost impossible for you to remove it). Its main difference is that it pops up ads on your desktop constantly -- it makes its money from ads, not necessarily from selling information about you. For the purpose of this article, we'll group spyware and adware together and refer to them both as 'spyware.' You can think of spyware, then, as any software you really don't want but can't get rid of or don't even know is there.
So where does spyware come from, and how do you get it? The answer to this question is probably as large as spyware programs are numerous. Spyware often comes packaged with free software. If you download a program that says it's "ad-supported," you probably got more than you bargained for when you installed it. File- and music-sharing programs (often called "P2P") are the most serious offenders. KaZaA, BearShare, Limewire and others are packed with spyware. When you install KaZaA, for example, you get six programs in one -- KaZaA plus five spyware programs. The makers of KaZaA get paid for every person who installs the spyware from their partner companies. That's how a lot of large semi-legal companies like KaZaA make their money, but it's also popular with small software makers as well.
But it's not just free software that shepherds spyware onto your computer. Some spyware you may download willingly, not knowing that it does more than originally meets the eye. Some spyware is downloaded by your web browser pseudo-automatically. Some spyware is commercially sold. And even worse than that, some spyware acts like viruses to force its way onto your computer.
Spyware Detection Stats
- Spyware Fingerprints: 91,859
- Detections: 6,720,111
- Detections this Month: 5,459
Spyware Search
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