Spyware refers to malicious software that takes partial control of a computer's operation through
unauthorized access without the computers owners' knowledge or consent, and has become one of the
biggest security threats to computer users today.Spyware exploits infected computers for commercial
gain, usually by including unsolicited pop-up advertisements; by monitoring the users' online
activities; by routing http requests to advertising sites; or by stealing personal information such as
financial information. In fact, it is estimated that identity-thieves have stolen over US$ 24 billion
worth of account information in the United States alone.
Spyware most often infects a computer by piggybacking on a desirable software and the user
unknowingly downloading and installing it. Spyware also often lurks in rogue anti-spyware programs
that pretend to be security software. Spyware also comes bundled with shareware or other
downloadable software and music CDs.
Yet another method of distributing spyware involves tricking computer users by manipulating
security features designed to prevent unwanted installations. For example, surfers using the Internet
Explorer web browser may unwittingly click on a command prompt that appears to be a Windows
dialog box, when in actual fact it initiates the spyware download.
With the spyware threat worsening, several anti-spyware programs have emerged that are designed to
counteract or remove spyware. Programs such as Ad-Aware SE and Spybot - Search & Destroy are
some of the more popular and effective tools to remove and intercept spyware programs. Microsoft
has also released Windows AntiSpyware to combat the spyware problem.
Other popular anti-spyware programs include Spy Sweeper, Spyware Doctor, XoftSpy, and
CounterSpy.Anti-virus firms Symantec, McAfee and Sophos, while reluctant initially to add anti-
spyware features to their anti-virus products, have finally added anti-spyware features to the recent
versions of their anti-virus products.
Computer users have also become savvier in detecting spyware. Many users now install a web
browser other than Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE), such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox
which are not as vulnerable as IE is to spyware - though that is not to say that Google Chrome and
Firefox have not suffered from similar security vulnerabilities. No one single browser is 100% safe,
as "security" all depends on the person using the browser.
Some internet service providers, especially colleges and universities, block spyware by using their
network firewalls and web proxies to block access to Web sites known to install spyware.
Spyware sometimes hide in shareware programs offered for download, so downloading programs
only from reputable sources provides some protection from this source of attack.
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