As the name suggests, spyware is software that spies on you. It gathers information from your computer and relays it to another location. Spyware can capture keystrokes or screen images, identify the hardware and software installed on your computer, and hijack your browser’s home page, replacing it with one that displays pornography, advertising, or other messages. More malicious spyware can also collect account login names, passwords, and other personal information. Still other spyware tracks the websites you visit in order to send you targeted advertising. These programs are particularly insidious because they install themselves without your knowledge. They often hide inside another program that offers some kind of useful service, such as a “computer tune-up.”
Many advertisers use spyware to distribute advertisements in pop-up windows and web page banners. Some of the worst offenders replace the
messages and ads on web pages you visit with their own content, or even force offensive material onto computers where they are not wanted.
Where Did That Come From?
How does spyware make its way into your computer? In most cases, it loads as part of other programs that claim to offer some kind of useful service, such as an added toolbar for your web browser, a file sharing tool (such as those offered in Kazaa, Morpheus, and BearShare), or a file compression tool (such as DivX). Gator, one of the most common spyware programs, claims to help fill out forms and remember passwords, but it also tracks the websites that you visit and sells that information to advertisers; Comet Cursor, a program that can change the appearance of your mouse cursor, also collects marketing information about users; and Xupiter, a search engine toolbar, launches pop-ups and adds advertising links to your Favorites menu. There are dozens and dozens of others.
If your computer is connected to the Internet, and if you have ever downloaded and installed programs from online sources, there’s an excellent
chance that there are spyware programs lurking beneath the surface of your system. If you share your computer with children or college students, it’s even more likely that you’re harboring some kind of spyware. Many of the popular file sharing programs used for downloading music files are notorious as channels for distributing spyware.
