Information |
What is spyware?
Published 03/07/2006 12:29 PM |
Updated 04/07/2009 02:20 AM
What is spyware?
| What Is Spyware? Spyware is a type of program that watches what a person does on his or her computer and then send this information to location on the Internet, be it an individual or a company. Spyware can collect many different types of information about the person. Some programs can attempt to track what types of web sites he or she visits and send this information to an advertisement agency. More malicious versions can try to record what the user of the computer types to try to intercept passwords or credit card numbers. Yet other versions simply launch popups with advertisements. Spyware differs from virus and worm infections in that it does not usually self-replicate, although there is an increase of spyware that does so. Like many recent virus infection however, spyware – by design – exploits infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics furthering this goal include delivery of unsolicited popup advertisements; theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers and banking information); monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes; or routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites. As of 2006, spyware has become one of the major security threats to computer systems running Microsoft Windows operating systems (such as Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, and Windows XP; especially to users of Internet Explorer because of that browser's relation with the Windows operating system). Some spyware does effect Linux and MAC OS X platforms and can have similar behavior as Windows spyware, but to date has not become anywhere near as widespread. |
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