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Spyware

Ever wondered why your Internet speed has slowed down off late? Ever wondered why you started getting a lot of pop-up messages and advertisements every time you surf the net and sometimes even when you are not? Of course unless you are running some heavy application to slow down your PC or have installed some software that explicitly creates pop-ups, chances are that your PC has fallen victim to spyware.

“But I hardly have any secrets, nor do I work for any top secret government agency. So what secrets could I possibly have that anyone would be interested in?”; you wonder.

Spyware is not about governments or spy agencies or anything of that sort. At least not in our context. Spyware refers to the software or hardware installed on a computer without the user's knowledge and they fall into two broad categories.

1. Those that collect information about the user which is utilized by those who installed the Spy ware.

2. Those that download and display advertisements on your computer utilizing your system resources.

The former type of spyware is known as Surveillance software which includes applications such as key loggers, screen capture devices and trojans. These can be used by a wide variety of users with uses ranging from domestic and corporate surveillance to law enforcement. The latter type of spyware known as Advertising Spyware logs information about the user such as browsing history, online shopping habits, personal details to display relevant advertisements. Spyware makes use of the Pcs resources such as RAM and CPU for which the user has to bear the costs without his or her knowledge.

Spywares are installed on users computers in a variety of ways.

1. Via Activex controls over the Internet.

2. Flaws and security holes in certain web browsers.

3. Peer to Peer programs such as Kazaa, Bearshare etc.

Spyware results not only in a loss of privacy but also results in undesirable web sites being opened up a lot of which are not suitable for minors.

So with up to 80% of Windows based computers reporting some form of spying software, a lot of organizations have come up with free and paid tools that detect and remove Spyware from your system. A variety of these can be found on popular sites such as http://www.download.com or http://tucows.com and others. Given the huge losses it causes to enterprise networks worldwide, several Governments at state and federal levels have come out with legislations making it very difficult for Spyware organizations to operate. This method however has limited scope right now, given that a rogue server can be installed anywhere in the world. The major software and Internet companies such as AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft have come up with their anti spying applications to reduce and eliminate pop ups. However, given it's low implementation costs and a lucrative rate of return, it would be some time before Spyware companies will be put out of business.

So what do we do in the meantime?

• Install some popular and reputed anti Spyware application such as Spybot: Search and Destroy or SpyDoctor.
• Do not install p2p applications without reading it's user agreement and checking reviews online. A lot of times these applications secure your permission in fine print, allowing them to install Spyware on your computer.
• Install a good anti virus software and regularly update it. The new anti virus softwares also pick out adware and spywares.

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