How Does Spyware Get Into Your Computer?



Spyware is a malicious type of software used by some underhanded marketing firms to gather private information about you, especially your web surfing activities. Besides possibly violating your privacy, spyware installs itself without consent on your system, using up memory space and other computer resources. It can interfere with the running of your programs, causing them to work improperly or sometimes not at all. It can cause your entire system to slow down to a crawl. Spyware is truly one of the most pernicious maladies of the Internet.

You may already have spyware infecting your system, but how did it get there? There are a number of ways spyware can enter your computer. One way is for spyware to “piggyback” on a piece of free software that seems useful and attractive. The free software may actually work as it is supposed to, but by downloading and installing it, you also install, unbeknownst to you, the accompanying spyware. The free file sharing program Kazaa has often been considered a carrier of spyware in this way, despite claims on the Kazaa website that the product has “no spyware.”

Some software products containing spyware actually masquerade as anti-spyware or computer security programs! A typical trick works this way: a malicious website secretly inserts spyware on your system. The spyware acts as a Trojan horse, causing fake messages to pop up on your screen warning you that your system is infected by spyware. These messages, which are really malicious ads, direct you to a website where you can download a program that will supposedly cure your system. If you install the fake anti-spyware program, the warning messages will stop appearing, but you have actually installed more spyware on your system--in the guise of providing protection!

Certain websites will try to infect you with spyware when you visit them. This tactic is known as the “drive-by download,” as by just passing through a website you can get infiltrated. Drive-by downloads are made possible by vulnerabilities in your web browser or in the Java or ActiveX software your browser uses to run scripts. To help protect your system from drive-by downloads, you should keep your web browser up-to-date by installing the latest upgrades and patches as soon as they are available. The same is true for Java software; some security professionals even recommend using Sun’s version of Java instead of Microsoft’s, as the former may be more secure.

Clearly you should be cautious about installing new programs on your computer. Even software available from reputable third-party download sites, such as Download.com, may not be fully exempt from having some form of spyware--which may be relatively “benign,” but still takes up some of your system resources.

 To Be Continued   Click Here To Read More

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