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Spyware, Adware -- Be Aware!
With all the focus on spam emails and computer
viruses, another invasion of our computer systems has gone almost
unnoticed.
Right now a hidden program on
your hard drive could be stealing your financial details or waiting to
redirect your browser the next time you try to log on to one of your
favorite sites.
It could even be telling your computer to dial an overseas telephone
number that will access a pornographic website at 3am when you’re
probably asleep - a phone call that will show up on your bill as a very
expensive item when it’s too late to do anything about it.
‘Spyware’ is a broad category of
commercially driven software that is usually bundled with other programs
and downloaded innocently. A good way to attract a piece of spyware is
to download the software for peer-to-peer services like KaZaA that offer
free access to music tracks stored on other people’s PCs.
Many other ‘freebies’ of this type aren’t really free - not of spyware,
anyway. It’s even possible for spyware to load itself when all you’ve
done is to visit a particular website. This is called ‘drive-by
downloading’ for obvious reasons.
Once spyware loads itself onto your computer it simply does what it’s
told to do. One variant, known as ‘adware’ puts pop up messages on your
screen. Some adware is just random and displays an advertisement without
regard to what you’re doing at the time, but other types are smarter and
display advertisements whenever you access a competitor’s website.
Another kind of adware performs a sort of market research function - it
records every site you visit and reports back to another server that
assimilates this information and sends you targeted advertising based on
your choice of websites.
Adware can also ‘hijack’ your browser and take you where you don’t want
to go. If the program detects that you’re trying to access the site for
Hertz Rent-a-car it can take you to Avis instead.
A very dangerous type of spyware creates what’s called a ‘backdoor’ on
your computer so that someone can access it when they like and either
steal information from your hard drive or mimic you for whatever reason
they wish.
At its most dangerous is the spyware that harvests information from your
computer and passes it to someone else. It’s programmed to identify
combinations of keystrokes that look like bank account passwords or PIN
numbers and relay those back to another server. From there it’s
relatively easy for sophisticated thieves to empty your bank account.
Spyware can do a lot of things of which you’ll be totally unaware
including:
▪ Monitor every keystroke on your computer
▪ Scan the files on your hard drive
▪ Delete specific files from your hard drive
▪ Download and install software
▪ Access external PCs and telephones
▪ Read the ‘cookies’ in your Windows files
▪ Change your default homepage
▪ Monitor your web browser and identify the websites you visit
▪ Alert the spyware company if you try to remove its program
Spyware has been known to cause
a range of computer problems including system slowdowns, error notices,
browser crashes, and even appearances of the dreaded ‘Blue Screen of
Death’.
Although the computer systems usually return to normal when the spyware
has been detected and deleted, at least one spyware product is known
that disables your internet access when you try to delete it.
Oddly, spyware and adware don’t seem to be illegal. Not yet, anyway. The
U.S. state of Utah has legislated to force spyware ‘providers’ to tell
their targets that it’s being installed and ask for their permission but
this legislation is being challenged on the basis of freedom of speech.
Federal lawmakers are also trying to enact their own laws to protect PC
users from spyware but early versions of this legislation have been
disappointing. They mainly aim at getting permission for a spyware
installation - something that can be obtained through deceit or
misrepresentation, and difficult to track or disprove.
Spyware is big business. The world’s largest adware firm grossed $US 90
million in 2003 and is now planning an IPO. The ‘big three’ in spyware
say their programs are installed on 100 million PCs. They obviously have
a lot at stake when it comes to anti-spyware legislation and will spend
a considerable amount of money to protect their positions.
So, how can you protect yourself from the dangers and inconvenience of
spyware and adware? It’s very similar to preventing any other ‘nasties’
from getting into your computer - have a reliable anti-virus program and
a properly-configured firewall between you and the world, and keep them
updated frequently. An anti-spam program is also a good idea.
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