Answered
In Computer Viruses
What is spyware?
Spyware is a bit of a overused term. It can apply to adware,trojans, browser hijackers, and more. By definition spyware is atype of malware which is designed to report back …to its maker (orsome other party) with information about the user. The most common type of spyware is adware and the so-calledbrowser-hijackers. In this instance the spyware is used to gatherinformation on your browsing habits, and may also serve ads to theuser. Many of these programs will insert their own advertisementsover that which belong to the website youre visiting or even addtheir own. Spyware is often programmed to change the users homepageand may insert bookmarks. Some spyware is known to block websitesthey dislike, websites for antivirus companies and spyware removalsoftware are the usual targets. Adware and browser-hijackers exist on the very edge of legality.They often blur the lines between virus and application, purportingto provide some useful service to the user such as online savingsthrough a referral program or somesuch. As a result they are notalways picked up by virus scanners. Trojans however make no bones about their illegality. Trojans areviruses which are desinged to allow someone else to take overcontrol of the system. Trojans (named after the Trojan horse oflore) open up the computers back door so to speak, and whoever getsin will have the ability to do anything they want to your computer,just like they were sitting at your desk. How do these programs get on your machine? Spyware is oftenpackaged with some freeware application you may have downloaded.Limewire in particular comes with several spyware programspiggiebacking their way into your system. Even after the primaryapplication is removed, the spyware will still be in there.Sometimes they are brought in by a malicious script on a websiteyou visited. There are many ways spyware can creep into yoursystem. Luckily, there are free programs out there which can automaticallyscan your system & remove spyware. Spybot Search & Destroyis an excellent freeware title which also has a number of usefulsystem utilities built in, and is linked below. Lavasoft Adawarealso has a free version (although you might have to dig for it) andis also an excellent spyware scanner. Note: Since spyware scanners have become so popular, the spywareproducers themselves have gotten into the business of producingtheir own spyware scanners. There are several out there which willignore specific spyware programs, or even worse, install them! Userbeware! Any software that covertly gathers user information throughthe user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge,usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications aretypically bundled as a hidden component of freeware orsharewareprograms that can be downloaded from the Internet;however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware andfreeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, thespyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits thatinformation in the background to someone else. Spyware can alsogather information about e-mailaddresses and even passwords andcredit card numbers. Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in thatusers unwittingly install the product when they install somethingelse. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to downloadcertain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are availabletoday. I think the word you meant was "spyware." Spyware is usually a typeof program that keeps you fom getting viruses and such things badfor your computer. Once you do get something like that, they askyou to quarantine it. For instance, if you go to the Google homepage and you choose to download Google Chrome - you get a virus. (Ihave tried it - Trojan virus is what you get.) ( Full Answer )