What are viruses and spy ware?

Answer 1

Very often spy software is confused with spyware - let's clear up the difference between them.

Spyware is also known as adware, Trojans, viruses. Spyware moves into computer without user permission and knowing at all. After spyware is gathering information about computer users without their knowledge. Spyware periodically sends the gathering information about your interests, often visited websites, personal information and so on to spyware creators. This information is sold to marketing companies and other interested parties. This is NOT that our spy software is doing.

Spy software or computer monitoring software monitors and records everything a user does on a computer but installed directly by its purchaser wish. Spy software can record every action that a user is doing on a computer - but nobody except the purchaser of the software see the report about these actions. This software can be absolutely invisible and nobody can detect it or contrary show to a monitored user a splash warning.

Answer 2

Spyware is a general term used to describe software that performs certain behaviors such as advertising, collecting personal information, or changing the configuration of your computer, generally without appropriately obtaining your consent first.

Malware is an abbreviated term used to describe a "malicious software" program. Malware includes things like spyware or adware programs, such as tracking cookies, which are used to monitor your Surfing habits. It also includes more sinister items, such as keyloggers, Trojan horses, worms, and viruses.

Answer 3

As the name implies, this is software that "spies" on your computer. Nobody likes to be spied on, and your computer doesn't like it either. Spyware can capture information like Web browsing habits, e-mail messages, usernames and passwords, and credit card information. If left unchecked, the software can transmit this data to another person's computer over the internet.

Answer 4

No, Computer Viruses are not necessarily spyware. Computer viruses can come in any number of forms, spyware being one of them. Spyware is a type of computer virus that attempts to steal your personal information by tracking your keystrokes or sending copies of files on your computer back to their creator.

Answer 5

It monitors and keeps a track of entire activities going in the PC.

It can act as a key logger, records screen shots and is also capable of mailing the system details.

It is just like a spy

Answer 6

Spyware is a type of malware (malicious software) installed on computers that collects information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user and can be difficult to detect. Spyware is often secretly installed on a user's personal computer without their knowledge. However, some spyware such as keyloggers may be installed by the owner of a shared, corporate, or public computer on purpose in order to intentionally monitor users.

While the term spyware suggests software that monitors a user's computing, the functions of spyware can extend beyond simple monitoring. Spyware can collect almost any type of data, including personal information like Internet surfing habits, user logins, and bank or credit account information. Spyware can also interfere with user control of a computer by installing additional software or redirecting Web Browsers. Some spyware can change computer settings, resulting in slow Internet connection speeds, un-authorized changes in browser settings or functionality of other software.

Sometimes, spyware is included along with genuine software, and may come from an official software vendor. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is provided by the term privacy-invasive software. In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security practices for computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer. A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself[1] and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly, but erroneously, used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have a reproductive ability.

Answer 7

A spyware virus looks at what you are doing or typing on your computer without you realizing, and can steal personal information like credit card numbers and passwords.