The
spy who loved me
by Divina C. Paredes
If you love to download �free� stuff from websites, you may be getting more than emoticons or �weatherbugs.� Those cute smiley faces and weather alerts could come with what is now called �spyware.�
Spyware is unwittingly downloaded soft- ware that secretly relays private information from a user�s PC to a third party without proper authorisation.
Different from viruses, spyware has good and bad properties, making it difficult for traditional anti-virus software to identify and clean up.
Some of the spyware just want to know which sites you visited. Their creators then sell the data to companies that want to fine- tune their marketing campaigns on how best to separate you, the online buyer, from your money.
A different type of spyware displays unwanted advertising and can slow down your PC. Another could change your home- page and search results. The really devious kinds try to steal your passwords � particularly those you use for internet banking and other financial transactions. They can then buy online using your credit card details. Or they can apply for loans and credit cards using those vital personal data. This, potentially, could cost you thousands of dollars and be a nuisance when you try to clear your credit records after another person has �stolen your identity� and got loans or pur- chased items using your credit card details. According to Computer Associates, an aver- age 28 spyware applications are found on a computer. Spyware is responsible for half of all PC crashes and is approaching spam�s epidemic proportions. At least 1000 variants of spyware are produced every week.
I recently interviewed a security specialist, Rich Mogull of Gartner, during a conference in Sydney, and he reckons up to 80 to 90 per cent of computers in offices are infected with spyware. Some users are not even aware their systems are harbouring these �computer pests.�
Spyware could slow down productivity as users attempt to cope with changing browser behaviour and annoying pop-up ads. The IT help desk personnel also bear the burden of manually cleaning the desktops. At home, you may find your PCs slowing down or even crashing, and you continuously have to close those annoying pop up ads. Bear in mind there are two major ways for getting these computer pests, according to Computer Associates. You unwittingly agree to download it when you do not fully read the fine print in the licensing agreement which says you consent to downloading spy- ware. Or you may get it through �drive by downloading� in which pop up ads or web- sites offering freebies include a code instructing computers to begin downloading spyware. There is a third invisible way, and this works when spyware just adds itself by exploiting gaps within computer operating systems or internet browsers.
Users can protect themselves by getting spy- ware scans from reputable software devel- opers, or invest in commercial products that detect and remove spyware.