Spyware must be the biggest threat to PC security in 2005. It is now the biggest threat to computer users at home and in business, even more than computer viruses. Even though Microsoft and other companies that make security software are working on it, spyware will still be a problem in 2006 and beyond. The research firm Radicati Group thinks that anti-spyware sales will bring in more than $1 billion worldwide by 2010.
Spyware comes in many forms, and some of them are more dangerous than others. At one end of the spectrum, Adware is a type of spyware that sends annoying ads to your computer. It's still spyware because the ads are usually shown to you based on how you normally use the Internet. A bad infection can also slow down your computer's performance in a big way as pop-up ads slowly fill up your desktop.
On the other hand, spyware programmes can record everything you do on your computer, down to each key you press. Then, this information is given to someone else. Then, this information is sold to marketing firms or used to make money. For example, the programme could have gotten your bank login information or credit card details.
Spyware is made and spread by people who want to make money from these activities. Webroot Inc., a company that makes anti-spyware software, says that advertising revenue from spyware is much more profitable than trying to make money from Spam Email.
Here are the most common ways spyware gets on your computer:
- Comes with free software that you download, like screensavers or P2P file sharing programmes. A P2P file-sharing programme like Kazaa, for example, instals adware on a user's computer even though it says it has "no spyware." The Screensaver.com programme Waterfalls 3 puts spyware and Trojan horses on your computer. The examples come from a report on the website of StopBadware.org.
#Don't open attachments in spam emails.
- Being tempted by pop-up ads to click on links that download spyware. Most of the time, these pop-ups show messages about winning money or getting into a special prize draw.
- "Drive-by downloading" is when a website you are visiting automatically sends spyware to your computer.
This year, the University of Washington published a report that showed which types of websites are most likely to host spyware or infect users through "drive-by downloads." From their research, they found the following groups:
- Places to get music online I think this means "illegal" sites like dailymp3.com or places where you can find P2P software.
- Gaming sites
- Sites for celebrities
- Sites for wallpaper and screensavers
- Adult sites
Here are some tips and ways to lower the risk of getting spyware:
- Turn on the pop-up blocker in your browser.
- Get an anti-spyware programme that has active protection to help stop infections from happening in the first place.
- Make sure you have the latest patches for Windows and other Microsoft programmes like Office.
- Use SiteAdvisor (www.siteadvisor.com). This is a free plug-in for your browser that tells you if a site is safe or not based on their testing. This is new software that comes with a lot of praise.
- If you often go to sites in high-risk categories, you might want to change the way you surf or at least make sure your system is fully protected.
