Spyware - what it is and the risk to you

What is Spyware?

Spyware is software that is installed on your computer and collects information about what you do on your computer, and in many cases will send this information to third-parties who may use it to steal your identity or money.

Spyware often installs itself without your knowledge and 'hides' on your computer so that you can't find it. In fact, one of the main aims of these threats is to hide themselves so that they can work for as long as possible.

Spyware is often designed to install itself in such a way that it will be extremely difficult to remove and may be spread over many locations on your Hard Disk.

... and Spyware is BIG BUSINESS, selling the results of Spyware earns the people who distribute it a lot of money!

Types of Spyware

Spyware is a generic term that describes a security threat to your computer. It is a term that is used to describe many different types of malicious software.

• Adware − responsible for displaying pop-up ads on your computer. These are extremely annoying and can also stop you from being able to use your computer.
• Malware − another generic term for 'malicious software'.
• Keyloggers − a type of Spyware that records all the keys you press on your keyboard. This can be responsible for you inadvertently giving away sensitive information.
• Trojans − a program that installs without your knowledge or consent and allows changes to be made. Trojans may disguise themselves as legitimate software.
• System Monitors − monitor what you do on your computer and often send this information to third parties.
• Browser Hijackers − as the name suggests, these will 'hijack' your web browser so that you are forced to visit sites you don't want to visit. These sites are often porn or gambling sites.
• Dialers − a dialer is a risk to people with dial-up modems. It will disconnect the computer from your normal internet connection and then reconnect using a premium rate number - people have reported phone bills of hundreds of pounds caused by these threats.
  Note that if you do not have a dial-up modem connected to a phone line and are using broadband to access the internet, dialers do not pose a threat to you.
• Some Spyware will cause your computer to be hijacked and made part of a 'Bot Net'. These are networks of computers being used, without their owner's realizing, to send out spam emails (research has shown that the vast majority of spam that is sent across the internet is done so by this method) or to create 'Denial of Service' (DoS) attacks on websites as a form of blackmail (by getting thousands of computers to repeatedly access a website they can cause the site to crash).

Where does it come from and how does your computer get infected?

Spyware is a growing problem and the risk appears almost anywhere. Some of the most common places that computers get infected from are:

• Freeware software
• Shareware software
• emails
• instant messenger services
• File-sharing programs

and here are some of the common ways that Spyware infects a computer:

• Surfing the internet ('Drive-By' installs) − when you visit a website your computer downloads all the content from the page you are viewing before you see it. This can mean that you are downloading Spyware without your knowledge.
• Checking email − like viruses, some Spyware circulates as attachments to emails, also emails that have links to sites can result in infection - in fact, if you view emails with graphics elements (HTML emails) you could be infected without even visiting a website!
• File-Sharing − File-sharing programs are very popular for sharing music and video, and this is known to be a major source of Spyware infection.
• Bundled with legitimate software − In some cases Spyware is installed with legitimate software (usually when the software is downloaded from the web). Often the licence agreement will state that the Spyware is being installed, but it will be hidden deep within the licensing agreement - and let's face it, who reads all of those agreements?
  Examples of software downloads that can contain Spyware include:
  • Search Engine Software
  • Unusual Mouse Pointers
  • 'Novelty' programs
  • Instant News or Weather Updates
  • Computer Games
  • Programs that claim to Improve your Computer's Performance
  • File Sharing Programs
  • Emoticons
  
  etc... etc...
  This only applies to a very small amount of software that you can purchase and/or download from the web. There is a lot of good, quality software available that will not infect your computer.
• Clicking on Pop-Up Ads − your computer may be infected with Spyware that displays ads (also see the bogus anti-Spyware section later).

What is the risk to you?

You've already seen that there is a wide range of different types of Spyware and each will effect you in a different way. Here are some of the more common risks that Spyware poses to you:

• Identity Theft − many types of Spyware will send your personal and financial details to criminal third parties, who may then use that information to steal your identity.
• Loss of Money/Theft − if other people get hold of bank account or credit card details through Spyware this could be very expensive for you.
• Loss of Privacy − would you be comfortable knowing that everything you do with your computer could be made public?
• Damage to your Computer − Spyware can cause damage to your computer.

Symptoms of Spyware Infection?

Like the risks, different types of Spyware have different Symptoms. Here are just a few of the more common ones that you might experience:

• Sluggish PC − most Spyware will be doing something that you are not aware of. This might be watching what you are doing on your computer or sending out spam emails from it without your knowledge − this extra work will slow your computer, and depending on the type and amount of Spyware that you are infected with, your computer may become unusable.
• Pop-Up Ads − if your computer is infected with Adware you are likely to get constant Pop-Up Ads. You can get so many of these that your computer becomes more or less unusable.
• Changes to Homepage − when you open you internet browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape or Firefox) you can be taken straight to a site that is unfamiliar and you don't want to visit (often it'll be a porn site). It may be very difficult or impossible to get away from this site.

How do you protect your computer?

My advice is that any computer connected to the internet needs anti-Spyware software (in addition to a firewall and anti-Virus software).

There are various options available to you:

1. anti-Virus software with anti-Spyware built in − many of the well-known anti-Virus software providers are recognising the threat of Spyware and are including Spyware protection within their applications. I am sure that this provides reasonable protection, however, due to the different technologies used to develop Viruses and Spyware, I'm not convinced that they will be able to give you the best protection.
2. Microsoft Defender − Microsoft currently provide a free (for home use only) anti-Spyware product called 'Defender'. This is available for Windows 2000, Windows XP and above (so if you have Windows 98, Me or 95 it will not work with your system). I have read mixed reports about the effectiveness of this product and some anti-Spyware companies claim that Microsoft doesn't recognise as Spyware some of the infections that they do.
   
   You can download Defender from the Microsoft Download Center.
   Defender is a free download for non-business use only and is available as of the time of writing this document (June, 2006). However, Microsoft are producing a security program which will include anti-Virus, anti-Spyware and a firewall which is reported to be going on sale early 2007. At this time Defender may not available as a free download.
3. Dedicated Anti-Spyware software − I have created links to 2 very highly regarded anti-Spyware programs (SpySweeper and CounterSpy) on my resources page. If you want to visit their sites (where you can purchase and download if you wish) please take a look at my 'Essential Software' page. I think these also provide a free trial, it would be worth downloading the trial and scanning your computer. If the software finds lots of Spyware you should consider purchasing it.

WARNING about bogus/scam anti-Spyware software

The following pictures are examples of the type of Pop-Up that you might see to try and sell you anti-Spyware software:

Here is a list of just some of the known scam or bogus anti-Spyware programs:

• Antivirus Gold family, including:
  • Adware Delete
  • SpyAxe
  • Antivirus Gold
  • >SpywareStrike
• PS Guard Family, including:
  • Security Iguard
  • Winhound
  • PSGuard
• SpywareNo! Family, including:
  • SpyDemmolisher
  • SpySheriff
  • SpyTrooper
  • SpywareNo!
• Raze Spyware
• RegFreeze
• WinAntiSpyware 2005
• WorldAntiSpy