Spyware

By:
Donny Gray
Katrina Winters
Deondrick Pina
Alex Napper

History

The word 'spyware' was used for the first

time publicly in October 1995.

It popped up on Usenet (a distributed

Internet discussion system in which users
post e-mail like messages) in an article aimed
at Microsoft's business model.

What is Spyware

Spyware refers to programs that use your

Internet connection to send information from
your personal computer to some other
computer, normally without your knowledge
or permission.

This information is a record of your ongoing

browsing habits, downloads, or it could be
more personal data like your name and
address.

How it infects your

computer

Most spyware is installed without users'

knowledge.
Spyware gets on a system through
deception of the user or through
exploitation of software vulnerabilities.
Most of the time it is bundled with some
sort of other software that the user has
downloaded.

Effects and Behaviors

A spyware infestation can create

significant unwanted CPU activity, disk
usage, and network traffic.
Stability issues, such as applications
freezing, failure to boot, and system-wide
crashes, are also common.
Spyware, which interferes with
networking software commonly causes
difficulty connecting to the Internet.

Types

Some types of spyware disable software

firewalls and anti-virus software, and/or
reduce browser security settings, thus
opening the system to further
opportunistic infections, much like an
immune deficiency disease.
Some other types of spyware use rootkit
like techniques to prevent detection, and
thus removal.

Remedies and Prevention

Spyware is still changing, meaning

remedies can vary from different types of
spyware.
If programs do not work to rid the
computer of the infected then a full
system reinstall would be needed.
Most big anti-virus firms have added antispyware to their anti-virus packages.
(Such as Macafee and Symantec)

There are two things an anti-spyware program can do

to protect you.

1. They can provide real time protection

against the installation of spyware software
on your computer.
2. Anti-spyware software programs can be
used solely for detection and removal of
spyware software that has already been
installed onto your computer.

Examples of Spyware Programs

CoolWebSearch
Internet Optimizer
HuntBar
Movieland
MyWebSearch
Zango
WeatherStudio

Examples of Anti-Spyware
Programs

Ad-Aware SE
Spybot - Search & Destroy
GIANT AntiSpyware
AVG Anti-Spyware Professional Edition