MAY 2020 | VOL.
SPYWARE AND
By: Arbron Hysenbegas
Before we begin, think to yourself what is spyware and
adware and what does it mean to you?
The Basics:
Spyware has a lot of issues that not many users know of.
Firstly, identity theft is a serious concern as people's
personal data can be sold to other people and used for
illegal activity. To add on, spyware can cause damage to
your computer such as slowing it down (i.e. taking up a
lot of memory), overheat the computer, and even crash it.
Spyware can also send you to dangerous websites.
Adware is when software downloads or displays
advertisements on your computer. Adware may not be as
serious as spyware but it is still concerning to users.
Adware can manage to change the homepage of browsers
and the search engine. It can send pop-up ads in the
browsers and even on the computer's home screen. Like
spyware, the adware may slow down a person's computer.
ADWARE
Terms:
There are many important definitions and terms for spyware
and adware. First the basics.
What is spyware? Spyware is an unwanted software program
that manages to get into people's devices. Spyware things
such as internet usage and sensitive data (i.e. medical history,
full name, address, etc.)
What is adware? Adware is a type of spyware that keeps track
of what you download and the sites that you visit. The adware
will use that information to give you ads based on what you
look at. Adware can also give you unwanted ads and spam
your computer with ads causing it to slow down.
Trojan: Trojans are disguised as real software to trick the
users into clicking the link or downloading the file. Trojans
are used for many things such as stealing sensitive
information from users.
Tracking cookies: Tracking cookies will keep a log of a user's
activities online, their downloads, history, etc.
 Facts:
In 2017, a massive 978 million people were affected by
cybercrime. Cybercrime also made people lose $172 billion.
Spyware ended up contributing to those numbers.
Around 80% of people that browse on the internet have had
their devices affected by spyware. Of that 80% of people,
around 93% of spyware is still in their computers and 89% of
the users didn’t even know they had spyware on their PCs.
2 questions to think about:
1. How much money would the world save if spyware and
adware didn’t exist?
2. Should the government do anything about computer
safety? Should they add a course early in school to educate
kids on how to safely browse the internet? (i.e. start computer
safety in grade 3)
Who are the stakeholders?
The stakeholders in this scenario are the computer users. The
top concern for the users would be the fear of their identity
being stolen and sold to criminals that would use it to do
illegal activities. The users would want to be safe and not have
their personal information stolen. Spyware and adware can
also slow down computers and cause crashes. Spyware and
adware are not fair because it puts users at risks of serious
complications. Spyware and adware are not fair for anyone
because all it does is destroy computers and possibly even
lives.
Measures to take to stay as far away from
spyware and adware:
There are no pros to users when they get hit by spyware and
adware. Many users are not cautious when surfing the
internet. One of the most important steps to do is to install an
antivirus program (i.e. Malwarebytes, Avast, etc.)
Another measure to take is to know what websites or links
you click on and view. Clicking on the wrong link can cause
spyware or adware to infect a user's computer. Checking
what you download is also very key to being safe and staying
as far away as possible from adware and spyware.
What are the social, ethical, and personal
consequences?
The stakeholders would most certainly be the users of devices.
The most affected would be the elderly. Since technology is
relatively recent, the elderly still do not know how to properly
navigate themselves through the web without falling into traps.
Ethical consequences would definitely be the privacy and
safety of users. Spyware especially takes sensitive information
from users. While adware can mess around with someone's
computer making them lose important information.
Personal consequences include loss of important information
such as passwords, important documents such as projects for
work and passports. The short term consequences would be
computer crashes, slowing down of computers, etc. The long
term issues include loss of computer, loss of important
documents, possible loss of job (if important job documents are
lost it can lead to someone getting fired).
What ethical standards does it not uphold to?
Privacy is the biggest ethical standard that spyware and
adware don’t hold up to. Spyware and adware steal information
and other sensitive data. This can cause very serious issues
such as identity theft.
Final thoughts of spyware and adware:
Although spyware and adware aren’t viewed as something as
dangerous as malware, viruses, and hackers, spyware can be as
serious or even worse than malware, viruses, and hackers.
Everyone that encounters spyware and adware should take it
seriously. Spyware and adware can be devastating if not taken
seriously. To sum up, spyware and adware are terrible things
that all users on the internet should stay away from.
Sources in MLA format:
Kaspersky. “What Is Spyware?” Www.kaspersky.com, 13 Jan.
2021, www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/spyware.
Constantin, Lucian. “What Is Adware? How It Works and How
to Protect against It.” CSO Online, CSO, 3 July 2019,
www.csoonline.com/article/3406422/what-is-adware-how-
it-works-and-how-to-protect-against-
it.html#:~:text=Adware%20programs%20can%20change%20t
he,up%20windows%20in%20the%20browser.
“Spyware - What Is It & How to Remove It?” Malwarebytes,
www.malwarebytes.com/spyware/#:~:text=About%2080%25
%20of%20all%20Internet,granted%20permission%20to%20ins
tall%20them.