Spyware
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Spyware can record every action you take while using your computer, gather personal information, and relay that information to other people. Spyware can compromise your privacy and expose you to identity theft and other serious hazards. Spyware dialers will make use of your telephone line to 'call home' resulting in expensive long distance fees. You need to protect yourself before your personal documents are let loose. Spyware can install itself from downloading music, sharing files, and even clicking on an image from a web site. Some more normal ways of getting them are clicking pop-ups or downloading from an untrusted site. The reason they are installed is mainly for advertising purposes. Most come with a free program you download without prompting you. The program installer doesn't always describe every program being installed. Sadly, Spyware and adware are not illegal. A common way to tell if you are infected are if your home-page has changed without prompting you, tons of pop-up ads, and programs that are not supposed to be there and refuse to leave your computer. Spyware and viruses have been compared, but they differ. A virus programers purpose is to spread and infect as many computers as possible. On the other hand, spyware, saps information from the user, but lets the user browse the Internet (usually). Unprotected Windows computers, used by children can be easily targeted. One message commonly used to get children is "He will explore the Internet with you as your very own friend and sidekick! He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail, and download like no other friend you've ever had! He even has the ability to compare prices on the products you love and help you save money! Best of all, he's FREE! [1]". As of 2004, there has been more professional computer repairers than any other single cause. In more than half of these cases, the user has no awareness of spyware and initially assumes that the system performance, stability, and/or connectivity issues relate to hardware, Windows installation problems, or a virus. (On the other hand, older versions of Windows itself, as well as CPU undercooling, can manifest spyware--like symptoms, specifically including instability or slowness.)
So what's so Bad About It?:
I asked a few members of my family about spyware and I said, "Don't you care that companies you don't even know are spying on were you go on the Internet and selling that information?" They usually say, "Um....no". So what is so bad about it? Well for one thing spyware slows your computer down to a crawl. Companies like 180 Solutions and the Claira Corperation and Zange are getting rich from advertisers who pay to have ads delivered to your system. Usually that spyware won't fully uninstall itself with ad/remove programs. Those companies, and many more spyware companies, don't consider their software to be spyware/adware but user installed or "opt-in". When I contacted Claria via E-mail they told me they didn't think their software was spyware but adware making a distriction between both. I did this after testing to see if free webhosting websites were associated with spyware.
Legal aspect in the US:
Recently, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued Internet marketing company Intermix Media Inc. today for being a source of spyware that degrades computers. "Spyware and adware are more than an annoyance," Spitzer said in a statement. "These fraudulent programs foul machines, undermine productivity, and in many cases frustrate consumers' efforts to remove them from their computers. These issues can serve to be a hindrance to the growth of E-commerce." Others include the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and several other laws have been passed. However, spyware is still legal.
Known Spyware (incompete, there are hundreds, these are some common ones):
How to Protect yourselve:
We contacted Benjamin Edelman, Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a student at the Harvard Law School about spyware protection. Here's what he had to say, "Patch Windows with all the latest updates, including XP SP2 and everything that Auto-Update recommends. This prevents most installations through security holes. void installing software from untrustworthy sources. Avoid dubious software (P2P with any bundled "adware" even if vendor promises "no spyware"). Avoid games or screensavers from anything but the most trusted sources. Don't respond to online ads or popups offering software of any kind. Not even banner ads, not even if the programs "look" legitimate, not even if the
ads look like official Windows messages boxes."
Adware:
Adware is a form of spyware that collects information about the user based on were you go on the Internet. The software already comes with adware embedded in it. The information is sent to a sever or other areas. The authors of these applications include additional codes that deliver the ads, which can be viewed through pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. The justification for adware is that it helps recover programming development cost and helps to hold down the cost for the user. Of course this is all done without your consent. Adware has been criticized because it usually includes code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties. Spy-bot will not remove adware, for adware I recommend Ad-Ware SE Personal. Adware can also be hiding out in various favorites and bookmarks, ready to take over your screen when you visit those websites. Browser hijackers are a form of adware, and these take over your web browser in a similar way. Adware is a nuisance at best and can slow down your computer's operation considerably. Adware and spyware are a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee. There are also many PC surveillance tools that allow a user to monitor all kinds of activity on a computer, ranging from keystroke capture, snapshots, email logging, chat logging and just about everything else. These tools are often designed for parents, businesses and similar environments, but can be easily abused if they are installed on your computer without your knowledge. These tools are perfectly legal in most places, but, just like an ordinary tape recorder, if they are abused, they can seriously violate your privacy.
Adware/Spyware Removal Programs:
Last updated on: July 17, 2005
So what's so Bad About It?:
I asked a few members of my family about spyware and I said, "Don't you care that companies you don't even know are spying on were you go on the Internet and selling that information?" They usually say, "Um....no". So what is so bad about it? Well for one thing spyware slows your computer down to a crawl. Companies like 180 Solutions and the Claira Corperation and Zange are getting rich from advertisers who pay to have ads delivered to your system. Usually that spyware won't fully uninstall itself with ad/remove programs. Those companies, and many more spyware companies, don't consider their software to be spyware/adware but user installed or "opt-in". When I contacted Claria via E-mail they told me they didn't think their software was spyware but adware making a distriction between both. I did this after testing to see if free webhosting websites were associated with spyware.
Legal aspect in the US:
Recently, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued Internet marketing company Intermix Media Inc. today for being a source of spyware that degrades computers. "Spyware and adware are more than an annoyance," Spitzer said in a statement. "These fraudulent programs foul machines, undermine productivity, and in many cases frustrate consumers' efforts to remove them from their computers. These issues can serve to be a hindrance to the growth of E-commerce." Others include the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and several other laws have been passed. However, spyware is still legal.
Known Spyware (incompete, there are hundreds, these are some common ones):
- 180 Solutions
- DirectRevenue
- lop.com
- Cydoor
- Bonzie Buddy
- CoolWebSearch (currently 1316)
- ShopAtHomeSearch
- Back Orifice
- * Kazaa
- * Bearshare
- * DivX (except for the paid version, and the 'standard' version without the encoder)
How to Protect yourselve:
We contacted Benjamin Edelman, Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a student at the Harvard Law School about spyware protection. Here's what he had to say, "Patch Windows with all the latest updates, including XP SP2 and everything that Auto-Update recommends. This prevents most installations through security holes. void installing software from untrustworthy sources. Avoid dubious software (P2P with any bundled "adware" even if vendor promises "no spyware"). Avoid games or screensavers from anything but the most trusted sources. Don't respond to online ads or popups offering software of any kind. Not even banner ads, not even if the programs "look" legitimate, not even if the
ads look like official Windows messages boxes."
Adware:
Adware is a form of spyware that collects information about the user based on were you go on the Internet. The software already comes with adware embedded in it. The information is sent to a sever or other areas. The authors of these applications include additional codes that deliver the ads, which can be viewed through pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. The justification for adware is that it helps recover programming development cost and helps to hold down the cost for the user. Of course this is all done without your consent. Adware has been criticized because it usually includes code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties. Spy-bot will not remove adware, for adware I recommend Ad-Ware SE Personal. Adware can also be hiding out in various favorites and bookmarks, ready to take over your screen when you visit those websites. Browser hijackers are a form of adware, and these take over your web browser in a similar way. Adware is a nuisance at best and can slow down your computer's operation considerably. Adware and spyware are a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee. There are also many PC surveillance tools that allow a user to monitor all kinds of activity on a computer, ranging from keystroke capture, snapshots, email logging, chat logging and just about everything else. These tools are often designed for parents, businesses and similar environments, but can be easily abused if they are installed on your computer without your knowledge. These tools are perfectly legal in most places, but, just like an ordinary tape recorder, if they are abused, they can seriously violate your privacy.
Adware/Spyware Removal Programs:
- Spy-Bot
- Ad-Aware
- Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta)
- Spyware Doctor
- Spyware Blaster
- STOPZilla!
- Hijack This (for advanced users)
Last updated on: July 17, 2005
Comments
again spyware... actually, spyware brings as many problems as you even cannot imagine. some are trying to remove parasites manually, while some are creating tools for automatic removal. so far automatic removal tools usually are not able to fully remove malware located onto your machine. that means that you have to help remover remove parasites manually. that is not a problem about manual removal because there are websites created to help users to get rid of spyware. one of the spyware removal guides is located here: remove spyware
By 
, at
8/03/2005 02:14:00 AM
great article on spyware! in addition i would like to recommend this www.spywaredb.com spyware resource, it contains latest instructions for manual spyware removal
By , at
9/11/2005 03:19:00 AM
hi..this message is for paul who falsely accused me of spreading spyware. false accusation can lead to legal actions. i hope you have concious while blogging to prevent disputes and false allegations.
By , at
10/10/2005 07:28:00 AM
Hi,
Some blogs do give people spyware, and you may not know of it. Examples are live message boxes: They launch pop-ups leading to spyware downloads. Telling someone they give spyware isn't enough to get sued. If you are threaning AMCP, we will take legal action to an extent we feel needed.
