Spyware

Spyware is such a broad term that even the definition of this computer scourge is fuzzy. So what is spyware? The best definition out there is given by Wikipedia:

 

 “Spyware is a broad category of malicious software intended to intercept or take partial control of a computer`s operation without the user’s informed consent.”

Thus, spyware has come to mean, not only the “software that spies on you”, but also the software that performs other kinds of abuses and annoyances, outside the traditional virus-and- worm world. For example, displaying unwanted ads is a primary purpose of “adware”, which is often categorized as a type of spyware. In fact, some people even extend the definition to cover browser cookies, relatively innocuous pieces of text used by websites for user tracking.

One angle missed by the above definition is that while some folks are known to launch viruses and worms, two well-known types of computer nasties, “Just for fun”, spyware is usually written for somebody`s direct monetary benefit, often in the form of good old cash. This aspect`s is one of the keys to the dramatic rise of spyware.

Spyware emerged in recent years to “entertain” computer users. This emergence coincided with a sea change in the world of mainstream computer attackers that shifted their focus from having fun at somebody else’s expense to making money at somebody else’s expense. Spyware , along with spam, phishing (“social engineering” attacks via email intent on stealing credentials), and pharming (DNS attacks aimed at attracting users to malicious websites), is one of the most noticeable computer threats of the day. We did say “noticeable” although spyware is often is often engineered to be hard to find, hard notice, hard to pay attention to(that is, hidden in a lengthy license) and obviously hard to remove. Spyware evolved in the same time frame as e-commence and online banking. As business use of the internet was growing up, so was business abuse.