 - Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet (where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software), spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.
Data collecting programs that are installed with the user's knowledge are not, properly speaking, spyware, if the user fully understands what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared. However, spyware is often installed without the user's consent, as a drive-by download, or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window. Software designed to serve advertising, known as adware, can usually be thought of as spyware as well because it almost invariably includes components for tracking and reporting user information. However, marketing firms object to having their products called "spyware." As a result, McAfee (the Internet security company) and others now refer to such applications as "potentially unwanted programs" (PUP).
The cookie is a well-known mechanism for storing information about an Internet user on their own computer. If a Web site stores information about you in a cookie that you don't know about, the cookie can be considered a form of spyware. Spyware is part of an overall public concern about privacy on the Internet. Many Internet users were introduced to spyware in 1999, when a popular freeware game called "Elf Bowling" came bundled with tracking software.
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Getting started with spyware |
| To explore how spyware can be used against the enterprise, here are some additional resources: |
| Mobile device security: Extending antivirus to prevent threats: Protect your phone from viruses, spam and threats. Extend your antivirus software to defend your mobile device on multiple platforms and get advice on how to choose the best antivirus solution and deployment best practices. |
| Top five ways to fight spam threats: Prepare yourself for the battle against spam. In this podcast, learn the top five ways to fight new and evolving spam threats, the latest technologies that can assist you in the process and how current antispam technologies are falling short. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
05 Oct 2008
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