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Is There a Spy in Your Computer?
What is spyware? This is tracking software that has been placed on your computer without your knowledge. The easiest way to explain is to use an example. Let's say Web Site A is a free, public website that does not charge visitors to use the site. You do not need to create an account and log onto the site to see the information. You see a lot of ads on this site and maybe a lot of pop-up ads. Web sites can be expensive and to generate income, Web Site A has entered into an agreement with these advertisers. Basically, Web Site A is being paid by the advertisers to have their ads on the site. These advertisers drop a "cookie" or other software on your computer when you visit Web Site A. This software is what we call spyware. It is capable of gathering information about you and sending back the information to the advertiser. Please note that it is beyond the scope of this article to enter into the ethical or legal aspects of this process.
Now let's take this a step further. You visit Web Site A, then you go to your favorite site about fishing. Soon thereafter, you start receiving pop-up ads for many sites that reference fishing - ads for boats, fishing rods, etc. Within a couple days, your computer seems to get slower.
What is happening? The advertisers from Web Site A installed software on your computer that is constantly sending back information to the advertiser's "home base". When you turn on your computer and connect to the internet, the spyware immediately tries to contact the "home base" and continues to communicate with the "home base" transmitting locations of other web sites that you visit. The "home base" then starts sending you more ads because the tracking indicated other areas of interest. Now multiply this by 30, 50 or even several hundred companies that are trying to communicate with their "home base". The spyware can literally take over most of your resources.
There are several levels of spyware. The most popular just spies on places you visit on the internet. However, more advanced software can track your keystrokes or even take over your computer. The last two should be caught by your firewall software. If the firewall is set correctly, it should prevent any data from coming into your computer or going out of your computer.
What can you do? You need to install spyware removal software. There are several good freeware programs available. There are also programs that you can purchase. You can get reviews from www.cnet.com or www.pcworld.com.
An added note: At this time, these programs are not considered a virus. Your anti-virus software will not detect and remove spyware on your computer.
Copyright 2004 FAR