What is Spyware?

Spyware refers to computer software,programs, that are installed, usually without the computer users knowledge and gather information about how the computer is being used and the websitesthe user visits.

The simplest and most insidious form of spyware are so-called “cookies” although not all cookies are bad. These tiny pieces of computer code are loaded into your browser when you visit a site. They are usually required to let you login to anecommerce site, such as Amazon, or asocial networking site like Facebook.They are a necessary evil in such cases, without them login would not necessarily work, but they also allow the owners of various sites to track your browsing on that site.

At worst, however, a cookie might beplanted by a less than ethical site that traces your activity across different sites. Modern browsers have built in controls that allow you to control which sites can install cookies. They also let you automatically delete cookies when you close your browser and retain the ones you need on an ad hoc basis.

Spyware, however, is more than crumbling cookies. When the term was first coined in the 1990s it usually referred to a small program that was installed on your computer when you installed another program, such as a freeware or shareware drawing package, text editor, or other application.

Examples of programs that contain spyware include: Bonzi Buddy, Dope Wars, EDonkey2000, Grokster, Kazaa, Morpheus, RadLight, Sony’s Extended Copy Protection, WeatherBug, WildTangent, and SpyEagle. This is not a current or comprehensive list and many of these programs are no longer widely used.

These hidden programs can run in the background when you start your computer and send all kinds of information about your computer activity to a central server owned by the spyware creator.

Initially, such spyware may have been undesirable but it was not necessarily malicious, usually being used simply to gather information about consumer behavior and so produce more targeted advertising campaigns. However, the line between spyware and malicious software (malware) has become very blurred and malware is now commonly used by criminals to steal private information, such as bank details and logins, rather than simply spying on the websites you visit.