What is Spyware?
Spyware is a program that gathers information about the computer user, often
for demographic purposes. Unlike viruses, most spyware is legal. Also called
adware by those who produce it, spyware takes many forms. Some forms, like
cookies, are relatively benign.
Others are annoying, obnoxious or destructive. Some are blatantly illegal. All
of them make you feel uneasy, like someone is watching you.
Some of the things that
legal
spyware does:
-
Crashes your computer
-
Prevents your computer from connecting to the Internet
-
Redirects your web searches to (its) preferred sites
-
Installs toolbars and “search assistants” on your machine
-
Places unwanted icons on your desktop
Some of the things that
illegal
spyware does:
-
Installs Trojans on your computer
-
Installs other spyware on your computer
-
Tracks your every keystroke
-
Finds your passwords
-
Uses your computer to attack other computers
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