09.01.05
Containing the Security Threats of Spyware
Spyware has overtaken viruses as the biggest security threat facing Windows computer users. A survey of Australian and New Zealand consumers conducted by Symantec in 2005 revealed that spyware and adware is creating chaos. The survey revealed that spyware is affecting more than 59 percent and adware more than 85 percent of the consumers through online security threats.
Spyware is a description of programs that monitor computer usage. It is a software installed on a computer without the knowledge or consent of the computer user. This software has the capacity to record the websites a person visits and can be used by criminals to look for a credit card, social security number or a bank password. But the catch is – with diligence one can avoid virus infection. The difference between spyware and adware is that while spyware can log keystrokes and even has the capabilities to track e-mail and instant messaging conversations; adware captures the preferences of the users over time and sends it to third parties.
Spyware and adware are a potential threat to computer users but in a way, spyware is more lethal than adware because of the intensity of the damage that it could cause.
The users who visit particular websites for downloading free programs - everything from screensavers to file sharing are more prone to the threats of spyware as this software generally gets downloaded with these programs. The general diagnosis of this problem is that the computer often slows down or crawls and finally completely halts.
Finally the check and balances – one should run both anti-virus and anti-spyware software and check that the programs are kept up to date. This will at least ensure that the system does not get victimized by spyware in the short run.