Spyware is a term used to describe a broad category of malicious or privacy invading software. Spyware is very much like a virus in the way that it "infects" a computer's operation and functioning without the owner/user's consent. Spyware infects a host by a number of different ways. One way that spyware is distributed is by hiding it inside another piece of software. Disguising software in such a way is very sneaky but is usually not illegal. Often enough, when installing the original software there will be a contract that you must read and accept to continue. About 99% of people never take the time to fully read that contract because if they did, they would learn that the software they are installing would also be installing spyware to do a number of nasty things. Some of these things include: 1. Logging all of your passwords and user names and sending them to people that exploit that information. 2. Logging all of your websites that you visited and keeping detailed track records of your Internet usages. 3. Pop up advertisements unsuspecting in hopes to make a few bucks from your clicks. 4. Slow and bog up your Internet connection.
As you can see spyware is usually an undesirable piece of software. The sad truth is that over 75% of all Internet connected computers are infected with spyware. That number continues to grow because spyware often reproduces itself automatically by sending itself to other computers from infected hosts. Essentially growing exponentially out of control. Even major multi-million dollar businesses undergo a tremendous battle against spyware, spending thousands and thousands of dollars every year. The problem with this is that while battling against spyware they are actually attracting more of it. If only they would put the time, money and resources into having computer and network systems free and immune to spyware will they ever win the war against it.
Now this may sound unbelievable at first but if you look at how anti-spyware softwares, firewall softwares and computer security softwares all work, they work by protecting computers from previously made malicious software, not by preventing new ones from infiltrating. A firewall is designed to block access from places that it is told are unsafe or unrecognized. This might seem like a preventive measure but its not! - If you recall the earlier part of this article, one of the major ways you get infected with spyware is that it piggybacks on a "trusted" piece of software.
