Removing Spyware For Free

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Understanding Spyware Terms

Spyware

Spyware is known as any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. However, it should be noted that not all of shareware and freeware applications come with spyware, but most do. Once spyware is installed, it monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else who is monitoring the spyware's return information. Spyware is also known to gather e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

Spyware is very similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today.

Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet connection. Because it is using memory and system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general system instability.

Spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other applications, such as chat programs or word processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will either use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another party.

Licensing agreements that accompany software downloads sometimes warn the user that a spyware program will be installed along with the requested software, but the licensing agreements may not always be read completely because the notice of a spyware installation is often couched in obtuse, hard-to-read legal disclaimers.

Adware

While not necessarily malware, adware is considered to go beyond the reasonable advertising that one might expect from freeware or shareware. Typically a separate program that is installed at the same time as a shareware or similar program, adware will usually continue to generate advertising even when the user is not running the originally desired program.

Look for examples of Adware in the near future.

Trojan

Software programs devised by professional hackers to detect activity on PC's allowing the hacker to assume the user's identity.

A virus is a program or code that attaches itself to a legitimate, executable program, and then reproduces itself when that program is run. Worm: A self-contained program (or set of programs) that is able to spread copies of itself to other computer systems. Usually takes place through network connections or email attachments.

Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking is the forcible robbery from, or seizure of, your internet browser is taken without your approval or consent. Historically the term used to refer to robbery of trucks, other land motor vehicles and aircraft skyjacking.

Identity Theft

Identity theft (or identity fraud) is the deliberate assumption of another person's identity, usually to gain access to their finances or frame them for a crime. Less commonly, it is to enable illegal immigration, terrorism, espionage, or changing identity permanently. It may also be a means of blackmail, especially if medical privacy or political privacy has been breached, and if revealing the activities undertaken by the thief under the name of the victim would have serious consequences like loss of job or marriage. Assuming a false identity with the knowledge and approval of the person being impersonated, such as for cheating on an exam, is not considered to be identity theft.

Dialer

Definition to be added

Data Mining

Analyzing a Web site or the entire Web. Web "usage" mining determines the navigation patterns of users on a site and is derived from the server logs. Web "structure" mining examines the link hierarchy of a site in order to improve navigation. Web "content" mining explores the data contained in related sites in order to provide better resources for visitors.