I Spy

by John Doan
August 15, 2005

This month's installation covers one of the fastest growing concerns in computer security, Spyware. You thought you only had to worry about what your boss was logging as you surfed haplessly on the Internet? It's time you start getting paranoid about what advertisers, hackers (crackers, to be politically correct) and organized crime are logging as you surf, email, play games or even when your computer is simply turned on. Even the ACLU would agree the USA Patriot Act upholds your right to privacy more so than Spyware. Well, maybe not, but Spyware is like sharing a computer with your bunker mate, Clyde Conrad.

Spyware can also be referred to as Adware or Malware. While Adware might seem on the surface to be less dangerous than Malware, both can be equally frustrating and damaging to your computer. Adware specifically refers to programs on your computer that may track which internet sites you visit or possibly scan through your hard drive and send off keywords to advertisers. While the intention is to supply you with more direct and targeted advertising in the form of SPAM or pop-ups, the result of months of web-surfing could be extremely slow computer performance and/or endless pop-up/under windows. Malware has more sinister intentions, typically keystroke logging or modifying other software to prevent it from working properly (i.e. Anti-virus or firewall programs).

So how did Spyware get on my machine? Most likely, you installed it. That's right, YOU installed it! You might not have installed it intentionally, but you most likely authorized it when you glanced over the end-user licensing agreement (EULA) in your excitement to get chat software on your computer. You know, "Click here if you accept to the terms of this license agreement". The example below is a screenshot of the AOL Instant Messenger license. Notice you are authorizing the installation of "Third Party Select Components" along with the AOL provided software.

While most mainstream websites or applications won't install Malware, they may be a conduit as users unknowingly download files with Malware attached. Filesharing programs and Warez sites are renowned for providing users with "Free" access to software, music and video files that come tainted with Malware. Downloaded games, screensavers and toolbars are also likely places to grab Spyware.

So you are wondering how to relieve the pain? Luckily for you there are utilities that can help. Some anti-virus providers are providing at least limited forms of Spyware removal; however, there are freeware applications that exclusively target Spyware. Ad-Aware and Microsoft's Windows AntiSpyware (Beta), which is really Giant Software's AntiSpyware, are two freely available programs to deal with Spyware. There are other applications available both for free or for purchase. As the threat has steadily increased over the past couple of years, the number of companies addressing Spyware has also grown.

Once you've chosen your flavor of anti-Spyware, the trick is downloading and installing. If your computer is already plagued with slow performance and pop-ups, you may enlist the help of a friend or co-worker to download the application; then burn a CD for you. You may notice that you aren't able to reach the manufacturer's websites, download or install the application because Malware has blocked you from doing so. If you are not careful, you may end up downloading and installing tainted software.

So what is the risk of Spyware? While there is limited information linking Spyware directly to any criminal activity, the threat is definitely exists. Malware, specifically can capture keystrokes as you enter your login information to your banking or bill pay systems. The most common threat that Spyware poses, however, is the endless pop-ups and extremely slowed performance of your computer.

If you are realizing as you read this that your computer isn't running quite as well as it did a month ago, it is probably a good time to download an Anti-Spyware application. Don't be surprised if the first time you scan your computer and it discovers 1000 or more pieces of Spyware! Be sure to read, at least skim, through the list of suspicious files before choosing to remove all of them. You may be choosing to remove a component that is linked to the chat program you installed recently. To be safe, you may also want to create a restore point before removing Spyware, if you are a Windows XP user. Once you remove all Spyware, you may want to restart your computer and see if that helps the situation. Being overly paranoid, I have been known to run consecutive scans using different Anti-Spyware applications to see if any were missed!

Once you have your computer running as expected, it would be ideal to schedule monthly if not bi-weekly scans of your computers for Spyware. Be sure to download the updates for your respective program before each scan, as thousands of new Spyware applications are released monthly.

If you are interested in learing more about Spyware, Adware or Malware check out:

www.spywareguide.com
www.spywareinfo.com
www.lavasoft.com - Makers of Ad-Aware
www.zdnet.com - Technology online magazine (Keyword: Spyware)