Adware: Not Just Advertisement
While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habit, sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, accessing websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. Spyware can even change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet or other programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software. "Privacy-invasive software is a category of software that ignores users’ right to be left alone and that is distributed with a specific intent, often of a commercial nature, which negatively affect[s] its users." A spyware program is rarely alone on a computer: an affected machine can rapidly be infected by many other components. Users frequently notice unwanted behavior and degradation of system performance. A spyware infestation can create significant unwanted CPU activity, disk usage, and network traffic, all of which slow the computer down. Stability issues, such as application or system-wide crashes, are also common. Spyware, which interferes with networking software commonly causes difficulty connecting to the Internet. As a 2004 AOL study noted, if a computer has any spyware at all, it typically has dozens of different pieces installed. Often people will take light of a spyware or adware situation and not worry. Many think that it is not a big deal to have these on your computer. As stated in the facts above, this is a very misinformed opinion to have. Spyware and adware will not only steal your personal information, it makes your computer much more susceptible to harmful viruses that will ruin your computer. It is shown that around 90% of personal computers are infected with adware and spyware. So odds are, your computer is infected and you could be in danger of having not only your personal information stolen but also uploading a virus onto your computer that could end up costing you thousands of dollars. Don’t make this mistake and put your computer at risk. I have found that it is vital to have superior software in order to combat spyware and adware. Click Here to find out how to prevent his from happening to your computer
About the Author: Jeff Excell is currently a student at a university who is studying different ways to prevent spyware and adware on personal computers. Click here to see some reviews on great products that Jeff has personally looked into:
http://jeff219.bezoogle.com/pp/adware/
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Print Article | Download PDF | 9 views | Jun 28 2008
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