The Spyware Who Loved Me - part 1.

Author: Jared Prescott

Article:
Don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise, the Internet is not a safe place to take your computer systems without adequate protection. It wasn’t too long ago that anti-virus and firewall software could provide your systems with more than enough security to safely cruise the Internet. Unfortunately, the Internet has become a haven for far too many unscrupulous companies and individuals who actively engage in developing and then enticing you to place software on your computers purposefully designed to invade your privacy in ways that cannot be described as anything but sinister.

Those waters are shark infested…There is no better way to state this; to venture onto the Internet without adequate spyware and adware protection these days effectively signs away your privacy to snoops you wouldn’t invite into your homes. But, these software eavesdroppers are able to harvest frightening amounts of personal data from your computers.

People must be vigilant, now more than ever before, to protect their systems from spyware/adware that effectively monitors their online activities and dutifully reports the desire information back to its developers. Information that can be and frequently is broadcast back to a spyware/adware developer’s site can include but is not necessarily limited to:
Your computer’s address (IP – Internet Protocol)
Your operating system (Windows XP, 2000, ME, Mac OS, Linux, etc.)
Other information specific to your system (processor, memory, etc.)
Type of Internet browser you utilize (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Firefox, etc.)

Site addresses (URL’s) for web pages you visit
Assume any intrusion to be a major security breach. The information above is used to develop an advertising profile and then serve annoying pop-ups on the“infected” systems. There is no better terminology to describe a system that has spyware lurking and operating within it. These intruders watch your buying habits, and if packed with a keystroke logger, a seemingly innocuous spyware/adware bundle can stealthily acquire:
User names and passwords</li><li>Instant message and chat logs
Emails you’ve written
Credit card information
Numbers
Expiration dates
Billing address
Shipping address

Some packages include the ability to take random screen shots as well and either beam the images back to the spyware’s architect periodically or patiently wait until you are connected to the Internet to do so. No matter when or how the information is transmitted from your system, these security breaches should not be taken lightly.

Obvious clues that your system is infected. Fortunately adware packages are not subtle once they have infected a system. If you install software that includes force-fed adware baggage, it won’t take long for you to notice you are being inundated with new pop-ups.

Spyware can be a little more subtle and harder to detect. One of the most obvious signs that your system has been recently infected with spyware is a sudden drop in Internet performance. Browser pages will take longer to load, or they may not load at all. Some spyware can cause the entire system to bog down or stop working entirely. Like viruses, some spyware can also disable your printer or cause your CD players to respond erratically.

 The Spyware Who Loved Me - part 1.
The Spyware Who Loved Me - part 2.