Spyware & Adware

What is spyware?

We are seeing an increasing number of machines in for repair which have some form of ‘spyware’ or ‘adware’ installed. This information sheet is designed to explain what these programs are, what they do and what you can do about them

Typically machines with spyware components can cause users machines to malfunction in some way. They are called ‘spyware’ because they predominantly spy on the computer user and report back to their maker, a web site or news group information such as emails addresses and websites visited whilst Internet surfing on the infected machine.  They are also labelled ‘adware’ because they can pop up advertising windows or highjack users’ browsers by changing the default homepage to any site the writer wants. Machines that are infected with spyware typically become “bogged down” as more and more of these hidden programs run in the background.

Some viruses also contain amongst other malicious code like items of spyware, such as small applications to record your keystrokes on the keyboard etc, this can allow someone to work out your bank account and password details.

Is it illegal?

Yes and No, spyware is generally not an illegal type of software. Often users consent to have it installed when agreeing to the terms and conditions of some other software program. The software makers may include a statement in their terms and conditions giving permission to install extra software (i.e. the spyware) along with installation of the original piece of software. On other occasions it is installed maliciously by displaying a dialog box off screen and an acceptance box on screen with no other option but cancel in the box (obviously the box say’s cancel but actually installs) so the user has no obvious way of stopping the application other than cancel, which installs and thus infecting the machine. With the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 this type of behaviour will be stopped by the pop up blocker added to Internet Explorer.

Once installed, the spyware component then starts to act as a ‘server’ using the user’s machine as a host to send out tracking information onto the Internet or to display advertising.

Spyware can be hidden in any software package. File sharing programs (e.g. Kazaa) often have spyware along with them. The act of file sharing over the Internet tends to accumulate spyware on a machine as users are unsure exactly what they are downloading and installing and many of the downloaded programs include spyware as well. We recommend exercising caution when downloading any software off the Internet. Software from more legitimate sources e.g. www.download.com will often mention if there is spyware included with the software.

What can we do about spyware?

If you find your machine slowing down, popup windows appearing or anything else untoward happening such as the homepage changing spontaneously then you may have spyware on your machine.

There are tools available on the Internet that can scan machines for spyware and clean it off infected machines. If you bring your machine into the shop, a trained technician can isolate any spyware components on your machine and safely clean them off without damaging other programs.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 in the first in a series of steps the industry is taking to combat spy ware and other malicious threats on the internet. As other major developments are released we will keep you informed.

Computer Shop – Timaru 2000