Spyware Programs: Are Sneaky Ventures Occuring on Your Personal Computer (PC)?

There are a number of definitions for the term spyware. As you know from the movies, the calling card of a spy is that he or she is sneaky and not easily noticed. Spyware is an application that performs sneaky activities behind the user?s back. These covert activities can include; installing itself onto your computer, gathering information about you and transmitting it across the internet, downloading files or running programs on your computer, messing with your system settings, or even trying to silently pass itself on to others.

Know about spyware

Spyware is a term that is used to describe the software that collects personal information about you (usually so it can then show you targeted ads) or change the configuration of your computer. The problem is spyware performs these activities without obtaining your consent first. Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements or tracks personal or sensitive information.

Different strains of spyware perform different functions. Some may try to hijack your browser and take you to an unexpected site. Other strains may cause your computer to dial expensive 900 numbers or replace the home page settings in your browser with other sites. Spyware might also attempt to serve you personal ads (even while you are offline). The type of spyware that serves you personalized advertisements is most commonly called adware (it is also known as malware or scumware).

Where it starts

It is estimated that 90 percent of all computers utilizing the internet are infected with spyware. So just how is spyware installing itself onto all these computers?

Well, in many cases, the user is the one installing the spyware. The problem is many popular programs come bundled with spyware. The end user licensing agreement of these programs often disclose all the information concerning the spyware, but most users do not read them before installing the program. So while downloading a new application, you may be doing yourself a disservice by also installing spyware.

In addition to downloading spyware yourself, you might visit a website with a pop up window informing you that site will not display correctly unless you allow it to install a file. If you answer yes, you can inadvertently load the spyware. Spam emails often come with spyware attachments. For that reason, it is very important to never open an attachment from an email when you don?t know who the sender is.

If you are ready to keep your personal computer safe from spyware, check-out our best spyware removal page. Get access to free trial downloads, screenshots of how the tools operate and antispyware tips.