Words Aileen Asistio-Clemente
Spy. Synonyms - sleuth, snoop, sneak, emissary, espionage agent. The root word of the term commonly
known today in cyber language: "spyware."
Spy software or spyware is a technology installed on a computer without the user's knowledge or permission. It
usually gets into the system when a user downloads certain free software, clicks pop-ups, or simply visits certain
websites. Its purpose is to gather all sorts of user data, which could range from the harmless, such as spending or
surfing habits, to the sensitive such as credit card or social security numbers. But just as the term conjures images of
evil, conspiracy, and deceit, spyware is not so bad in itself. It has just been a sorry victim of abuse and bad publicity
just like many other innocent software around.
The Good
Although much of what's said about spyware in recent years tends to be in the negative, this tool in fact has its
original legitimate purposes. Many businessmen are using spyware for marketing and feasibility studies. They use
it to track the number of hits to their website; which domain referred these users to their site; what keywords were
used for the search; what search engines were used, etc. - all necessary for valid market surveys and improving
customer service. These companies hardly collect personal user information, much less use them for illegitimate
purposes.
In some countries, spyware even helps the police in yielding vital forensics necessary for criminal investigations
when suspected criminals, or even victims, used the Internet prior to the crime. In many instances, analyzing the
surfing habits of these people lead to clues that can give the police ideas on how the crime was committed. It helps
in solving crimes in a fast and precise way, CSI-style.
Another common use for this technology is for parents who want to monitor their children's Internet habits. A popular
software, eBlaster works by capturing copies of incoming and outgoing messages to and from your child's email
address and sending them to your own mailbox. Within seconds, you know who your child has been talking to, and even
what they are up to. For many responsible parents, this is just as important as physically seeing who your kids' friends
are and what they do when they're together.
This type of monitoring software has also been proven to be effective in raising the productivity in some companies.
The next time you spend precious company time surfing or doing online shopping, make sure the system administrator
hasn't put spyware programs in your PC. Unless, of course, you're creative enough to explain the significance of going
to sexysluts.com in finishing your latest marketing assignment when questioned.
The Bad
You search for job sites and suddenly a pop-up for a resume-writing service company appears. Likewise, a search for
nature-inspired wallpaper redirects you to a porn site that sells photos of sexy women in all types of "natural" poses.
Before you think there's a ghost in your machine, check it out. Chances are that you've got spyware in your system.
Most of the spyware that we get when we connect to the Internet originates from people or companies trying to
sell products or services. Just like spam, they take advantage of the Internet's vulnerability to advertise their wares
economically to the wide surfing public. Although generally harmless, many people find it annoying and sometimes
even embarrassing.
The Ugly
It's not hard to imagine that if someone could steal any information from you without your consent, there's also a
big chance that this information could fall in the wrong hands and be used for evil motives. Certain types of spyware
contain Trojans and other viruses. Others have the ability to log keystrokes, hence capturing any information typed
such as names, telephone numbers, addresses, and as mentioned earlier, credit card numbers.
Aside from the fact that running in the background uses up precious bandwidth, a lot of these software are actually
poorly written and contain a lot of bugs. This could cause the computer to slow down, malfunction unexplainably, or
worse, crash.
The good news is that there are many antispyware tools available on the Web. A lot of them are for sale, but a couple
of good ones can be downloaded for free like the widely used Spybot Search and Destroy. Some sites even offer free
online spyware checks.
Once you're positive that your computer is infested with spyware, removing it isn't rocket science, either. But before
you do so, make sure you back up important data. Some spyware removers can fatally misbehave and delete the
wrong files. If that happens, you'll hate the spyware that shagged you!
