How Spyware gets on your computer
Chances are that when you discover Syware on your computer
the first question that springs to mind is not “what is this
exactly?”, not “what does it do”, but “how did that get
here?”.
Spyware programs have an incredible ability of disguising
themselves. Even the most experienced system administrators
or programmers end up with spyware on their computer. It's
not their fault: the ways spyware gets on your computer are
very creative, and it's almost impossible to close all the
ways of access. But which are these ways of access?
The earliest one, and unsurprisingly still the most common
one, is having the user install a program they do not even
suspect to contain spyware. This can come in the form of a
program that stores or generates password, a browser add-on
or anything of that kind, which actually does what it says
on the box. A famous example was Kazaa Media Desktop, a
peer-to-peer program that used to be very popular a few
years ago. Kazaa was a really good P2P client and had a
thriving community, but it also had spyware. For a long
time, users didn't suspect that such a useful program could
even contain spyware, even though it was quite obvious.
Slightly similar to this method is the case when spyware is
installed automatically, often without warning, when you
install another program. This involves the installation
program installing not just the software it was supposed to
install, but also a couple of “bonuses”, about which the
user is not notified. In some cases, in fact, the user is
notified: the installation program claims that installing
additional software may give you some special benefits, or
improve your experience, but all they do is spy on you.
These two methods are very popular today, and very
efficient, because users have the habit of not reading
through their messages. Installing a program is usually a
case of clicking Next until the Next button is replaced by a
Finish button. Simple, but in some cases, very harmful.
More recently, a number of new techniques have emerged.
These techniques make use of various vulnerabilities in
application or system software to crawl onto an user's
computer, much like worms do. These are quite rare today, in
fact, most experts do not even consider these to be forms of
spyware, but rather worms.
Another common technique is that of false “automatic
updates”. Nowadays it's common for software to offer the
facility of automatically checking for updates, retrieving
and installing new ones. A malicious program would simply
start as a useful program that does its job, but which
brings some uninvited guests when updated. The morale of the
story? Always check what a program's automatic updating
function really does.
As you can see, all of these spreading methods have a common
denominator: they are very hard to spot per se. Spyware can
be installed just like any other program, and looks just
like any other program. It's not how it looks on the outside
that makes it suspicious, it's what it does and what it
looks like on the inside. This is why very advanced
detection algorithms are required, like those employed by
XoftSpySE. It is very difficult to spot spyware upon
entering your computer. The real proof comes after the
installation, upon your anti-spyware program's first scan.
The important part about how spyware spreads is that you can
actually help it stop. I'm not just talking about using
anti-spyware software, anti-spyware programs such as
XoftSpySE will do their job regardless of what you do. I am
simply talking about adopting a more vigilant posture. If an
installation program is making you a special offer, think it
through and run a Google search. You can always come back to
it if you need to. If a program is known to include spyware,
don't use it, regardless of how useful it may be. Chances
are there is at least one spyware-free alternative to it.
All these can help prevent spyware from spreading, and with
enough users doing so, spyware may eventually become
extinct. Until then, however, your best bet stands in
anti-spyware programs like XoftSpySE.
How Does my Computer Get Infected.
Emails.
If you receive any email from unknown or unexpected senders make sure that you
scan it before opening it with your antivirus software and if you have any
doubts do not open it.
Suspect Websites.
Browsing some websites that are suspect can lead to infection because the
spyware can be hidden as code in the web page itself.
Peer to Peer File Sharing Software.
Peer to peer software used to download illegal music, video and software is a
common source of infection. A lot of the files available on peer to peer networks
have spyware hidden within them or are not the files you were expecting at all.
Popup messages.
Spyware can often infect your computer through popups or IP popups. IP popups
are sent direct to your computers IP address and can not be stopped by popup
blockers. Popups like this are often disguised as Windows error messages
instructing you to 'click here' to rectify the error. When you click the button
you are executing malware.
Instant Messaging Software.
This may be a surprise to many of you as instant messaging software is becoming
very popular. Infection usually happens when sharing files with people so be
careful who you share files with.
Networks.
All computers on a network are at risk of infection if one of those computers
has spyware on it.. For that reason all network computers must be protected by
Antivirus software and a firewall.
How to prevent infection.
Use Anti-Spyware Software.
The most effective way to protect your computer is with good quality anti-spyware from a reputable company like
XoftSpySE. I do not
recommend that you use free antivirus software, these tend not be very effective
and can be spyware in disguise. Which ever one you use just make sure that you
keep it regularly updated and remember to renew your yearly subscription.
Remember, out of date anti-spyware software is completely useless.
Use a firewall.
Windows XP and Vista both have a firewall built in and you should have them
switched on. Most internet securities applications will have an excellent
firewall feature so use this in favour of windows firewall.
Update windows regularly.
Update regularly using Windows update facility to ensure you have all the latest
critical security updates. Security holes in Windows are often found and
Microsoft will have patches for these available..
Curing your infected computer.
With any good anti-spyware program like
XoftSpySE removing
spyware is a simple task.
If you set them up to do so they will remove it automatically and then
inform you once the offender has been dealt with.
A final word of advice.
You will be at a much higher risk of infection if you visit illegal or immoral
websites as these sites tend to be set up and frequented by people who have no
scruples and will think nothing of infecting your computer along with many
others. Sites such as Peer to Peer file sharing websites that provide free music
and movie downloads, porn sites that offer picture and movie
downloads, file sharing sites and websites offering "amazing
free downloads" of top brand software that you should be paying for. Free tool bars for your browser are also a popular way of spreading spyware, if in doubt only install tool bars from reputable companies
| |
|
