spyware

__**What is Spyware?**__ Spyware is a type of computer program that is downloaded and attached to the operating system of a computer. Unlike computer viruses which are specifically designed to propagate and damage your computer, spyware is created to make pop up advertisements on your computer and track your Internet activities. according to recent studies, more than two out of three computers in the world are infected with some sort of spyware. Spyware can be defined as any program that gets into one's computer without their permission and makes unwanted changes in the performance of the computer.

Some people mistake spyware for a computer virus. A [|computer virus] is a piece of code designed to replicate itself as many times as possible, spreading from one host computer to any other computers connected to it. It usually has a payload that may damage your personal files or even your operating system. Spyware, on the other hand, is generally not designed to damage your computer. Spyware is broadly defined as any program that gets into your computer without permission and hides in the background while it makes unwanted changes to your user experience. The damage it does is more a by-product of its main mission, which is to serve you targeted advertisements or make your browser display certain sites or search results. At present, most spyware targets only the **Windows operating system**. Some of the more notorious spyware companies include Gator, Bonzi Buddy, 180 Solutions, DirectRevenue, Cydoor, CoolWebSearch, Xupiter, XXXDial and Euniverse. Next, we'll look at the different ways that spyware can get onto computer.

The first recorded use of the term [|spyware] occurred on [|October 16], [|1995] in a [|Usenet] post that poked fun at [|Microsoft]'s [|business model]. //Spyware// at first denoted //[|hardware]// meant for [|espionage] purposes. However, in early 2000 the founder of [|Zone Labs], Gregor Freund, used the term in a [|press release] for the [|ZoneAlarm Personal Firewall] Since then, "spyware" has taken on its present sense. According to a 2005 study by [|AOL] and the National Cyber-Security Alliance, 61 percent of surveyed users' computers had some form of spyware. 92 percent of surveyed users with spyware reported that they did not know of its presence, and 91 percent reported that they had not given permission for the installation of the spyware. As of 2006, spyware has become one of the preeminent security threats to computer systems running Microsoft Windows [|operating systems]. Computers where [|Internet Explorer] (IE) is the primary [|browser] are particularly vulnerable to such attacks not only because IE is the most widely-used, but because its tight integration with Windows allows spyware access to crucial parts of the operating system.
 * __Background__**

Spyware can get itself on your computer through a variety of methods: 1. It can piggyback on software installation files 2. It can automatically request itself to be downloaded by your computer when you visit certain web pages 3. It can install itself as an add-on on your Internet browser 4. It can masquerade as anti-spyware software, tricking less tech savvy Internet users into downloading them.
 * __How it works__**
 * Popular installs are for peer to peer networks.
 * These are usually disreputable web pages to begin with.
 * These products will probably actually act as an addition to your browser, but they will also track your activities on the Internet.
 * Hint: avoid clicking ANY advertisement simply because its bright and shiny.


 * __Social and Ethical Issues__**

Criminal law
Unauthorized access to a computer is illegal under computer crime laws, such as the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the U.K.'s [|Computer Misuse Act] and similar laws in other countries. Since the owners of computers infected with spyware generally claim that they never authorized the installation, a //[|prima facie]// reading would suggest that the promulgation of spyware would count as a criminal act. Law enforcement has often pursued the authors of other malware, particularly viruses. However, few spyware developers have been prosecuted, and many operate openly as strictly legitimate businesses, though some have faced lawsuits. Spyware producers argue that, contrary to the users' claims, users do in fact give [|consent] to installations. Spyware that comes bundled with shareware applications may be described in the [|legalese] text of an [|end-user license agreement] (EULA). Many users habitually ignore these purported contracts, but spyware companies such as Claria claim these demonstrate that users have consented. Despite the ubiquity of EULAs and of "[|clickwrap]" agreements, under which a single click can be taken as consent to the entire text, relatively little [|case law] has resulted from their use. It has been established in most [|common law] jurisdictions that a clickwrap agreement can be a binding contract //in certain circumstances.// This does not, however, mean that every such agreement is a [|contract] or that every term in one is enforceable. Some jurisdictions, including the U.S. states of Iowa and [|Washington], have passed laws criminalizing some forms of spyware. Such laws make it illegal for anyone other than the owner or operator of a computer to install software that alters Web-browser settings, monitors keystrokes, or disables computer-security software. In the [|United States] lawmakers introduced a bill in 2005 entitled the [|Internet Spyware Prevention Act], which would imprison creators of spyware.

Administrative sanctions
An administrative fine, first of its kind in Europe, has been taken by the Independent Authority of Posts and Telecommunications (OPTA) from the Netherlands. It applied fines in total value of Euro 1,000,000 for infecting 22 million computers. The spyware is called DollarRevenue. The law articles which have been violated are art. 4.1 of the Dutch telecommunications law; the fines have been given based on art. 15.4 taken together with art. 15.10. A part of these fines has to be paid by the directors of these companies in their own person, i.e. not from the accounts of their companies, but from their personal fortunes. Since a protest procedure has been taken, the fines will have to be paid after a Dutch law court will take a decision in this case. The culprits maintain that the evidence for violating the two law articles has been obtained illegally. The names of the directors and the names of the companies have not been revealed, since it is not clear that OPTA is allowed to make such information public.

Fun Videos [|Spyware Rubbernecking] [| Top 5 Tips to Avoid Viruses and Spyware]

Places I stole this stuff from from: [|HowStuffWorks - Spyware] [|Wikipedia - Spyware]

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