A man in a mission

What is Spyware?

The word "Spy" immediately brings to mind mysterious ladies or gentlemen walking around stealthily, their faces hooded showing only a hint of a brooding countenance. Agencies such as the MI5/MI6, the KGB, and the CIA spring to mind along with words like espionage, treason, clandestine and covert operations, agents and double agents, coded languages, disinformation, compromises and counter-intelligence, collection of private information, reconnaissance, dossiers that are marked "for your eyes only", hidden messages, honey traps,sabotage ... phew, its a whole different world out there.

So, what is this term doing in the oh-so-genteel world of computers and internet? The internet is for sending mail to friends, having a chat with strangers in Yahoo's chatrooms, perhaps doing some online shopping, checking up on the bank balance and credit card transactions, making an occasional payment here and there ... Or, perhaps download the new game that the email somebody sent to you talked about (bless that stranger's soul, it turned out to be such a nice game!). Viruses are understandable. They are malignant creatures, out to destroy your peace of mind. But - spyware? Huh?

Well, to those amongst us who have not undergone the rites of passage - welcome to the brave new world of Spyware!. The world of internet and computers has begun mimicing the real world where wolves roam in sheep's clothing.

Like a spy who snoops around your personal life, gathering details about you without your knowledge for their master, spyware is a piece of software that snoops around your computer reporting back via the internet. It gathers specific information about you and your machine. This snooping takes place all the time, whenever your machine is connected to the net. Without let or pause, 24/7/365. All this, without your knowledge.

Pretty bad ?

The masters to whom the real-world spies report to could be governments, intelligence agencies, your competitors, your ex who is trying to win an upper hand in the squabble over alimony, or just a suspicious spouse who wants to know what hanky-panky you might be up to behind their back. Not surprisingly, the masters to whom the cyber-age, spyware report to are also the same set of agencies and individuals. The notable addition to this list is of so-called "market intelligence" companies. These companies learn about your pattern of net-surfing and pass on this information to others who try to exploit whatever habits you may have unwittingly told them about - be they frequently visiting sites on the latest coffee roasting techniques or viewing adult sites once in a while.

continue see " How do you know you got attacked"