- Attaches itself to your operating system surreptitiously
- In a way takes control over your interaction with your machine.
What Spywares can do?
As the name suggests spywares primarily intrude on your privacy, intercept personal information like usernames and passwords, fill your hard drive with useless gunk and mark you as a target for enterprising advertisers.
These programs can perform any task they are designed to do. From collecting your personal information to installing additional software to redirecting Web browser activity to even changing your firewall, Internet and other computer settings, spywares can virtually monitor everything that you do on your computer.
Sometimes associated with identity thefts and frauds, these infectious programs can also generate endless pop-up ads, resulting in slow connection speeds.
How your computer contracts Spywares
Spywares get onto your machine by exploiting security flaws or system vulnerabilities or simply by deceiving you.
Following are some of the methods how these malicious infections find way to your computer.
Piggybacking
Spywares can install themselves on your computer when you install a piece of desirable software without noticing that you are getting more than the file-sharing application you wanted.
Drive-by download
Drive-by downloads happen without slightest of your knowledge when you visit a web site, view an email message or just click an innocuous looking deceptive pop up window.
The malicious codes can also download themselves by exploiting Web browsing, email client or operating system bugs or flaws even without your intervention.
Browser add-ons
Browser add-ons are software bundles that allow the user to add enhancements to your Web browser. Sometimes they also include elements of spyware. Nastier add-ons are considered browser hijackers that persistently stick to your machine and take a lot of efforts to cleanse.
Sometimes spywares pose themselves as spyware removal software and as you install them on your machine they start installing additional spyware.
No comments:
Post a Comment