Spyware

Posted on 29 Aug 2006 at 11:56

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Spyware can infect even the most well-protected of computers, but how does it work? Iain Thompson explains, and provides tips on how to keep your PC clean

Viruses can cause enormous damage to your computer system. Yet although viruses may cause a lot of inconvenience, in many ways spyware poses an even greater threat. These malicious programs can be used to invade your privacy, plunder your bank account and help others steal your identity. Even if the worst doesn't happen your PC's performance will be compromised, with webpages taking forever to load and the desktop cluttered with pop-ups.

You can't afford to leave your system unprotected. But as well as effective anti-spyware software, you also need to know exactly what spyware is and how it works to ensure that you don't become a victim.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Spyware is a malicious program installed on a computer without the user's consent. It attempts to prevent you removing it, and it monitors how you use your computer. It will try and stay on your system for as long as possible. Spyware doesn't want you to get rid of it.

Adware programs are typically classed as spyware. However, freeware and shareware programs can use adware legitimately, if you know you are agreeing to allow it when you install the program. Adware delivers adverts to the user, usually in the form of pop-up windows. If adware is installed without the user knowing, it is considered spyware.

Because a spyware program sometimes uses techniques employed by viruses and other nasty files, anti-virus programs may detect it. However, they won't give you full protection. So, the first step in protecting yourself against spyware is to get a good anti-spyware program. You'll find all the main packages tested in our Labs test on page 122.

WHO ARE THE CULPRITS?

Many people have been blamed for spyware. At one end of the scale are companies, largely in the marketing industry, that use programs that the user agrees to install, to monitor web behaviour. These aren't generally spyware, but sometimes these companies overstep the line, as happened last year when Intermix Media was fined $7.5 million (around £4m) by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for installing spyware via users' browsers without their consent.

At the other end of the scale are the organised criminals. According to APACS, the UK payment association, fraud losses through internet banking last year trebled in 12 months to £14.5m. A large proportion of that fraud is down to spyware stealing login information and other personal details. Last year, Sunbelt Software researchers discovered that CoolWebSearch, a notorious and widespread spyware program, was using a keylogger to record personal data. It sent the transcript files to a remote server. A keylogger is a tool used to record the keystrokes you make. Its original, benign, purpose was to aid software developers. These simple programs are now widely available on the internet and often used in less savoury programs such as spyware.

In the past few years, police and software companies have been cracking down on this practice. In the US, the owner of Smartbot.Net was fined over $4 million (around £2.2m) by the Federal Trade Commission for installing spyware through improperly patched browsers. A custodial sentence is also an option, as Kenneth Kwak, an IT worker at the US Department of Education, found out when he was given five months for installing a keylogger on his boss's computer.

But for everyone sent to jail there are more spyware writers waiting in the wings, and the routes to infection are becoming more devious.