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The Spyware Nightmare
Spyware is nothing new. It's been plaguing Internet users since the mid 1990s. However, what started out as a relatively-harmless component in free game downloads quickly evolved into something ominous. While Spyware is still a part of the world of free downloads, the breadth and severity of the problem has become more widespread.
Where Does Spyware Come From?
Spyware can come from a number of places including Peer to Peer (p2p) file-sharing networks, FTP file sharing, free software downloads, Internet toolbars, screen savers, media players and even "free" anti-spyware programs. Yes, you read right. Many free "anti-spyware" programs may not really be free after all. They are often nothing more than Spyware in disguise.
What Can It Do?
So what exactly can Spyware do? A short list includes:
- Bombard you with unwanted advertising (including pornography)
- Recording and transmitting the data on your computer and all of your computer activity
- Stealing passwords, user names and account numbers
- Recording each and every keystroke you make on your keyboard
- Taking pictures of your desktop
- Changing your Internet browser settings
It can even allow someone to hijack your computer and gain complete remote control of all its functions. Because of this, Spyware can facilitate the downloading, installation and - sometimes illegal - transmission of other software without your permission.
We all know computers break. They slow down or they become obsolete; that's a fact of computing life. But nowadays bugs, glitches, error messages and anything else that goes wrong with a computer can be - and is more likely to be - attributed to some form of Spyware, making it seem as if a computer is dying before its time. It's a real problem and it takes an aggressive and comprehensive solution to deal with it effectively. That is why 2Squared developed AntiSpywareBOT.
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