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Spyware Infections

Spyware is malicious software that is installed on a computer to collect information. The malware is installed without the user's knowledge, and is hidden from the user.

Today's Spyware infections seldom cause a computer to crash, and the infections are not usually that obvious. The cyber criminals want a working computer, not one that is disabled.

Spyware can allow another person to assume your identity. Identity theft allows a criminal to open bank accounts, take out loans, and conduct business all in your name.

Spyware is not a minor problem – the cyber criminal activity is vast and so is the amount of money involved. And the criminals are making their spyware even more sophisticated and harder to detect.

An infected computer can:

• Log keystrokes
• Steal personal information
• Steal banking and other passwords
• Steal credit-card numbers
• Spread the infection to other computers
• Send Spam to other computers
• Redirect Web browser activity to advertising sites

The infected computer then sends the details to a remote computer. Funds may be removed, there may be charges to credit cards, and identities may be stolen.

How infections occur

Infections can arise from:

• Malicious programs pretending to be security software
• Piggybacking on some other software
• Being tricked into installing a "useful utility"
• Downloading files from malicious Websites
• Security vulnerabilities in browsers

Signs of Infection

Here are some signs that a computer is infected, and a that malicious program is running in the background:

• There are prolonged slowdowns.
• There is annoying pop-up advertisements or pornography.
• The browser is directed to unintended Websites.
• The search results returned are unusual.
• There is high CPU activity, disk usage and network traffic
• Applications freezing and failure to boot
• Difficulty connecting to the Internet

Infections and Protection

The use of reliable anti-virus software is imperative. Anti-spyware programs can provide real time protection against the installation of spyware software on a computer. Anti-virus software can be used for detection and removal of spyware software that has already been installed on a computer. The software must constantly update itself.

Due to its popularity, installed spyware frequently involves Internet Explorer. Its close integration with the Windows Operating system makes it susceptible to Spyware attacks. Upgrading to Internet Explorer 8 is essential to help avoid problems.

With badly infected systems or with multiple infections, the operating system may have to be reinstalled.