Spyware

Short Description
Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer without the user’s knowledge … spyware. Spyware can be broken down into two different categories, …

Website: internal.usn.org | Filesize: 67kb

Content
Who’s watching you? A lot of people or companies could
be if you aren’t careful.
INTERNET
Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer without the user’s knowledge
that gathers information about that user for later retrieval by whomever controls the
spyware. Spyware can be broken down into two different categories, surveillance spyware
and advertising spyware.
Advertising spyware is software that is installed alongside other software or via activex
controls on the internet, often without the user’s knowledge, or without full disclosure that it
will be used for gathering personal information and/or showing the user ads. Advertising
spyware logs information about the user, possibly including passwords, email addresses,
web browsing history, online buying habits, the computer’s hardware and software
configuration, the name, age, sex, etc of the user.
Spyware uses the CPU, RAM, and resources of the user’s computer, making the user pay
for the costs associated with operating it. It then makes use of the user’s bandwidth to
connect to the internet and upload whatever personal information it has gathered, and to
download advertisements which it will present to the user, either by way of pop up
windows, or with the ad banners of ad-supported software….