The detection of Adware and Spyware: What are they and where are they from?

1. What is spyware?

A. Spyware refers to a family of malicious programs 
which are designed to take control of your computer 
and your web browser. These programs transmit data 
to a new website where the information is collated
and used for marketing or more serious purposes.

2. How do I detect if there are any spyware 
on my computer?

A. There are many “signs” that your computer 
has spyware on it, but actual spyware detection
itself is virtually impossible without good 
software.

Examples of the signs that adware and spyware
are present include you get numerous 
pop up ads while surfing, your homepage gets changed 
automatically, strange icons on your tool bar which 
simply won’t get deleted, you cannot access MS DOS 
prompt window or Windows registry, your computer 
slows down unexpectedly, your telephone bill goes 
up unexpectedly high due to calls to toll numbers 
which you have not done etc.

3. What harm can spyware do?

A. Spyware has the potential to do a lot of damage 
to your computer as well as your financial security. 
There is spyware which steals computer passwords, 
credit card information, identity information, 
social security numbers etc using key logging 
software. Other spyware merely pops up ads or 
collects information such as websites you visit 
for marketing purpose. Spyware also creates a 
backdoor in your computer through which other 
spyware, worms or virus can gain entry into your 
computer. 

4. Where does spyware come from?

A. Spyware has become a lucrative multi billion 
dollar racket and it is expected to increase 
over the next few years. "Plenty of software on the 
Web contains spyware, and many Web sites are 
infectious."1 Spyware usually come from the 
internet. They can come hidden inside Trojans. 
They can also be hidden in videos, audio files 
and other files. There are many drive-by spyware
programs which install themselves when you visit some 
sites like porno sites, P2P sites etc. Most 
spyware is installed when you download freeware 
available on the internet. 

5. How do I remove spyware from my computer?

A. Removing spyware by the usual means such as 
deleting the software or uninstalling the 
software is not possible. Advanced methods 
such as editing windows registry also don’t 
work because windows registry window is usually 
disabled by the spyware. To remove spyware you 
need special tools like anti spyware software. 
This will provide adware and spyware detection
and cleaning, without affecting your pc.

Obtain anti spyware software and then install 
it on your computer. Carry out a scan and 
delete the detected spyware. Beware there are 
lots of fake anti spyware programs available on the 
internet as “Malicious programmers have released 
a large number of fake anti-spyware programs.”2

6. How do I prevent a recurrence of spyware attack?

A. For this switch on your internet connection 
firewall or obtain a personal firewall. 
However firewalls some time interfere with 
P2P software. To prevent this, when you get 
a window which asks whether or not to allow 
the P2P program to communicate directly, press 
“always allow”. Also get anti virus software 
and carry out a thorough scan. The combination 
of firewall, anti spyware software and anti virus 
software is sufficient to prevent a future 
spyware attack on your computer.  


References:
1.“Spyware poses a significant threat 
on the net” 03 Feb 06, ScienceDaily. 
2.Roberts, Paul F. "Spyware-Removal Program 
Tagged as a Trap". eWeek. May 26, 2005.