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 Suppose I were to tell you that someone has come into your office uninvited and has installed software on your system? Suppose I were to tell you that the software constantly runs in the background, hogging critical system resources, making all your other programs run more slowly, and sometimes causing software conflicts and errors? And suppose I told you, to top it all off, that this software is watching your computer activity and sending your private information back to these invaders? Would you be concerned? I hope so. And here’s the punch line: all three statements above represent reality on the vast majority of personal computers. And, most likely, they’re true about your computer!
If you fulfill just one of the following conditions, you almost certainly have this software on your system:
- If you browse the Internet.
- If you have an always-on Internet connection.
- If you have downloaded and installed on your system Shareware or Freeware programs.
- If you have installed certain commercial (store-bought) software (like TurboTax 2003, for example).
- If you see on your Windows desktop, or in your system tray, icons for programs like Gator, Comet Cursor or Kazaa.
Some of these programs are illegal kinds of software, like backdoors and Trojans. But most, like the three mentioned above, are completely legal. Many install themselves without your knowledge or permission, and are often difficult to remove.
It goes by a number of names. It is sometimes called “adware or ad-ware”, “sneakware”, or “snoopware”. But these days, you’ll hear it mostly called “spyware”. Steve Gibson of Gibson Research, an Internet security guru and a champion of personal privacy, who first coined the term, defines it as “any software (that) employs a user's Internet connection in the background (the so-called 'backchannel') without their knowledge or explicit permission.” *1
A definition that’s a little less technical, and more commonly agreed upon, is this one from whatis.com: “In general, spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet, spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties.” *2
You may love the capabilities that Kazaa gives you to find music, or Hotbar, which lets you add “cutesy” expressive “emoticon” faces to your e-mail. But the price you’re paying for these “free” enhancements may be more than you realize.
Would you knowingly broadcast your name, e-mail address, personal interests and Internet browsing habits to everyone on the Internet? How about to a select group of unscrupulous advertisers? Would you surrender control of your computer and its resources to advertisers who view you the way a hungry lion views a lone antelope? Of course, nobody would willingly do any of these things. And yet, in a very real way, we are doing them every day, and we simply are not aware of it.
Where does this mysterious “Spyware” come from?
Most often, advertisers pay software manufacturers to bundle these programs in their software. So it installs when you install the program -- be it commercial or shareware. Some of the biggest offenders are programs which claim to be “Internet browser enhancers” (some of these are called Browser Helper Objects or BHO’s), “Internet accelerators” or “download managers”. Games and screen savers too! Many may actually perform a valuable function. But they are also keeping tabs on you. Another kind of spyware, small files called “tracking cookies”, installs as you visit various web sites. Some spyware installations are deployed when you visit certain web sites, but ask your permission first: “Do you want to install and run ‘Such-and-such program’?” If you don’t know, you might answer yes, because you might think it was a legitimate Internet browser plug-in, like Macromedia Flash player, and it might seem to be something that you need. Some of it is simply “foistware”, pure and simple. It foists itself on you whether you want it or not!
Are there really a lot of programs like this?
www.spywareguide.com, an excellent resource, currently lists 194 in its very complete list of these programs. You can find the list here: http://www.spywareguide.com/product_list_full.php
Aside from spying on your Internet browsing, do these programs cause any real harm?
Yes they do! And that’s really why I’m taking the time to write this article. Time and time again over the last year and a half, I have listened to users’ complaints of sluggish performance and “illegal operation” errors, and then have found the cause to be a whole fleet of spyware programs secretly running in the background, using the memory and processor resources that their programs need to run smoothly. This is especially true on Windows 95, 98 and ME machines. These unauthorized programs are running all the time, using up your resources, and sometimes conflicting with the legitimate software that you need to use. Some even change key Windows settings when they install, and can, if removed improperly, leave you unable to use the Internet.
You may only have a few spyware files on your system, and they may not be causing much of a problem. Or you could be like a client I recently helped who had 562 spyware components on his system! By removing these resource leeches, I have often been able to reclaim as much as 20% of system resources and see an incredible boost in system performance (speed and smoothness).
Okay, okay, enough already!! I’m convinced! So how do I clean these pesky varmints off my system?
PC Magazine, a well-respected voice in the industry, bestowed its “Best Software Program” award for 2002 to a product that does that very thing. It’s Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware. And it’s free! You can download the program at: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Once you download the program, and double-click on it, it will install on your system and put an “Ad-Aware 6.0” icon on your desktop. Start up the program, click on the button that says Start, then on the next page, click on the button that says Next to accept the default options and start scanning for spyware. When it’s finished, Ad-Aware displays a list of the spyware components it found. If there are any of these that you want to keep, you must clear the check boxes next to these components. Likewise, make sure there is a check mark in the box of each component that you do want to remove. Please Note: Programs (like Hotbar, Kazaa, etc.) that require spyware components will no longer work once the spyware has been removed! So be absolutely sure before you remove them. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, it would be a good idea to call a computer professional, like the folks at PC Serv, to do it for you.
For more thorough protection Ad-aware has a “pro” version, for a reasonable price, which will monitor your system 24/7 and keep the spyware from coming back.
There are also many other good programs that detect and remove spyware. You will find a short list of the best here: http://www.cexx.org/noadware.htm.
Spyware is not going away any time soon, but with a regular scan using Ad-aware or another spyware detection/removal program, it doesn’t have to bog your system down or compromise your privacy.
Want to learn more about spyware and Internet privacy?
There are some excellent resources available:
USA Today had a good article about adware/spyware a year ago that is still accessible here: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/03/11/stealthware.htm
www.spywareguide.com - Great web site: simple and well organized, full of non-technical information. Maintains the Internet’s most up-to-date list of spyware.
www.spywareinfo.com - Good site with loads of information on much more than just spyware.
www.cexx.org/adware.htm - The Counterexploitation web site. Some good information, but be forewarned of salty language and ironic humor (facetious articles, for example).
If you still experience sluggish performance after removing spyware, there is a lot of good information on improving performance on this page:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm
*1 Gibson Research Corporation, ©2003 Gibson Research Corporation available online at: http://grc.com/optout.htm
*2 TechTarget (whatis.com), ©2000-2003 TechTarget, available online at: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definitionsSearchResults/1,289878,sid9,00.html?query=spyware
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