Peoii’s Place

Ok, so if it’s not a virus, odds are pretty good it’s a piece of spyware that is eventually going to find its way onto your computer. This stuff is absolutely relentless about getting onto your computer, and finding new and strange ways of doing it ta-boot. What is spyware exactly? Well, the definition is pretty simple really: It’s something that spies on you. Well duh, of course, hence the spy in spyware, but what is it really? Spyware comes in a bunch of different forms, and varying degrees of maliciousness, ranging from a program running on your computer in the background that you may not even know is running, to a simple tracking cookie like Doubleclick.net was so popular for. So again, based on the idea of education being the number one way to fight these little buggers, lets start off by understanding some of what spyware can do to your computer.

The first and probably most harmless of the bunch is the tracking cookie, but before we can go into understanding how these work, we first need to have a good understanding of what cookies are, and how they work. A cookie in internet terms is a little piece of information that is stored on your computer by a website to help the website identify you as you, and make sure your settings are retained. At least that’s the idea behind them. Cookies are in general harmless little things, and in a cookie set by one website cannot be read by another site. So there is some built-in protection of your information. But what information is really inside these? Well, if you’ve ever gone to a site that remembers your settings when you leave and come back, that’s most likely done with a cookie. Webmasters love these things, and in fact, this site uses a couple of cookies to keep certain settings. Does that mean I’m installing spyware on your computer? Absolutely not. Not all cookies are spyware, just as not all programs are spyware, so simply “shutting off cookies” as many sites recommend is in my opinion way overkill. So how exactly do these spyware cookies differ from the ones on this site? They’re storing what is called a “GUID” or “Globally Unique IDentifier” on your computer, which is to say, they’re placing a barcode on your computer for you. So now anytime they see that, they know it’s exactly you, and they can then record the proper information that they want to aquire. But I did say there is some built-in security, and there is, the site requesting the information has to be the same site that sent the information. Ahh, but while that’s true, there can be many site on a single website, especially in the form of advertising. So if they put a little advertisement or even a 1 pixel large transparent image on a website, they can access that cookie, and with that, they can get information on your surfing habits. Now that’s an invasion of privacy, and hence, spyware. These little buggers are all over, and what they’re collecting this information for is to figure out how to better advertise to you, by knowing what sites you’re going to, and what sites you’re not going to. So, for instance, if you frequent kitchen supply shops, yet you never go into something on automotive, there is no reason to send you an advertisement for car parts now is there? However, if they’re sending you a banner on a kitchen gadget, now that you’ll be more likely to purchase. There in lies the power of a spyware cookie (which are also called “tracking cookies”), in that they can modify content based on where you’ve been, and where you are more likely to go. But anyway that you chalk it up, it’s an invasion of privacy, and should not be done without your consent.

_{Lavasoft Adaware}

But this is by no means where spyware ends, we now move onto what are known as “browser hi-jacks”, and these can be some of the most annoying little buggers on the market. They do just as the name states, they’re out there to hi-jack your browser and get you to see what they want you to see. How is this done? Well, it’s typically done by throwing popups at you when you’re not even surfing but your online, or redirecting you to a different website when you go looking for something. Does this affect all browsers? Nope, infact, 99% of the browser hijacks out there can only infect Internet Explorer (IE), which makes those of us who don’t use IE virtually immune to this type of invasion. But for those that are using IE, it’s definately something to be concerned about, and you should really watch what sites you’re trusting. There is nothing more important than knowing all you can about a piece of software before you install it, and this goes for plugins too. There are far to many pieces of spyware out there that disguise themselves as plugins for various things, only to hi-jack your browser and make your surfing life a living hell.

And then there is the nastiest version of spyware out there, the software packages. In our computer business, I think I’ve run across these causing more havoc on peoples computers than all other problems combined. So what type of software are we talking about? Well, have you ever heard of any of the following?

• BonzaiBuddy
• CometCursor
• Gator
• HotBar
• iSpy
• Kazaa
• P2P Networking
• PurityScan
• Spyblast
• SysMon
• WinGuardian
• XXXDial

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, there are hundreds if not thousands of these little buggers out there. Sure, some of these LOOK like they’re supposed to be doing something good for you, or something you want, but truth be told, they’re spyware under the skin. So why would they want to do such a thing? Money of course. Our world is driven by the search for more money, and it is that search that leads these “companies” to do some down right nasty things. Heck, a couple even claim to help you remove spyware when they themselves are spyware! That’s a damned underhanded thing to do to someone, and those programs are often considered the lowest of the low. Yet another group is the “get what you asked for” type, wherein things like “XXXDial” and the like are installed when surfing for porn, but you know what? If you go hunting for the “cheap fix” or “free sex”, odds are good they’re going to get their money in some way, wheather it be by installing something on your computer, or charging you some outragious cost for your minutes. But it’s not just limited to porn, oh no no, file sharing software is another huge market. You want music for free, and most people will do most anything to get it (as is evident by the amount of file sharing software out there), and guess what? You’re paying for it by them invading your computer, is it really worth that? Not to me it’s not, and it shouldn’t be to you.

_{Spybot: Search and Destroy}

So what’s the moral in all of this spyware business? Know what you’re installing, know where you’re visiting, and protect yourself! Make sure you do some research on a product before installing it, and make sure that you really know what you’re getting yourself into before you check that “I Agree” box or that “Next” button. There are many free, and legit tools out there to help you make sure your system gets clean, and stays clean. Below, I’ve listed some of my recommendations, and I hope they’ll help you out just as they’ve helped me.