What You Need to Know about Spyware
What is "spyware"?
Spyware is software that collects personal information from you without first letting you know that this is happening. This information is then transmitted to the spyware author and may include a list of the Web sites you've visited as well as usernames and passwords(!). Spyware is often associated with "adware" -- software that displays advertisements. These unexpected advertisements may clutter your desktop and some may contain pornographic or other material that you might find inappropriate.
At present, spyware is primarily a problem for Windows computers and does not seem to be a significant problem for Macintosh computers. UW Technology knows of no anti-spyware programs for Macintoshes that it can recommend.
What happens if your computer has spyware installed?
The following are common symptoms of spyware:
- Your computer may get generally "sluggish."
- You may see an increase in advertisments on pages where you've never seen them before.
- Your Web browser may open to pages you've never seen before, either as the "home" page or when doing searches.
- You may find that you can't use Web pages you've used successfully before. For example, you may not be able to log in to MyUW.
How does spyware get into your computer?
Most often spyware is installed concurrently with some other software that you intentionally install. For example, if you install a "free" music or file sharing service or "free" games, it may also install spyware. Some Web pages will attempt to install spyware when you just visit the page. Sometimes, having the spyware installed may be a condition of using the software. For example, a "free" Internet service may require that you accept their adware in order to use the service. In this case, removing the spyware may prevent the desired service from working.
How can you protect your system against spyware?
- Do NOT open the Web links found in email "spam" or other similar unsolicited messages.
- Only install software from Web pages you trust.
- If you do install "free" software, carefully read the fine print in the license for any reference to collecting information from your computer and sending it elsewhere. (Be ESPECIALLY wary of popular "free" music and movie file-sharing programs.)
- When you open a Web Page, if a dialog box appears unexpectedly asking you to accept a download, the safest response is to click the red "X" in the upper corner of the box to close the window (clicking "no" may not close the box).
- Install software to detect, remove, and prevent the installation of spyware on your computer (see next section).
What software tools can help?
If you are using a centrally managed computer, then contact your local computing support team. You should not be installing this kind of software without their assistance.
If you maintain your own computer, UW Technology recommends the use of "SpyBot Search and Destroy" as an effective anti-spyware tool. It is free for use on all computers (see Using SpyBot).
Other well respected tools are also available, including "Ad-aware" from Lavasoft. However, Ad-aware may NOT be installed on computers owned by the UW without purchasing a license, although it may be installed for free on individually owned systems.
Microsoft also offers an anti-spyware program named Windows Defender.
Where can you learn more about spyware?
- Recognizing and Avoiding Spyware - National Cyber Alert System
- A good definition of spyware - Wikipedia
- What is spyware - Microsoft
- SpywareGuide.com - The online guide to spy and anti-spy software
