Internet :  SpyWare and AdWare

by Karyn Stille

Did you know, that if you have ever downloaded music online or surfed and gotten pop-up ads (who hasn't?) there is a 94% chance that your PC is infected with potentially harmful spyware?  If you've ever installed free software, you might have also installed potentially harmful spyware.  And if your PC is running slower than ever, it may be due to online advertisers adding spyware or adware to your computer without your knowledge.

What are SpyWare and AdWare?

"SpyWare" and "AdWare" are virtually the same in purpose - they are both used by online advertising companies to track your computer and internet use by gathering information such as your email address, web sites you have visited, music you listen to, your calendar data and more.  In turn, they email you or serve up ads while you are surfing the Internet that relate to the information they have gathered.  The only real difference between the two, is spyware implies that there is no informed consent for the company to gather your personal information.  Adware refers to software that contains advertising components and it usually makes it more clear that you are viewing an ad and information is being gathered.

How might I get infected with SpyWare or AdWare?

The number of programs using spyware are now totaling in the thousands and many popular downloads on the Internet - including Comet Cursor, CuteFTP, KaZaA, Gator and Bonzi Buddy - are infected with spyware.  Some warn you ahead of time, but you also cannot download the program without the spyware included.  Some (like Bonzi Buddy) are disguised as system error message pop-ups when you are surfing the Web - clicking on the message may install the spyware on your machine.

If you have ever downloaded and installed free software - like the popular file sharing programs and the ones listed above - you most likely also installed spyware or adware.  People distributing free software they have developed sometimes allow the inclusion of spyware to offset the cost of developing the software.

When installing software, most people that I know (myself included) do not take the time to read the license agreement - they just click "I Agree" to get on with the software installation.  If the program contains information gathering components, it probably states something related to gathering information in the license agreement, and by clicking without reading you have just given permission for the company to gather your information and they are not held liable.

One of the more well known companies, Mattel (makers of Barbie!), distributed a spyware program called Brodcast with their many educational programs including those for children.  Since it became known that Mattel used this spyware, Broderbund, the maker of Brodcast, now provides a utility you can download (support.broderbund.com/brodcastpatch.asp) that will remove Brodcast from your PC and Mattel no longer includes Brodcast in their CD-ROMs.  CD-ROMs affected are those distributed prior to April 2000. To find out more about this issue with Mattel, visit this link to Privacy Power (www.accs-net.com/smallfish/mattel.htm).

Free multi-media players, like Real Player and Windows Media Player also contain elements of spyware.  That way, when you pop in a new CD and listen to it via one of the players, that information is transmitted to the company and allows for them to show information or ads related to the CD through the software.  If you entered your email address when registering, you might also receive email related to the music you are listening to.  You always wondered why it was free, huh?

Also, if you accept "cookies" when browsing the Internet, those cookies can contain tracking information.  A cookie is a small file saved to your machine in your temporary internet files directory.  If you have registered with Web sites, this is how they know who you are when you come back and display something like - "Hello, Karyn!".  Pop-up ads and other ads may also try to save a cookie on your machine.  Some cookies are safe and are used only to personalize a Web site for you or to remember your password so that you don't have to re-enter it when logging in.  The trouble is, it's very hard to determine which cookies are safe and which are not.  You can find your cookie settings in Internet Explorer by going to:  Tools/Internet Options/Privacy tab/Advanced button.

Most large companies use this type of spying for the purposes of gathering information for targeted marketing.  However, some have more malicious intent and may actually try to find out things like passwords.

Other Problems with SpyWare

Aside from the fact that spyware and adware have obvious privacy issues, some spyware is badly made and can cause problems with your PC.  It can cause your PC to run slowly or even crash Internet Explorer.  One particular piece of spyware, Aureate Radiate, contained in 250 software programs has caused so many IE problems that Microsoft has added a page to their site (support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q259684) about the issue.

How can I tell if my PC is infected and remove spyware?

The only real way to tell, is to download a program that scans your PC for spyware and adware.  The one I recommend is AdAware.  It is free, thorough and can do a full system scan or a quick scan of areas you specify.  It can scan your hard drives, registry and memory for known spyware and adware and remove the components.  When I did the scan, I found 22 infected files!

You can download AdAware here - www.webattack.com/get/adaware.shtml .

Another program you can use is SpyBot.  It basically does the same thing - scans your system.  It's also free.

You can download SpyBot here - www.spybot.com .

Please note that removing certain components of spyware or adware may impact the functionality of the software applications associated with it, and you should never remove anything you are not sure about.

There is one program out there that I do not recommend.  The program is SpyWareNuker, and several spots on the Internet report that the program itself is spyware masquerading as a spyware removal program.  In fact, SpyBot even scans for it as known spyware when you run the scan on your system.

Avoiding SpyWare and AdWare

There are a couple of places you can go before you download software to check and see if spyware or adware is associated with it.

You should also check your cookie settings in Internet Explorer (Tools/Options/Privacy tab/Advanced button) and have IE warn you when a cookie is about to be installed.  You can then either accept or block the cookie.  Keep in mind that for some Web sites, you cannot browse or login without out having their cookie enabled.  For example, I cannot get my web-based email without having the cookie enabled on my machine.

An excellent additional resource to check out is Alan Zisman's article, CyberSafety: Spyware (www.zisman.ca/Security/spyware.htm).  It contains a list of some of the most common spyware programs and ways to rid your machine of spyware.

If you are concerned about your privacy, like me, then I hope this article has enlightened you on the issue of spyware and adware.

 

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