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 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.
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 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.
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.
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,
AdAware and SpyBot even scan 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.
-
Another site that lists programs with known
spyware is Sutton.
-
A
great site for downloading software is Web
Attack. You will find software here clearly labeled as
to whether it is shareware, freeware or adware.
-
CNet
and ZDNet download sites have also started listing software that
is adware free.
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. 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.
