It is very rare that you will ever come across a computer, whether it be a simple home system or a sophisticated piece of hardware on a closely protected professional network, that has not, during some period of its existence, not fallen foul of that scourge of the internet – the virus.
Viruses come in many forms. Some of these are relatively innocuous, designed to irritate and frustrate rather than to do any lasting damage. Unfortunately, certain types of virus are designed to carry our more ulterior motives. Ranking at the forefront of these threats is the type of computer virus that has now become known popularly as spyware.
As its name suggests, spyware is a means through which outsiders can infiltrate your web browser and your computer system to ascertain information about you. It is not necessarily the case that every item of spyware is intrinsically sinister.
In fact, we often agree, when downloading programmes and software, to the introduction of certain types of spyware to our computer. Many downloaded programmes bring with them side-programmes that allow the tracking of our visits to sites, with a view to building a profile of our visits and our interests.
The reasoning behind such programmes is obvious. It is directed to finding out what we are interested in for advertising and marketing purposes. Nothing more sinister than that – although all those who have been avalanched with spam and advertising emails might venture that this type of infection is by no means harmless! What this article is more concerned with is the far more sinister spyware that is designed to obtain personal information for purely nefarious purposes. The fact is that certain spyware infections can obtain personal information that is stored on the hard drive of your laptop or desktop
computer. Such information can include but is not necessarily restricted to details of your name and address, your personal details and even your stored online financial details, including your banking information. Spyware can even allow someone who may be in a country many thousands of mile away to log the use of the individual keys on your computer so that they can gradually build a profile of the log in information that you employ to gain access to your online financial accounts. Spyware can also allow people who are criminally inclined to obtain sufficient personal information about you to steal your identity and thereby duplicate your credit terms and obtain goods, financial services and credit facilities nefariously.
Sadly, the bad news does not end there! Certain types of spyware have the ability to act as a form of gatekeeper, maintaining an open door to other types of infection that is endeavouring to infiltrate your computer system.
This means that if you have that particular type of spyware your computer is liable to be taken over completely within a short space of time.