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Spyware and Adware

Spyware and adware are types of malware that are installed on your computer in roder to spy on you. These malwares collect information about you with or without your permission for many purposes. Malwares generally don’t pose much danger to somputer systems but the reasons why you would not want a spyware on your system is because it consumes computer resources in order to run and do it’s job.

Spywares such as adwares are used to watch users behaviours on the internet so that adverts can be targeted to the user based on the type of website the user visits. Other harmful uses are traffic redirection, where a user is redirected to another website they are not intendint to view. The most dangerous spywares are those that are used to steal personal details. Keylogger is an example of this type of spyware which can collect you usernames and passwords, then email these details to the attacker.

Spywares can be installed without the user knowing, or they could be installed with other genuine programs especially with peer-to-peer softwares, or game programs. Once installed they search through users files such as the browsing history to collect information used for marketing.

The Main difference between spywares and virus is that they are not created to damage your system but to steal information by spying on you. They also do not self replicate like viruses so they do not affect more than one computer in a computer network.

Even though spywares do not damage computer systems, the effect they cause is passive. Hackers can get their hands on your banking details, username and password for all your online email accounts and so on through a spyware installed on your computer.

Protect your system against malware attack, do not install programs that you do not trust, and always watch out for good programs that are installed in conjunction with a malware so you can trade your privacy for the price of the software. Also watch out for toolbars that are installed in your browser and if you notice any of these toolbars remove it immediately before it gets to work. Install a anti-spyware software and keep it up to date, if you notice any popup windows that you did not trigger, u should run your anti-spyware software immediately.