To start any discussion of spyware, it’s essential to understand what the term means. As the name implies, spyware is anything that takes up residence on a computer, usually uninvited, that can report on the activities and preferences of the computer’s users, or disclose information about data stored on a computer. In other words, it spies on what the computer is used for and possibly for what it contains, to report on its findings to outsiders when an opportunity presents itself. Whatis.com provides a slightly more detailed definition of spyware that’s interesting to peruse and ponder next:

Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet (where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software), spyware is programming that is put in someone’s computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Data collecting programs that are installed with the user’s knowledge are not considered to be spyware if the user fully understands what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared. However, spyware is often installed without the user’s consent, as a drive-by download, or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window.

The cookie is a well-known mechanism for storing information about an Internet user on their own computer. However, the existence of cookies and their use is generally not concealed from users, who can also disallow access to cookie information. Nevertheless, to the extent that a Web site stores information about you in a cookie that you don’t know about, the cookie mechanism could be considered a form of spyware.

There’s enough material in this lengthy quote from Whatis.com to justify a little follow-up commen- tary. The term drive-by download describes the circumstance in which visiting a Web page causes software to be downloaded and installed on user machines without informing users that this has happened, or without obtaining their prior consent. Please recall also that cookies are passive, mostly textual records that Web sites read and write to help track user history, preferences, and activ- ity.

What Qualifies as Spyware?
Microsoft offers some great clues as to what else qualifies as spyware on a Web page entitled “What you can do about spyware and other unwanted software” (see the next On the Web icon for the URL). It makes some valuable points about where spyware comes from and how it behaves, noting that spyware is often picked up when making free downloads (such as free games, tools, utilities, and so forth). It also points out that the information that spyware gathers ranges from fairly innocu- ous, such as all the Web sites a user visits on a PC, to potentially dangerous, such as account or user- names and the passwords that go with them. Spyware can come from all kinds of sources, such as music- or file-sharing sites, free games from untrusted providers, or tools and utilities from unknown or untrusted sources.

Likewise, spyware often travels in company with other software used to display advertisements, also known as adware (the subject of the next section in this chapter, in fact). Sometimes, adware includes spyware components, in that it also tracks user activity, preferences, and behavior, as well as coordinating a ceaseless stream of unwanted pop-ups on your PC’s desktop.

Another key concept in deciding whether software on your PC is good or bad hinges on the notion of deception. Deceptive software changes settings or defaults, adds (or removes) components from your PC, and generally manages your system without seeking permission or explaining conse- quences and outcomes in advance so you can decide whether or not to proceed. Deceptive software often creeps onto systems during the installation of other free software, as with the music, games, tools, or utilities mentioned earlier. It can also be disclosed in long, deliberately obtuse or boring license agreements, which many users agree to without reading deeply or completely (and in that case, some spyware vendors have even been bold enough to claim “informed consent” on the part of hoodwinked users).

Sometimes, so-called active content is covertly loaded when you visit certain Web pages (active content basically represents a software-based, program-like capability that gets covertly installed on your machine). Sometimes, a Web page may ask your permission to add an innocuous-sounding widget to your computer, ostensibly to permit that page to perform some useful function or service. This is when my earlier advice to “Just say No” to unsolicited downloads is worth recalling—and heeding! Likewise, anything that asks you to extend your trust permanently is probably worth denying as well. That means you should avoid clicking the check box in a download that reads “Always trust content from XYZ Corp” unless you’re pretty darn sure you really can trust all content from that source (I don’t even give Microsoft or Symantec that privilege on my desktops, to be absolutely can- did, because I want to be informed and to grant permission before anything shows up there).

Signs of Potential Spyware Infestation
Although other, more subtle signs exist that spyware (or other unwanted software) has invaded your system, the most common and discernible symptoms are as follows:

• Something new or unexpected shows up—Whether in your Web browser or on your desktop, it could be anything from a new home or search page, to a toolbar, to a piece of software. Be grateful it’s something you can see!
• An increase in ads, pop-ups, or advertising—Sometimes, you’ll be overwhelmed with ads and it’s easy to recognize that something’s amiss; at other times, volume may just go up a little, or you’ll find that closing one ad provokes another to appear, ad infinitum.
• Performance slows down noticeably—If your system starts running sluggishly without a good cause (indexing files, compacting your drives, or other intensive tasks), it may just be that the overhead of recording your actions or delivering oodles of ads are dragging down performance. Worse yet, buggy spyware or adware can make a previously stable sys- tem susceptible to crashing.

Among the many potential and unwanted effects of spyware, a little research into news coverage of this topic will document numerous cases of bogged-down systems or Internet access, theft of per- sonal identity or other information, system crashes or instability, and loss of key system files or doc- uments. While some of these are scarier than others, none is welcome news!