QandAs: Tech

What is Spyware?

Answer:
Spyware is computer software that is installed

to a personal computer without the knowledge of the owner. Spyware can monitor the user’s actions on the computer, and even take control over some functionality. It can be dangerous because it is hard to detect and it is rare that a computer only downloads one spyware program at a time.

Most spyware is disguised to look like something the user needs, like a popup for a Microsoft update or perhaps it's attached to a free screen saver. Once downloaded, the spyware can overwhelm your computer. The infected computer will usually show signs of decreased speeds, possibly some popup ads, and it can use up most of the disk space.

Spyware can also “spy” on your activities and retrienve valuable information such as a bank or credit card number. Some spyware is designed to watch what websites the user visits and then display ads that correlate with that content.

If you find your PC infected with some form of spyware you should immediately do your research and find a trust worthy anti-spyware program. Paying for a useful anti-spyware service can save you a significant amount of time.