Spyware

spyware, type of computer program that is secretly installed on a person’s computer or mobile device in order to obtain the owner’s private information, such as lists of websites visited, passwords, and credit card numbers.

Spyware often finds its way onto users’ computers when they install some other software, such as electronic games or system utilities, from third-party sources that have altered the original programs. For example, a large proportion of software downloaded from P2P (“person-to-person”) file-sharing networks contains computer viruses, worms, spyware, adware (unsolicited advertisements), or other “malware.” Spyware may also be secretly installed when a user opens an infected e-mail attachment. Because digital audio or video files are frequently shared among friends, a contaminated file can quickly proliferate if left unchecked. Some spyware can be installed as part of legitimate programs that seek to track a user’s activity.

Some spyware is designed to steal U.S. Social Security numbers, passwords, and other private information directly from an infected computer’s hard drive, while other spyware may alter the results of Internet searches in order to redirect users to a website that may infect their computers with even more spyware. Keyloggers can record the keystrokes that a user types. The Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group grants an attacker complete access to an iPhone, including e-mail, text messages, and photos, and can even activate the microphone and camera without the user’s knowledge. Some computer security experts consider tracking cookies (small text files that track a user’s online activity for such purposes as showing advertisements a user might find interesting) as spyware, but others point out that such cookies do not carry malware or adware that displays obtrusive advertisements and thus are not as dangerous as other spyware, despite the amount of information they collect.

Most commercial antivirus software programs include features to help detect and eliminate spyware and other malware. In addition, modern operating systems include features to make it harder for criminals to install malware without the owner’s knowledge. Still, all such preventive measures are ineffective if users do not regularly update their system and antivirus software, and no combination of security measures will work if individuals indulge in imprudent behaviour.