What's a... Spyware ?
Friday, 10. November 2006, 21:47:17
What's a... Spyware ?
The term Spyware has been used in two ways.
In its narrow sense, Spyware is a term for Tracking Software deployed without adequate notice, consent, or control for the user.
Often the tracking is done by reporting information (anything from browsing history to credit-card or personal details) to a third party.
Some Spyware is delivered as part of another program (much the same way as a Trojan Horse), but some is delivered as a payload to a worm, or via websites which exploit vulnerabilities in browsers to silently install the programs in the background. There are also many programs which pretend to be Anti-Spyware programs, but are themselves Spyware. (http://www.spywarewarrior.org for a list of rogue AS and AV programs).
In its broader sense, Spyware is used as a synonym for what the Anti-Spyware Coalition calls “Spyware and Other Potentially Unwanted Technologies.” This can include some types of cookies, commercial keyloggers and other tracking technologies.
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