What is Spyware

At the most basic level, spyware is software that installs without the user’s knowledge or consent, monitors certain aspects of his activity, and then uses an Internet connection to transmit that collected information to a third party. Most spyware does not register in Windows’ Add/Remove Programs Control Panel and is undetectable to antivirus software, making it extremely difficult for users to remove without special tools.

Types of spyware include the following:

Unauthorized adware is software that the user has not authorized and cannot easily control that installs to track the user’s Internet browsing, report the browsing information to a central advertising server, and then, when the user visits particular Web sites, displays advertisements that target the users’ preferences based on the reported information. Adware purports to be useful in that it displays advertising that will likely interest the user, and some Web sites and services try to differentiate it from more malicious instances of spyware (malware), such as those listed below. Some adware is authorized by users, typically in exchange for a service such as a free e-mail account.