Spyware: Stealing Information from Your Computer without Your Knowledge

You could have spyware running on your computer right now, and you’d never know it unless your antivirus detects it. In some cases, clever spyware creators are able to avoid detection from antivirus applications. Because of this, it’s imperative that computer owners educate themselves on spyware, how it works, and what they can do to avoid installing the malware on their computers.

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Brief History of Spyware

The term “spyware” has been around since the 1990s. It was used to refer to some of Microsoft’s questionable practices when retrieving personal information from its users stored in the operating system. It’s since morphed into a term used for malware.

Spyware was born from another type of malware called adware. Adware displays unwanted advertising on the user’s desktops in the hopes that users will buy product. Adware creators took it a step further and created spyware. Spyware sometimes displays ads, but it mostly runs in the background while the computer is running. Spyware takes information stored on the machine or typed into a website and sends it to a central location – usually the hacker’s web server.

Spyware has always been a security and privacy issue for computer users, but it’s become much more dangerous as Internet crimes increase. In the 1990s, people didn’t use the cloud for online banking and credit card management. Now, people do most of their financial transactions on the Internet, and spyware attempts to steal this information for a variety of purposes including identity theft and fraudulent credit card charges.

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What Does Spyware Do?

Spyware is packaged with numerous types of software including other malware. Since the target goal is stealing private data, a spyware creator needs a vector. It could be a simple, innocent-looking program. It could be an add-on to a current application, or spyware creators can load the software from a malicious web page. Most browsers block spyware install attempts through web pages, but older browsers don’t have the security protection to detect these attacks. This is one reason you should always keep the latest browser installed on your system.

After the spyware application makes it to a user’s computer, the malware has two goals: steal information and avoid detection. The information spyware steals is dependent on the hacker’s goals. Spyware often comes with programs called keyloggers. These keyloggers record keystrokes and store them to a file. The spyware gathers keystroke information and sends it to a central location. Having a list of user names and passwords allows the hacker to log into accounts including financial accounts, shopping accounts, or private software such as email.

Spyware also looks for common applications. These applications store data in a standard location. Sypware scans directories for files such as Excel spreadsheets or Word documents and sends it to the hacker’s web server. It can also scan software databases and send private details. For instance, local bookkeeping software stores files on the user’s computer. These files could be scanned and sent to a central location.

To avoid detection, spyware creators must continue to update their code. The biggest threat to spyware is antivirus software. Each time a spyware creator develops a new application to avoid antivirus detection, it’s referred to as a “zero day” virus. Zero day malware has never been “seen” by antivirus software, so it goes undetected. Once users report suspicious software, antivirus software makers can work to defend against it.

Once antivirus companies are able to study malware, they can update definition files to protect their users. It’s up to users to download and install these files to keep their computers protected.

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How to Avoid Spyware

Even though spyware installs without your knowledge, you can still take steps to avoid infection. First, never download software from an untrusted source. For instance, don’t download Microsoft Office from any site other than Microsoft.

Some spyware creators package malware with installers that look like legitimate software. One common malware scam is to create a popup that asks users to upgrade Adobe Flash to view a video. When the user clicks the popup, they are taken to a malware distribution site. When you see these popups, ignore them. If you think that the software needs an update, go directly to the official software site. For an Adobe Flash update, go directly to Adobe’s website and update your software from there. It cuts out the possibility of installing malware when you’re unsure if the popup notification is legitimate.

Spyware creators send phishing emails that point to malicious websites distributing malware. If you receive an email from an official company, hover your mouse over the links to ensure that they point to the company’s website and not a third-party website.

Another way to avoid falling victim to phishing emails is to type the website domain directly into the browser instead of clicking email links.

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How to Remove Spyware

You can’t remove spyware if you don’t know that you have it installed. The best method for removal is using antivirus software. However, just having antivirus software installed isn’t enough. You need to continuously update the software’s definition files. Some antivirus applications have an automatic update that you can configure. Always use this option if you don’t know how to manually update definition files.

If you suspect that you have spyware and your antivirus application doesn’t detect it, you need to manually remove it or run a different scanner on your system. Manually removing spyware takes some skill and understanding of computer programs. Antivirus creators offer manual steps to help you remove spyware, but you need to know what type of spyware you have installed on your machine.

Some additional applications that you can help remove spyware include:

• Spybot
• Ad-Aware
• Malwarebytes

Windows users can use Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool to remove common spyware applications.

The best defense is a good offense. To avoid being a victim of malware, keep antivirus software up-to-date, don’t click suspicious links in email, use an update browser with the latest patches, and scan your system regularly for any malicious programs.