The Importance of Spyware
“Spyware consists of computer software that gathers and reports information about a computer without the users’ knowledge or consent” (“Spyware”). Spyware is a major problem for many users. It causes problems with the setup and general operation of a computer. It is one of the most typical internet intruders today and many users are unaware of what spyware is and they do not know how to recognize or prevent it. Spyware is different than a computer virus because a virus travels into the computer system without permission from the user. Spyware may be obtained by clicking the “I agree” option on the installation agreement before actually reading the entire contract. Some examples of typical spyware include: Direct Revenue, Cydoor, Xupiter, XXXDial, and SpyKiller (“What is Spyware?”). Most spyware is the result of downloading documents from the Internet. In this respect, spyware is similar to a Trojan horse. Spyware can also come from clicking the advertisement pop-up screens, and through email. According to National Cyber-Security Alliance, 90% of home PC’s have been infected with some type of Spyware (“Spyware”).
In order to determine if a user has been infected with spyware, there are some vital signs to look for and recognize. There will be some defective functionality, where the spyware will keep track of the steps the user takes without the user’s knowledge of it. There is also a loss of privacy when spyware has infected a computer. The spyware can send private user information back to the Internet vendor; therefore it reduces the user privacy. There may also be an increased amount of pop-up advertisements on the computer screen while connected to the Inte...
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... Anti-Spyware programs. Although spyware is a major problem for computer owners today, the advance of anti-spyware programs from software companies, along with help from the users, will ultimately aid in the termination of spyware altogether.
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“How to Find, Remove, and Prevent Spyware, Internet Intruders, and Pop-Ups.”
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“Microsoft AntiSpyware.” Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 3 April 2005.
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“Spyware.” Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 3 April 2005.
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“What is Spyware?” PC Pitstop. 3 April 2005.
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Grimes, R. (2005). Honeypots for windows. (1st ed., p. 424). New York, NY: Apress Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.apress.com/9781590593356
Privacy and security issues have become one of the top concerns among computer users in today’s market. It has become a game of survival of the fittest in protection of your security. The only true way to defend yourself is knowledge. You should prepare your self against hackers, spammers and potential system crashing viruses and web bugs. Lets focus on how you can protect yourselves from the would be thieves.
Imagine this; you are sitting at your desk looking at a bunch of pictures. Just a normal scene, what could go wrong? Suddenly, you’re attacked by deadly things that are trying to steal your personal information like your credit card numbers, email address, all your passwords, everything. Could this be the work of ninjas? No (bet that is what you first thought though). What about the FBI? No. Then what was it? It was a virus. If you hadn’t figured it out by now, you were looking at pictures online using Google images (for all you Bing fans, I’m sorry but Google is much better). You were downloading pictures from Google and one of them happened to contain a virus and it was downloaded with one of the pictures. How do I know this is a virus? The answer is that I don’t. I didn’t give enough symptoms to diagnose this. To the pros at hacking and security, you may know that viruses are not the only threat. If you are new to the world of computers, you might not. The three types of malware that will try to harm your PC or your data in any way are Trojans, worms, and the most famous, viruses. These three are very different and all are terrible for you and your PC.
Ever since day one, people have been developing and creating all sorts of new methods and machines to help better everyday life in one way or another. Who can forget the invention of the ever-wondrous telephone? And we can’t forget how innovative and life-changing computers have been. However, while all machines have their positive uses, there can also be many negatives depending on how one uses said machines, wiretapping in on phone conversations, using spyware to quietly survey every keystroke and click one makes, and many other methods of unwanted snooping have arisen. As a result, laws have been made to make sure these negative uses are not taken advantage of by anyone.
Computers are main technological features that allow criminals to step into unsuspecting victims lives. With a simple piggy-backing program hackers are able to track every keystroke made by the victim. One such program is called spyware, not to be confused with adware, which is often referred to interchangeably with spyware, but is potentially harmless (Louis 15). Spyware, hidden within downloaded software, implants itself deep within a computer’s hard drive, allowing it to track every move made by the user (Louis 16). Once inside a system, spyware can gather e-mail addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers.
The computer is considered one of the most important technological advances of the twentieth century. Security and privacy issues have been in existence long before the computer became a vital component of organizations' operations. Nevertheless, the operating features of a computer make it a double-edged sword. Computer technologies with reliable error detection and recording capabilities, permit the invasion of a supposedly secure environment to occur on a grand scale and go undetected. Furthermore, computer and communications technology permit the invasion of a persons' privacy and likewise go undetected. Two forces threaten privacy: one, the growth of information technology with its enhanced capacity for surveillance, communication, computation, storage and retrieval and two, the more insidious threat, the increased value of information in decision making. Information has become more vital in the competitive environment, thus, decision makers covet it even if it viol!
Computers; they are a part of or in millions of homes; they are an intricate part of just about every if not all successful businesses, the government, and the military. Computers have become common place in today’s society and the lives of the people who live in it. They have crossed every national, racial, cultural, educational, and financial barrier, which consequently ushered in the information age. A computer is a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve and process data, and they come in all shapes, and sizes. They can be used for and in just about anything. As stated before, they are used in just about every aspect of modern society. They are so fundamental to modern society that it would be disastrous to society without them. As stated before, there are many areas in modern society that are run by computers. They play an intricate part of millions of homes in the world. Office workers in business, government and the military may use them to write letters, keep rosters, create budgets, find information, manage projects, communicate with workers, and so on. They are used in education, medicine, music, law enforcement, and unfortunately crime. Because computers have become such a part of the world and how it operates, there is a tremendous responsibility for those who are in control of these computers and the vital information that they carry, to manage and protect them properly. This is management and protection is vital because any loss or damage could be disastrous for the affected entity. For example, a mistake or intentional alteration of a personal credit file could affect ones ability to buy a car or home, or can lead to legal actions against the affected person until the mistake or intentional alteration has been corrected. Therefore, with the advent of computers in the information age, and all of the intentional and unintentional violations against them, comes the need to safeguard them and the information they carry with strong systems and policies of computer security.
In today’s society technology is used for everything. With the invention of computers and the internet this open doors to the cyber world. Today you can do almost anything without having to leave your home. The internet gives us the opportunity of shopping online, ordering food online, working from home and video chatting with friends and family across the world. Everyone has a computer and internet access in their homes. While the internet is really convenient it also opens doors for cybercrimes, loss of privacy and the need for computer security.
In order to wipe out computer crimes, an agency specialized in computer crimes should be at task to take care of such crimes and special devices provided to them in their lab. The devices they have available is what they will use in curbing the crimes hence the need to provide them with sophisticated devices.
Malicious software in short known as Malware. It is also known as computer Contaminant. Similar to biological parasite, malware also reside in a Host. Malware will get installed on host without user’s consent. Generally a software is considered malware based on the intent of the creator...
Marshall, KP & Swartwout, N 2006 “Marketing and Internet Professionals' Fiduciary Responsibility: A Perspective on Spyware..” Journal of Internet Commerce, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 109–126. (online EBSCOHOST)
Cyber Crimes are crimes committed via the Internet. In some cases, the source of attack is the computer system. These types of attacks can come in the forms of computer viruses such as worms or Trojan horses, DOS (denial of service), and electronic vandalism. (OJP, 2013). The computer can also be used to commit theft such as embezzlement, financial information, and fraud. Other uses involves malicious adware, phishing, spoofing, spyware, and hacking; to name a few.
In today’s days malware is designated as a software which aims to disturb a computer with the consent or permission of the owner. This term “Malware” is used by computer professionals to describe a varied forms of destructive, annoying and intrusive software code. This word “Malware” is used to indicate all types of malware which include a true set of viruses.
aspect of our lives, we are faced with computers. They are in our classrooms, cars, and even used
Cybercrime, also called computer crime, is an illegal act that includes a computer system. The growing problem of cybercrime is an important issue facing researchers today. The number of internet users has grown exponentially over the last twenty years. However, it is really only in the last decade that researchers have really begun to study the problem. The purpose of this paper is to take a look at areas related to cybercrime today. In this paper I will discuss major types of cybercrimes: identity theft, computer use by pedophiles, cyberbullying,cyberstalking, unauthorized access to computers (hacking), computer viruses, spam, and illegal gambling on the internet.