A clandestine information war is being waged across the
Internet, and your computer is on the front lines. Spyware is
trying to get at your personal information, and running isn’t
an option.
EarthLink Inc. and Webroot Software Inc. scanned 1.1 million
computers between July and September and found there were an
average of 25 spyware programs per computer.
Since you probably have spyware, you must next determine how
serious the spyware threat is, and what you can do to stop it. To
accomplish this, it’s important to understand what spyware is
and what it can do.
Spyware is normally defined as any software that sends
information about you to other users without your approval ““
but that definition has changed as the creators of spyware have
become more creative.
Spyware can range from the so-called “tracking
cookies” that simply record information about your browsing
habits to individually targeted ad programs to “key-stroke
loggers” that can capture every password and credit card
number you may type.
Some programs often lumped in with spyware might be better
described as “malware” ““ basically any program
that causes harm to you or your computer. These programs can
include phone dialers that call pornographic 900-numbers to run up
your bill, browser hijackers that redirect your home page or modify
your search results, and unwanted add-ons that simply slow your
computer down.
The range of possibilities is great when it comes to these
programs. But the threat posed by spyware depends largely on how
you use your computer.
If all you do is write essays for classes and chat with friends,
there probably isn’t much personal information on your
computer malicious programmers would be interested in. At worst,
your name might be added to a few spam lists, or an advertiser
might note your visit to that porn site.
But the threat can be much greater. Anyone who does online
banking, stock trading or even online shopping should be very
worried about key-loggers and various Trojan horses (a type of
disguised virus). A key-logger can watch as you type passwords for
eBay, PayPal, your bank or anything else. It then sends the
information to a remote computer, and it is no longer only
yours.
So how can you protect yourself?
Two of the best anti-spyware programs available also happen to
be totally free. The simplest to use is Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware
SE Personal Edition. With 76 million downloads off CNET alone, this
program’s reputation speaks for itself. I have found that
Ad-Aware is best at cleaning threats like tracking cookies and ad
programs. Lavasoft has also recently added other abilities, such as
anti-browser hijacking.
Another great program is Spybot Search & Destroy, by Safer
Networking Limited. Spybot has been around since 2000 and catches
thousands of malware programs. Spybot often catches things Ad-Aware
leaves, and vice versa. I use both.
Both of these programs have to be updated and run regularly to
be useful. Running them about once a week keeps a computer pretty
clean. Both programs also offer preemptive protection modes.
There are many other useful and legitimate anti-spyware
programs, but there are also some that should be avoided like the
plague. The best example of one of these is a program called Spy
Wiper. Spy Wiper’s creator has been sued by the federal
government because it allegedly “hijacks web browsers, causes
CD-ROM trays to mysteriously slide open and slows down computers or
causes them to cease working altogether,” according to
Reuters. The software then sends a “torrent of “˜pop
up’ messages (urging) consumers to buy … Spy
Wiper.”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger just signed a new law that makes
spyware illegal, and Congress is considering a bill that would make
distributing it a federal crime punishable by four years in
prison.
Unfortunately, neither of these measures is likely to make much
of a difference in the global spyware and malware war. The people
behind such software don’t care about laws or ethics ““
they are in it for the thrill or to make a quick buck.
If you are hooked up to the Internet, you better use
protection.
Lazzaro is a fourth-year political science and psychology
student. He is the editorial development director for the Bruin.
E-mail him at dlazzaro@media.ucla.edu.