From cramped dorm rooms to faculty offices, sneaky spyware has
been surprising the UCLA community without its knowledge.
Spyware is the general term for software that can get into a
computer without the owner’s consent or knowledge. It can
cause unwanted pop-up ads, slow computer performance, or
reconfigure browser settings.
The spyware problem has been increasing rapidly for computer
users. According to the International Data Corporation, an
estimated 67 percent of all computers are infected with
spyware.
To combat the growing spyware problem, Microsoft announced the
release of a new product, Windows AntiSpyware, last week.
The software giant has offered the program free of charge, but
there may be financial motives behind the offer.
According to Carol Scott, a marketing professor at The Anderson
School at UCLA, Microsoft is trying to catch up to competitors in
the security software market.
“Microsoft’s “˜free’ offer is very
similar to how they have distributed other products, i.e., Internet
Explorer. They strengthen the operating system, which is the cash
cow,” Scott said.
Currently, the beta version of Windows AntiSpyware is available
for free to the public and can be downloaded on the Microsoft Web
site.
Beta testing is the early distribution of a product to get
consumer feedback on it. While the beta version of Windows
AntiSpyware is free, “productization and pricing details for
the final release of the product have not been finalized
yet,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.
Microsoft may find it hard to charge for its product, Scott
said.
Nevertheless, the devastation spyware can cause to a computer
has students, faculty and staff constantly searching for
antidotes.
Students who regularly download music or movies are at a high
risk for downloading spyware, which is frequently contained in
these files.
Anthony Kim, a fourth-year political science student, downloaded
spyware protection for his new computer after his old one crashed
as a result of spyware. Currently, there are various free
anti-spyware programs available through the Internet.
“Spyware actually murdered it,” Kim said. “It
couldn’t do the simplest computer functions.”
Spyware is often attached to other software programs that
consumers intend to download. Because the two programs are
downloaded together, spyware can easily pass through firewalls
undetected and, as a result, cause a variety of problems.
“More than one-third of the application crashes reported
to Microsoft are caused by spyware and other unwanted
software,” the Microsoft spokesperson said.
While many such spyware programs are a nuisance, other types of
spyware software are becoming increasingly more dangerous to
consumers.
“Deceptive software uses deceit and trickery to get
installed on a PC without a person’s knowledge or
consent,” the Microsoft spokesperson said.
Some programs can track Web browsing activities, while others
install keystroke loggers that can record your personal information
including passwords and credit card information. These programs may
leave users vulnerable to identity theft.
When a spyware program is detected, Windows AntiSpyware provides
the user with a detailed description of the program, a rating of
the risk level, where it is located and a recommendation of a
course of action against the unwanted program.
“A critical aspect of any anti-spyware solution is the
ability to determine which programs are truly unwanted ““ a
challenge compounded by the continual distribution of new spyware
and other unwanted software,” the Microsoft spokesperson
said.
Many students have begun to take advantage of free spyware
protection to safeguard their computers against spyware.
Amit Kumar, a fourth-year cognitive science student, uses
Spybot, a free anti-spyware tool, but finds it is sometimes
necessary to download spyware in order to get a program he
needs.
“It’s annoying that some software gives you no
choice but to download the spyware too,” Kumar said.