Bowles (2013) defines spyware as, “malicious programs, installed without your consent, that monitor your activity [and] is often done for marketing purposes” (3.4). The Microsoft Safety and Security Center expands on this definition by stating that spyware is often used to collect a person’s personal information and can even be used to change the configuration of your computer. Detecting spyware is often impossible because it is designed to be complicated to remove. While some spyware can be installed without the user’s knowledge, users often agree to this invasion of their computer or information without realizing how it can be used against them, to steal their identity, slow down or crash their computer, or just add annoying programs or pop-ups.
It is important to safeguard against spyware to protect yourself and your computer. I don’t have a lot of issues with spyware anymore, but when I owned a PC, I definitely found myself fighting this problem a lot because I didn’t have spyware software. I remember downloading free font software I needed for image editing, and ended up with an entirely new web browser and so many pop-ups, I couldn’t use my internet. I had to call a friend who is computer savvy to uninstall the spyware. Apple seems to be a lot better at preventing spyware, or I just got smarter.
Anti-spyware is important to your online security because anyone with the knowledge and malicious intent could steal your identity. A perfect example of why this is so important is my husband. He had his banking information stolen twice in one year due to spyware being installed on his information. Someone cleaned out his account from France and he didn’t know until his debit card got declined at the gas station. Luckily, our bank, USAA, has fraud protection and credited his account but it took 10 days. He now has awesome spyware protection and doesn’t save any account information or passwords on his computer or online.
Bowles, M. D. (2013). Introduction to computer literacy. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Microsoft. (2014). What is Spyware? Microsoft Safety and Security Center. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/spyware-whatis.aspx
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