Text Box:   CG Technologies Corp.     

Text Box: Watch Out! Spyware Predators are Watching, Quietly Waiting   Hijackers can change your default homepage and add toolbars to your browser   By Steve Simpson   There are predators out there. They want to get close to you and get to know you. They will offer you helpful tools to lure you in, and then nab your most personal information. They are spyware.   The term "spyware" is being applied to several forms of nasty, invasive software on the Internet. It "watches" the Web sites you visit, and then serves up those obnoxious pop-up ads. It performs under the guise of "marketing" software that works to understand the patterns of your shopping behavior.   Hijackers do things like change your default homepage (the first Web page you see when you start your browser), add toolbars to your browser, and change your search features. They might also add items to your bookmarks in the hopes that you'll actually look at their junk.   In extreme cases, hijackers move your dial-up Internet connection to other providers without your knowledge, often racking up hundreds of dollars in charges through these connections. And you won't be able to get that money back.   Key loggers are perhaps the most nefarious version of spyware. These actually record the keys you're typing on your computer. Loggers can be used to gather names, addresses or credit card numbers or Social Security numbers.   How it gets there   Spyware gets injected on your computer several ways, with and without your consent. Some is delivered by hardware and software that you purchase. You know those software agreements you click past during installation? Have you ever read one all the way through? By agreeing to some, you're allowing the company to spy on you.   Other spies wrap their nasty packages in great-sounding software to "fill in forms without typing" or to share music with other people. The most disturbing trend is "drive-by" spyware that is automatically installed and run on your computer, all without your consent. Drive-by spyware loads from pop-up or, more commonly, pop-under ads quickly and quietly.   What's at stake?   Adware, lurkware, spyware all erode your privacy, chip away at your computer's performance, and snub their collective noses at the law and business ethics.   Privacy is one of the most hotly discussed topics on and about the Internet. Privacy protection and the free-wheeling nature of the Internet are often diametrically opposed.   Since most spyware gets you to agree to some form of privacy policy, providers would claim that users have allowed them to gather information about them. However, since most users would probably claim to not fully understand what's being watched and when, they are giving up a bit of their privacy.   Even the newest computer can get bogged down if any new software is loaded on it. Spyware will affect your computer in many different ways. The most common performance hit is to your Internet connection. You'll notice that it suddenly seems like Web pages take longer to load or more pop-up ads appear. Dial-up Internet users will see even more effect than broadband users.   Other telltale signs include slow loading of programs or a longer start-up time. When one of your kids says, "The computer is, like, running sooooo slow," you might start hunting for spyware.   While spam laws have already hit the books in many states (including Iowa's well-written one), very little has been done to provide a legal fight for spyware. In fact, most forms of spyware are perfectly legal since the user has agreed to some form of software agreement. Because it's all coming from the Internet, "we're very forgiving of the transgressions of digital cowboys," according to Ethics Newsline editor Carl Hausman. "When we think about it in legalistic terms, the question is usually not what's right, but what can we get away with."   Printed from Spyware HUB News

Text Box: Volume 1, Issue 1 Text Box: CG NEWS LINK