Computer Technology Review: Spyware: technology's version of big brother

Some of you might have already experienced this scenario. You get to work on Monday morning and upon turning on your computer, you realize that the settings for your homepage have been changed. No longer are you directed to your company's website but instead to some new Internet search engine with links to Viagra, gambling, pills to increase your you-know-what and all sorts of other mischief. "This must be some kind of a joke!" You exclaim to yourself. Think again. Chances are that you've been hit with what is being referred to in the tech community as Spyware.

But a change in your homepage settings is the least of your worries. Spyware can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending confidential data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences and alter important system files. All of which can be done without you having any knowledge of it.

There are currently hundreds and thousands of computers that become infected with Spyware worldwide, everyday. This international form of cyber espionage is so recent that most people have yet to receive information about the nature of the hazards, the risks involved, or the tools necessary to combat the threat.

What is Spyware? Spyware is a software application that gathers information about a person or employee, most often without their knowledge or consent. There are basically two types of Spyware. The most common and annoying type is unscrupulously placed on your computer to track surfing habits. The recorded information is then transferred or sold to marketers and other third parties who use it to target their specific marketing efforts. To the user, this translates into a massive assault of spam that will eventually overflow his or her inbox.

The other type of Spyware, sometimes known as Spy software, is used to monitor or record all activities occurring on the computer. Typically, this is used by an employer at work to monitor the use of a computer by an employee. With the new laws that have recently passed to prevent digital piracy, online activity by employees has become more and more of a liability for companies.

Spyware can get into a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Many popular programs that are distributed free on the Internet are actually comprised of some sort of Spyware agent. "They have even quite recently come out with 'hybrid spy ware' which disguises itself as an E-Card greeting card! The moment you open it you're infected," said expert Grey McKenzie, owner of the computer security software company SpyCop in a statement sent to us last month. The cookie is another well-known mechanism for storing information about an Internet user on his or her computer. However, users typically know how to disallow access to cookie information.

To get rid of the un-welcomed intruder McKenzie offers these helpful tips:

1) -- You must detect what Spyware is residing on your system as well as where it has decided to lay its ugly nest. There are currently hundreds of specialized software programs to detect its presence. Once found, all that is needed is to delete the programs.

2) -- Look for hardware keyloggers, which are small devices about the size of an AA battery that are plugged in-line with your keyboard in order to record your keystrokes. Companies use these to monitor employee online behavior or to identify "spies". With keyloggers they can keep track of what employees do on their computer and look for unauthorized use. To date, it is illegal to monitor a person's computer without permission but that is usually acquired at the log-in screen when the computer is turned on. Hardware keyloggers are generally advertised as being better than software keyloggers because they are undetectable. However consumers can easily spot a hardware keylogger.

In his classic novel, 1984, George Orwell described a totalitarian society in which the government had almost complete control over its people. Telescreens that could not be turned off displayed endless brainwashing propaganda government programs. The Telescreens not only transmitted governmental policies, they also transmitted back to the Thought Police both sounds and pictures from inside the homes. Although Spyware is nowhere near being as intrusive, it can be very damaging. What started with advertisers who wanted a cheap way to sell products to you over the Internet, has evolved into programs that can track your every keystroke and has become one of the leading causes of identify theft. There are now high tech applications that can sit invisibly on your computer capturing and recording all your emails, chat conversations, keystrokes, even credit card and banking information. They can basically capture and transmit everything you do on your computer and relay that information to another party without your knowledge or consent. "There are no laws protecting individuals from spy ware yet, so it is up to individuals to deal with the problem," said McKenzie.