Spyware & Adware

Spyware is a type of software that secretly forwards information about a user to third parties without the user's knowledge or consent. This information can include a user's online activities, files accessed on the computer, or even user's keystrokes.

Adware is a type of software that displays advertising banners while a program is running. Some adware can also be spyware. They first spy on and gather information from a victim's computer, and then display an advertising banner related to the information collected.

A system with spyware / adware installed may display one or more of the following symptoms:

• The default start page of the web browser is changed to another website and/or new items are added to the Favorites folder without the user's consent. The user cannot undo the changes, and these browser hijackers force the user to visit the unwanted websites in order to, for example, inflate the hit rate of the websites for higher advertising value.

• Pop-up windows with advertisements open on the screen even when the user's browser is not running or when the system is not connected to the Internet.

• New software components, such as browser toolbars, are installed on a user's computer without his or her permission.

• Suspicious network traffic appears on the user's computer when he or she is not performing any online activities.

However, there are some spyware carefully programmed to avoid being noticed, and hence cannot be picked up by the above abnormalities. This type of spyware can only be detected and removed by anti-spyware products / tools.

Tips for Prevention

Besides the following common best practices, you should:

• Not download / install software from suspicious sources such as websites, peer-to-peer file sharing sources, etc.

• Read the terms and conditions of use, even before downloading and installing a legitimate piece of software, because they may require you to accept that an adware or spyware system be installed.

• Read the terms of use carefully when you are asked to install a plug-in or use active content when visiting some websites.

• Review the information provided by certain search engines whose search results may contain malicious code. This may help in avoiding dangerous or untrustworthy websites via search links.

• Install browser toolbars that can help filter out adware and spyware.

• Install anti-spyware and anti-adware software.