Step 1. Reading: Spyware

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As you already know, spyware is just one of the many varieties of malicious software that can pose a threat to your computer system. In general, spyware is an umbrella term used to describe software collecting personal information or tracking sensitive data without the user’s knowledge. It is crucial to remember that not all data-collecting software can be categorised as spyware. For instance, if you permit a freeware program to track your online activities as a trade-off for its usage, the program cannot be seen as spyware.

Most spyware is designed to be difficult to detect and remove. These programs often make annoying changes to the computer and often cause it to slow down or even crash. Spyware may gather virtually any kind of information, including internet surfing habits, credit card information or user logins and passwords. In order to get these information sometimes all that is necessary is a simple keylogger, in other words a program tracking each stroke you make on your keyboard.

There are numerous ways in which spyware can get installed on your computer, but sometimes a bit of caution is all it takes to save you a lot of trouble. When you install any program it is crucial to read the licence agreement very carefully. A popular practice is to get a user to agree to install a spyware program during an installation of another program, primarily freeware.