TABLE OF CONTENTS In many ways, the discussion of spyware is really just an extension of the Privacy and Anonymous Surfing section of the Chapter 7. At its core, the problem of spy-ware relates directly to your privacy and how much, if any, information you wish to share with third parties, especially when you are unaware they are gathering the information. Spyware warrants its own chapter because it crosses the line from the ethical gray area of monitoring your activity and gathering your personal information, and heads into the starkly black area of gathering your information without your knowledge or consent, sometimes with malicious intent. Much of what a spy-ware removal program detects such as cookies, Registry entries, and programs known to be related to spyware of some sort are still more of an annoyance than a threat. However, there are still some spyware programs that pose a risk to the security of your system. But even those that don t pose a threat may still affect the performance and stability of your computer system.
This chapter will examine the following:
The difference between adware and spyware
The pitfalls of the End User License Agreement (EULA)
How to protect your system against spyware
Tools to detect and remove spyware
The terms adware and spyware are often lumped together. In truth, there is a fundamental difference between the two, where adware tends to fall into that ethical gray area and stops short of crossing the line. Adware is software that s commonly used to generate...
