How Spyware Finds Its Way To Your Computer Hard Drive
December 1st, 2008

There are several types of spyware out there today. No matter what kind you get, they are most annoying and can be quite costly. It doesn't take much to get this junk on your computer these days and is everywhere. For the most part, every site you enter has some form of it. Whether it is pop-ups or secret downloads it does not matter. For the most part there are three main ways to get spyware installed into your machine. You can either accidentally down load it from the web site you are on by an Active X or Java trigger. You may also download it purposefully thinking that it is another program to later find out it had a spyware bundle inside of it. Or, someone you know who has access to your computer can place it manually onto your machine with out you even knowing.

Downloaded spyware is the most common way to get bugged. It comes with most freeware and is the reason it is free. All those neat cursers, screen savers, and tool bars are a great source of infection. They are also common in shareware programs that transfer music and movie files from computer to computer. The programmer installs the spyware into the middle of the original file as a bundle. This will allow you to have the program but also bring affiliate advertisement and money to the programmer for bugging your computer. This may seem devious but even so the companies that offer shareware and freeware know you must agree to there privacy and license agreement before the download can take place. The problem with these agreements is that they are the same as the good companies. They basically tell you that you risk issues when downloading items from the Internet and bank on the fact that you will not read the whole thing before clicking "agree".

Port or browser unknown installed spyware consists of those programs that squeak by you with out you even seeing them. They prey on open and unsecured ports as well as Active X and Java automatic downloads. This type of spyware is received by going onto a web site that has been triggered to detect Active X or Java in your browser. If these are present then they will read the information hidden in the site and begin to download it to your computer as prompted. They will not be blocked by your firewall because a program already installed on your computer runs them. Usually they will run unknowingly for quite sometime before you see a change in your system. By the time you realize they are there, it will be too late and all the information no matter how personal will be sent. This type of spyware can be in the form of adware, keyloggers, pornware, or any other type of malware.

Manually installed spyware is not something you can get from surfing the web. This is not installed from remote computers or any computer at all. Someone who has complete access to the computer places this type of spyware onto a system. Keyloggers are small inline devices placed in between the keyboard and computer. They are so extremely small that they are very hard to detect and can unnoticed for long time periods. This type of device requires that the person placing the device be in physical contact with the computer. A family member may do this to see what is being done on the computer when not supervised usually places this type of keylogger in a home. They are capable of capturing passwords, user names, and other personal information. This includes conversations via instant messenger and e-mails. The software keylogger uses a hooking device to monitor all keystrokes. It uses the Window function of SetWindowHookEx(). This type of program is installed via corrupted files on the net or through other spyware techniques. Once downloaded into the system they initiate the hook function and a DLL function for logging. This software can capture almost every thing one does on the computer. The third type of keylogger is the kernel/driver one. This type gets its information directly from the keyboard. It replaces the main software for tracking keystrokes. It can be so cleverly programmed that it is almost completely undetectable. It is executed on boot and starts before any user-level programs start up. It cannot get auto-complete passwords like the other types can

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