SHAHID UL ISLAM ENROLL. NO. : 90/10 ROLL NO.

: 03 DATE : 18-11-2013

Spyware - is computer software which is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer; it takes partial control over the user's computer, without the user's informed consent. Collect various types of personal information such as Internet surfing habits, visited sites, can also interfere installing additional software and redirecting Web browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, loss of Internet or functionality of other programs.

First recorded use of the term spyware occurred on October 16, 1995
However, in early 2000 the founder of Zone Labs, Gregor Freund, used the term in a press release for the Zone Alarm Personal Firewall. As of now, spyware has become one of the prominent security threats to computer systems.

61%of all PCs scanned had Spyware (down from 80% in 2004 study) 96%of PC users were aware of Spyware existence. The average PC had 93 Spyware components on it. 54%of infected users were unaware of the Spyware found on their machines (down from 89% in 2004 study) 95%of infected users did not give permission for the software identified to be installed on their machines 20%of calls to Dells helpdesk are Spyware related (source: Dell) Microsoft estimates that 50%of all PC crashes are a result of Spyware (Source:InformationWeek April 26, 2004)

Adware or advertising-supported software is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used.e.g.,Eudora Mail Client Adware is spyware in a sense that it displays advertisements related to what it finds from spying on you. Claria Corporation's Gator Software and Exact Advertising's BargainBuddy are examples. Comes in the form of popups and unexplained advertising programs on your computer. a LEGAL program! Created by advertising companies.

Spyware

Virus

Program Commercial Revenue Stationary Consume Resources Sometimes Wanted

File Academic Fame Replication Destructive Never Desired

CoolWebSearch

Internet Optimizer
Zango MovieLand HuntBar Zlob Trojan

Delivery of unsolicited popup advertisements; Theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers);

Monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes;

Routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites;

SPAM propagation.

Bottom line : $$$.

Spyware gets on a system through exploitation of software vulnerabilities or through deception of the user . Malicious websites install spyware on readers' computers. Spyware deceives user by piggybacking on a piece of desirable software such as Kazaa or Limewire tricking them into installing it (Trojan Horse Method). Some rogueanti-spyware programs masquerade as security software while being spyware themselves. In a few cases, a worm or virus has delivered a spyware payload e.g. Spybot Worm.

Spyware can also come bundled with other downloadable software. For example, Bonzi Buddy, a program bundled with spyware and targeted at children, claims that:

He will explore the Internet with you as your very own friend and sidekick! He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail, and download like no other friend you've ever had! He even has the ability to compare prices on the products you love and help you save money! Best of all, he's FREE!

Continuous popups Persistent change in your homepage. Slower computer processing, takes the computer longer to process or startup.

Internet browser does not start up. Parts of your computer you cannot access without freezing. Major core data is lost or changed.

Hide as a cookie or temporary internet files.

No-uninstall Active Defense with Reinstallation Rootkit Security Product Disabling

Out of many programs available, four important ones are :Spybot Search and Destroy Spysweeper Symantec AntiVirus Ad-aware 6.0

Type: Spyware Killer Advantages: Has a Recovery feature that allows you to restore any files you may have deleted because of infection with spyware Has an Immunity feature that protects you from already known spywares Disadvantages: Infrequent updates cause spywares to slip past scans and immunity Comments: Good program, but because of slow updates of spyware definitions, it renders the program not as useful.

Type: Spyware/ Adware (Free Version) Advantages: Has a immunity shield that blocks known spywares. Disadvantages: Takes a while to scan. Unless you pay for the SpySweeper, it does not come with definition updates. Comments: Effective program, only backdraw is the payment you need to make yearly to keep the program updated.

Type: Virus/ Spyware/ Adware Advantages: Can detect viruses, hacking programs, spyware programs, adware programs, etc. Comes with a firewall. Disadvantages: Detects very few adware/spyware programs Very confusing to use. Comments: Norton Symantec still has ways to go in detecting adware/spyware programs

Type: Adware Advantages: Easy to use scanning. Detailed logs of where the adware and spyware programs are hidden. Disadvantages: Ad-aware was built for adware, so its ability to catch spyware is restricted Comments: Effective Program. A bit on the costly side but its well worth it.

Preventing spyware and adware from getting onto your computer is your first step! Do not download unnecessary software from the internet, especially free ones because they most likely have adware or spyware inside them. If a download screen appears, asking you to confirm your download, click no if you are not trying to install anything. Avoid clicking advertised popups especially ones that mention free stuff if possible

Technical Recommendations Some adware/spyware files like to hide in the temporary internet folders.

Disable saving of temporary files by going to Program Files, Control Panel, Network and Internet Connections, Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files Settings, Check Never under Check for Newer Version of Stored Pages.
Constantly delete old temporary files and cookies by going to Program Files, Control Panel, Network and Internet Connections, Internet Options, Delete Cookies and Delete Temporary Files. Remember though, adware and spyware can be tricky, no matter how cautious you are, there are bound to be adware or spyware programs that install into your computer. Always constantly scan your computer for adware and spyware and keep your Adware/Spyware killer programs fully updated at all times.

Recommended Spyware/ Adware Killers without any restraints The Tri-Killer combination: Ad-aware 6.0 Professional Edition: Primary scanner Spy-sweeper paid version: Primary scanner and use their immune guards. Spybot Free Edition: Scan for any spyware Spy-Sweeper may have missed. Recommended Spyware/ Adware Killers with a price restraints Ad-aware 6.0 Free Edition: Primary Scanner Spy-Sweeper paid version: Primary Scanner Spybot Free Edition: Scan for any spyware Spy-Sweeper may have missed Recommended Spyware/ Adware Killers with a time restraints (not recommended) Ad-aware 6.0 Free Edition: Primary Scanner: Fast Scan Mode Spybot Free Edition: Suggestion: Spyware/ Adware killers are suppose to take time to scan, if you have time restraints, turn on the scanners, leave them running and go do something.

Security has become one of the primary concerns when an organization connects its private Network to the Internet. Spyware, though not a particularly new problem , remains a problem that is diffcult to manage While there is no silver bullet to solve all of these problems, there is hope.. With the right support from technology and policy, malware, including spyware, can be defeated.

For those interesting more in this topic, here are some links:
http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat1/ec_Main.Entry?SP=10007&SID= 27674&CID=0&DSP=0&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=39910 http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html http://www.wikipedia.com