Spyware & Spam
Spyware is defined by Wiktionary.com as “programs that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user.” Generally people who install these programs are completely unaware they are installing malicious software (malware). For example, many “free” toolbars, games and screensavers contain spyware. When these programs are installed they begin to record and report the actions of the computer user back to the spyware creator, generally with the purpose of advertising. Many times this leads to an overload of SPAM, unsolicited commercial email advertisements that can inundate a computer user’s inbox.
Although we do have some legislation in America that limits the use of these types of malware, there are a number of reasons this does not resolve the issue. Many times the people creating and implementing these programs are located in other countries and therefore are not required to follow our American laws. Other times the government just doesn’t have the time or manpower to prosecute the people who create these malicious programs.
These laws all focus on prosecuting people after users systems have already been infected with malware. However, prevention is the biggest solution to the SPAM/Spyware problem. Some of these preventative measures include:
Do not install “free” programs without thoroughly investigating them first. This includes toolbars for desktops/browsers; free games, puzzles, or other interactive entertainment; free screensavers or animated characters for desktop; free pop-up blocker programs; files downloaded from file-sharing services. There are a few websites specifically set up to inform you whether or not the free product you are about to install contains spyware. A couple of good ones are: http://cexx.org and http://doxdesk.com/parasite/.
Follow the “No Contact” rule for spam messages. When you get spam, don’t respond in ANY way. Don’t “unsubscribe” or get angry and write back asking to speak with a supervisor. Don’t respond to sneaky SPAM messages, like political surveys or dating service questionnaires. If you respond to a spam email, even if it is to “unsubscribe”, all you are telling the spammers is that there is a live person there reading their emails and you are likely to get more.
Use a disposable email address. Create a free Yahoo or Google email address just for the purpose of spam. Rule of thumb is that your primary email address should only be for people that you know and have actually talked to in person or over the phone. If you are buying something off the internet, or registering to become a member of a site, you should always use your disposable email address. The reason it is called a “disposable address” is because you should be able to discard it at any point, once it has become inundated with spam.
Unfortunately the issue Spyware and spam are both very difficult to completely resolve. However, there are ways to curb the problem with a little education and common sense. For more information on fighting malware, go to http://www.malwarehelp.org/.
Other sources: http://spam.abuse.net/ http://jrm.phys.ksu.edu/security.htmlTags: computers, culture, email, malware, office, spam, spyware, technology, training
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